THl'. l.Kl'inOl'lKRA OF KS^KX. 95 



them as follows : " On the 26th of May, in the year 175S, Mr. Drury, 

 an ingenious Aurelian, in searching for caterpillars, beat four off 

 sallow, near Brentwood, in Essex, which in their shape and motion 

 differed from any hitherto discovered, being furnished with two 

 horns of the same hard substance as their heads, resembling the 

 telescopes of a snail, and in their progressive motion seemed rather 

 to glide along, like that animal, than crawl, as most caterpillars do." 

 -After carefully describing the larvae, he expresses his gratitude to his 

 " generous and worthy friend, Mr. Drury, for the discovery of the 

 caterpillar of one of the most beautiful flies in the universe, and 

 which had hitherto eluded the search of the most skilful and indus- 

 trious aurelians." 



" The Purple Emperor of the British oaks is not undeservedly 

 the greatest favourite of our English aurelians." {Haivortk ; Lep. 

 Brit. i. 19 [1803]). He gives an entertaining description of its 

 habits (reprinted: V. M. 11 7-1 19; B.B. 74-5). Haworth says: 

 " In three days I took myself twenty-three (nine of them in one day), 

 but never took a female at all " {Lep. Brit. i. 20). 



" Apatura iris was common in Hartley Wood and Riddles Wood ; 

 between eighty and one hundred were seen performing their graceful 

 and rapid evolutions about the tops of the oaks and aspens, gliding 

 among the foliage, and not returning to any particular tree, as 

 Haworth has stated to be its habit. From the frequency with which 

 they visited the aspens, and their greater inclination to settle on them, 

 we are inclined to think that the larvae feed on those trees as well as 

 on the broad-leaved sallows. There was not a wet spot to be found 

 in the woods, or we should have tried the method of capture mentioned 

 by Mr. Hewitson {E7it. 324) : only four were taken " (J. W. Douglas, 

 Ent. i. 384). 



Caught in July, 1695, near Heveningham [Hedingham] Castle, in 

 Essex, by Mr. Courtman (A'<?v ; H.I. 127). Hedingham and Black- 

 more End (/>>///'. .'jf/.'V// ; M.S.). Larva on sallow, Brentwood, May 

 26th, I 758 {D. Drury). Great and Little Stour Woods, \\'rabness and 

 Ramsey {Jerniyn ; V.M. 69). Woods bordering road from Col- 

 chester to Ipswich (A E. Dfluhleday ; Ent. Mag. iv. 231). Hartley 

 UOod, St. Osylh ; Riddles Wood, between Walton-on-Naze and 

 Brightlingsea, July 1842 (A. Lambert and J. W. Douglas ; Ent. i. 

 384). Woods round Colchester and wood on Mersea Island (//". 

 Doiibleday; Z. iv. 1399). Eggs from Dr. Maclean, Colchester, July 

 i6th, 1861 (Xewman: '/..\\\. 7820). Egg from Harwood, Colchester, 



