THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
165 
moulting, and many other habits — sport- 
ive, predacious, amiable, unamiable, odd 
and unaccountable — of Lepidopterous 
insects, in a state of nature and in con- 
finement, should you think their publi- 
cation would prove interesting to your 
readers in this wintry season. 
On the particular subject of the pre- 
sent communication, may I take the 
liberty of saying that I should be glad 
to evoke information with respect to the 
following points: — 
1. The best way of inducing insects to 
pair ; how far this depends on age, time 
of the day or night, external air, sun- 
shine, weather, vicinity of food-plant, &c.; 
whether it is better to place a single pair 
or many of each sex together. 
2. The duration of the pairing; and 
whether its effectiveness depends on 
this. 
3. The best way of putting bred females 
in a way to pair. Too often, reversing 
the classical legend, a virgin Andromeda, 
exposed to attract some gay Perseus, fails 
a prey to a roving monster in the guise 
of a spider or a colony of ants. Does 
pinning through the body interfere with 
the lady’s ability? If so, can she be 
fastened in any other way ? 
4. Polygamy among Lepidoptera. 
I am, Sir, 
Your obedient servant, 
A. B. 
Brighton , Dec. 26, 1860. 
I. On the Pairing oe Lepidoptera. 
a. Argynnis Paphia. — Between the 
26th and 28lh of July, 1857, I caught 
four females and two males, and turned 
them into a roomy leno bag placed over 
a pot, in which a young garden-raspberry 
plant and some dog-violets had been 
planted. They were often placed in the 
sunshine, and fluttered or walked about. 
Some of the females, I thought, evinced 
a disposition to flirt, but the males were 
very anchorites. By the 30th of July all 
but one female were dead. Not a single 
egg had been laid. 
b. Arctia Menlhastri . — A male came 
out of pupa on the 13th of J une, 1858 
at 3 p. m., and a female about two hours 
afterwards. At 8 I placed them about 
six inches from each other in a leno bag 
stretched over a young birch tree growing 
in a pot. About five minutes past 9 the 
male began to flutter and crawl, and 
in two minutes more the female followed 
suit. About 10 they settled three inches 
apart. I then transferred them in their 
bag to another pot, in which a marigold 
had been planted: still they showed no 
friendly dispositions ; however, on re- 
turning after leaving them for a quarter 
of an hour, I found them quietly settled 
together ; they separated between 9 and 
10 the following evening. 
c. Notodonta Ziczac . — I bred a male 
and female on the evening of the 30th of 
July, and left them in my cage all night. 
Next morning I found them together. 
Having to move them about 6 in the 
evening they very readily separated. The 
eggs were fertile. 
d. Smerinthus Populi . — One came out 
on the 28th of July ; another on the 28th 
or 29th. Though left together all the 
night of the 30th they remained single. 
On the morning of the 31st another 
female came out. I left all three to- 
gether, and on the morning of the 1st 
of August the two first had paired 
effectually. 
