361 



the first full account of this insect ; and his description is so ani- 

 mated and enthusiastic, that the naturalists of the Society, if not the 

 other fellows, will excuse my making one quotation from him : — 

 *' To the great astonishment of our English collectors of natural 

 history," he says, " Papilio Artaxerxes, an insect heretofore of the 

 highest possible rarity, has been lately found in no very inconsiderable 

 plenty in Britain. For this interesting discovery we are indebted to 

 the fortunate researches of our young and very worthy friend, W. 

 E. Leach, Esq., who met with it common on Arthur's Seat, near 

 Edinburgh, and also on the Pentland Hills." It will not be unin- 

 teresting to the fellows of this Society to know that Mr James Wilson 

 was with Dr Leach on this occasion, and joined him in his entomologi- 

 cal researches at that time. As I have entered so far into the history 

 of this insect, I must now in fairness state, that the same authority 

 (Donovan) mentions the existence of a specimen in the '' exten- 

 sive and valuable" cabinet of Mr Macleay, taken in Scotland, pre- 

 vious to Dr Leach's discovery. It is the same Mr Macleay whose 

 name is associated with another interesting, but much more widely 

 distributed insect, the Erebus Blandina^ or Arran Argus. Dono- 

 van concludes with the remark — " As these insects fly in the day- 

 time, there can be Httle doubt they may be sought for by the collec- 

 tors with success on the hilly spot called Arthur's Seat, near Edin- 

 burgh." 



Polyommatus Artaxerxes, thus established as a well-known British 

 insect, appears successively in the works of Mr Stephens, 1828 ; Ron- 

 nie (Conspectus), 1831 ; Duncan, 1837; Wood (illustrated catalogue), 

 1839 ; Westwood, 1841 ; and Captain Brown, 1843 ; but I do not 

 think there is in these works any important addition to the infor- 

 mation I have thus thrown together. 



Having endeavoured to trace rapidly, and in a manner as little te- 

 dious as possible, the history of P. Artaxerxes, I may remark, that 

 great as is the interest this insect has excited among naturalists, its 

 habits, and especially its transformations, were until recently entirely 

 unknown. Mr R. Logan, who resides almost on the spot on which it 

 abounds, endeavoured some years ago, I believe, to obtain its larvae by 

 inclosing a number of the perfect butterflies beneath a glass frame 

 in his garden, in the hopes that the eggs might be deposited ; but as 

 at that time it was generally believed to feed on the Ulex europceuSf 

 amidst which it may be seen to flit, the eggs, if deposited at all, 



