Insects, 4:15 



British Polyommati, and which furnishes the best mode of 

 procuring unrubbed specimens of them, where they occur in 

 sufficient abundance. I noticed P. Argiolus, which was rare, 

 but no other member of this genus. Cynthia cardui was 

 rather common ; Vanessa urticae exceedingly so ; V. Vo some- 

 what rare; V. Atalanta^ very abundant; and I witnessed there 

 a very large concourse of this last-mentioned butterfly, and 

 of common wasps (Fespa vulgaris), upon the trunk of a dis- 

 eased pollard oak, from which exuded a saccharine juice. A 

 similar occurrence has been noticed by Mr. Lukis of the 

 neighbouring island of Guernsey. (VI. 222. [see also VII. 

 265.]) In the instance now mentioned, one side of the tree 

 was completely covered with alderman butterflies ; these are 

 always readily attracted by any thing sweet. 



I heard several times there of a large and very showy blue 

 butterfly, which I have not since been able to make out. It 

 decidedly was not the emperor (Apatura Txis) : although it 

 was about when I was in the island, I did not once succeed 

 in getting a sight of it. 



A very common insect there is the humming-bird hawk- 

 moth (Macroglossa stellatarum), one of the most interesting 

 of our native Lepidoptera. I have seen as many as seven or 

 eight of them together, hovering around the flowers of a 

 honeysuckle, whisking from bloom to bloom with the rapidity 

 of thought, suspending themselves in the air around each 

 blossom, and inserting into the tubes their long proboscides, 

 then quick as lightning darting out of sight ; though sombre 

 in their hues, reminding us of the fairy tenants of the western 

 world. One that I reared from the caterpillar came out in 

 the short space of four weeks. I observed a favourite resting- 

 place of this species to be immediately under a small projec- 

 tion, over the sea beach, formed by the action of high tides 

 against a crumbling sandy soil, the matted roots of the turf 

 holding together, while the ground beneath had been washed 

 away. In this situation I have seen within a very short space 

 four or five of the M. stellatarum, which would readily suffer 

 themselves to be transfixed, and this in midday, when others 

 were flying about in abundance. To this place I have often 

 seen them fly direct, and, after hovering a little, alight to rest 

 themselves. 



It would here take too much space to note down the various 

 moths, &c., which I observed. I found the larva of the 

 S\Anux A'tropo5, but I failed in the endeavour to rear it. 

 The angle shades moth (Phlogophora) was uncommonly plen- 

 tiful, as was also the common Plusia gamma, the latter flying 

 chiefly by day, a feeble miniature of the Macroglossa stella- 

 tarum. — Edward Blytlu Tootmgy Surrey, May 22. 1834. 



