59 
FURTHER NOTES ON “ ANGERONA PRUNARIA.” 
(Read March 15th, 1904, Mr. C. P PICKETT, F.E.S.) 
Following on my paper on Anyerona prunaria, read before this 
Society on March 3rd, 1903, I now report on eight broods bred 
during June, 1903. The larvte of six broods were hibernated outdoors, 
the other two broods being kept in a greenhouse. The latter kept well 
throughout the winter, there being no mortality, were much larger, 
and looked healthier than the larvae of the other six broods. The cold 
weather of February, 1903, killed off many outdoor larvae; the sleeves 
were often white with frost, the larvae being in a kind of refrigerator. 
The two greenhouse broods started feeding at the beginning of April, 
while the six outdoor broods did not start till the middle of April, this 
being two weeks later than usual, doubtless on account of the bad 
weather. They were then placed on fresh privet bushes. The broods 
at this stage were as follows :— 
Brood. 12 8 45678 
Larv/e. 150 200 200 160 150 150 140 120 
Brood one larvte were nearly all killed off’ by a nest of earwings in 
their earlier stages, leaving only 17 to go through hibernation. Prior 
to hibernation, the numbers in each brood were as follows :— 
Brood. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 
Larv;e. 17 84 200 53 150 25 73 51 
Thus about one-third of the larvae sleeved outdoors died during the 
winter, while all those kept in the greenhouse, viz., broods 3 and 5, 
survived. 
Of these 653 larvae some 170 were given away to friends with a 
request to let me know the results, but I have not yet received any 
news. The remaining larvte fed up well and pupated from May l‘2th 
onwards till the end of the month. One larva was most peculiar in its 
habits. It came out of hybernation April, 1903, changed its skin and 
fed up very slowly; when about half fed it seemed to get no bigger, ate 
nothing during cold weather, and rested head uppermost, but on warm 
days would nibble a little. It went into second year’s hybernation 
at the beginning of September, 1903, this time resting head downwards. 
Looking in the cage on October 21st, I found it had fallen and was 
dead; thus it was in the larval stage for sixteen months. 
My first A. prunaria to emerge was on June 3rd, and they 
continued coming out throughout the month. During June we had 
some most extraordinary weather, that reminded one of the days of 
Noah and his invincible boat. June 4th, six emerged, June 5th, 6th 
and 7th, were extremely hot, and Prunaria emerged with a rush, some 
200 coming out during this time. June 8th and 9th were not so hot, and I 
only had to set some 40 imagines. June 10th was wet, and only twelve 
* Omitted from Volume for 1904. 
