CArrURE OF ARGYNNIS APHRODITE, l31 



Art. IV. — Notice of the Capture of Argynnis Aphrodite in War- 

 wickshire. By The Rev. W. T. Bree, M.A. 



I HAVE the pleasure of announcing to the entomological read 

 ers of the ' Magazine of Natural History,' the capture of an 

 insect in this county which I believe to be hitherto entirely 

 unheard of as a British species, — the Ai-gynnis Aphrodite. 

 A single example of this fine insect was taken by James Wal- 

 house, Esq., of Leamington, in Ufton Wood, a few miles from 

 that town, in the summer of 1833, and was kindly presented 

 to my son, in whose possession it now is, by Moreton J. Wal- 

 house, Esq., the brother of the captor. 



In thus announcing this interesting addition to our native 

 Fauna, I am prepared to expect that entomologists may be a 

 little sceptical on the subject, if they do not altogether dis- 

 believe the fact. ' We know but too well that dealers will, 

 without scruple, play all sorts of tricks — frauds, I ought to 

 say, — by attempting to pass off foreign articles for native 

 ones, whenever it may suit their purpose. We know too, 

 that even honest collectors are not absolutely exempt from 

 occasional mistakes, and that, accordingly, a stray exotic does 

 now and then creep into the British cabinet quite surrepti- 

 tiously. Again we are told, and I believe told truly, that in- 

 sects are not unfrequently imported, either in the e^g, larva, 

 or perfect state, with timber or other suitable merchandise. 

 And lastly, we hear of Lepidopterous insects in the winged 

 state, being blown over from the continent to our shores, if 

 they have not undertaken a voluntary voyage thither. Bear- 

 ing these circumstances in mind, and wishing as far as pos- 

 sible to anticipate objections, I deemed it right to obtain, and 

 trust I shall be excused for stating, all the particulars I could 

 learn relative to the subject of the present article. Let us sift 

 the evidence, then, and see how the above objections bear 

 upon the case before us. 



And first for fraud : the specimen of Argynnis Aphrodite 

 now before me, let it be remembered, has never been in the 

 hands of a dealer, nor in the possession of any other person 

 except Mr. Walhouse and his brother, from whom, as already 

 said, my son received it. These gentlemen are men of the 

 highest respectability, quite above all suspicion of intentional 

 deception. I may add, too, that at the time the insect was 

 taken, Mr. Walhouse was only just beginning to pay atten- 

 tion to Entomology. The immediate object of his visit to 

 Ufton Wood was for the purpose of taking Argynnis Paphia ; 

 and so little acquainted was he at that time with our British 

 Papiliones, that in the first instance he even doubted whether 



