208 MR. SELBY's OBSERVATIONg AND NOTES 



derable numbers, in almost every district of England, as well 

 as in the southern parts of Scotland. At Twizell, six beautiful 

 unworn specimens, apparently fresh liberated from the 

 pupa, or chrysalid state, were caught in the flower garden, 

 while hovering in front of the flowers, from whose tubes they 

 were extracting the honied nectar, by means of their very 

 long extensile tongues, an instrument admirably adapted for 

 the purpose. Others were seen, but allowed to escape. At 

 Belford, also, several were taken under similar circumstances, 

 and the capture of many more was notified to me by various 

 parties in neighbouring as well as distant localities, many of 

 them in districts removed from the coast, a circumstance of 

 some importance in the speculation as to whence, or to what 

 cause we are to attribute so unusual a supply of an insect 

 conspicuous for its size, flight, &c., and now noticed, perhaps, 

 for the first time, in districts where it had previously failed 

 to attract the attention of the observer. Are we to suppose 

 that this numerous flight originated from eggs deposited, either 

 in the earlier months of the same year, or by parent insects 

 which had escaped observation during the previous autumn ? 

 If so, does it not appear somewhat extraordinary that a host 

 of larvae, for numerous they must have been, of so large a 

 size, and so striking an appearance, as the caterpillars of this 

 giant-like moth, should have escaped detection, which they 

 appear to have done, for I do not find that the larvae had 

 attracted the attention of entomological observers, or been 

 noticed in any of our periodical publications ? It has also oc- 

 curred to me, that perhaps the long continued and ardent 

 heat of the summer might have vivified or enabled the ima- 

 ges of many previous broods to burst those bonds which un- 

 propitious seasons had long confined in the pupa state, deep 

 buried in the earth, and which emancipation they were now 

 enabled to effect, by the peculiar and adventitious circum- 

 stances of the summer of 1846. Such seems to be the eco- 

 nomy of other lepidopterous species, whose imagos only ap- 

 pear, or at least do so in any considerable numbers, at uncer- 

 tain, and sometimes at distant intervals, among which may be 

 mentioned Cynthia cardui, Vanessa atitiopa, Pieris cratoegiy 

 ^c. If we reject both of these foregoing suppositions, we 



