32 
pairs for breeding, but nearly all the ova are infertile, though 
copulation took place. 
R. phlaeas produced the record for normally-fed larvae, the period 
from the hatching ol the first ovum to the time of pupation being 21 
days ; this was during July. The species has been abnormally common 
in the district this year, far more so than I have ever noticed it before. 
Second and third broods and partial broods have of course been 
common; among them I have noted the following:— M. brassicae, very 
common ; Jl. phlaeas , a partial fourth brood reared by a friend of 
mine, lame pupated September 17th; S. populi, a small percentage at 
end of July and early August, no more for nearly a month, then more 
mid-September; two C. elpenor, end August; S. menthastri, twenty or 
more August; S’, lubricipeda, six end of August; Z. orbicularia, 
80 per cent, of pupae emerged in August, producing third brood; P. 
machaon, small percentage emerged in August. 
A. caja larvae were collected wild in September in the last skin, but 
all produced ichneumons. 
I obtained ova from V. cardui in early September, and as soon as I 
found they were fertile I started mj 7 little hot-house going and kept it 
up to between 70 and 80 degrees, and by this means and feeding on nettle 
I reared over 400 grand sized specimens in mid-October; the larvae in 
this heat grew very rapidly. No good vars. were bred although several 
have the largest white spot all clouded over with black like the 
specimens shown to-night. I obtained a few Sphinx convulvuli ova, 
these hatched in seven days and the larvae fed up in 26 days in the 
hot-house ; they were of great size when full fed ; being over 4A" long, 
all of the dark brown form with w 7 hite markings. I let each pupate in 
a separate flower pot; they went well down in the earth, and I kept 
damp moss on the top and stood the pots in cages right over the hot- 
water pipes, but there was no sign of their emerging up to October 25th. 
On that day I turned out one pot and found the pupa at the bottom 
in an earthen cocoon; it was very lively, but shows no sign of 
emerging this year. To-day none are out so I expect they intend to 
lay over the winter as pupae. 
One thing has struck me forcibly this year in breeding and that is 
the absence of disease among larvae, when crowded. As a rule when I 
try to rear several thousand large larvae such as C. elpenor , S. carpini, 
S. ocellatus, etc., even though I split them up into as many sleeves or 
cages as possible, they nearly always get that awful dysentery ; this year 
nothing seemed to kill them. C. elpenor were crowded fearfully, I had 
over 3,000 in one large cage, and the only way to kill them was to tread 
on them ; when the pupae were dug up we had 3,640 fine pupae. 
Carpini and ocellatus were also very thick ; carpini suffered a very little, 
some 100 dying oft, but the disease did not spread as is usually the case, 
and some fine pupae resulted in sleeves where diseased larvae died. 
Nemeophila plantar/inis have not produced a second brood with me, 
though the first lot were early. 
I think 1 have now taken up quite enough of your time, and I fear 
my notes have not been as interesting as they might be. 
I shall long remember the wonderful summer of 1911, and I 
sincerely hope we may not have another quite so hot for a time, as the 
work pretty wbl^ lwl/'jpgAOut in July and August. , 
p .-V* « PRESENTED 
x 29 OCT 191? 
