190 A. E. GIBBS — NOTES ON LEPIDOPTESA 



the autumn, and it would be interesting to know if any of the 

 immigrants in May and June found their way into Hertfordshire. 

 As Mr. Warner, jun., saw one at Hendon, very near our border- 

 line, it is not at all unlikely that we have been favoured with an 

 unrecorded visit.* It is worth noting that in 1878, the year after 

 the last abundant visitation, edusa was almost entirely absent from 

 England. Mr. Jenner Weir, of Blackheath, Mr. G. W. Oldfield, 

 of Guildford, and Mr. H. Keny, of Harwich, each wrote to the 

 ' Entomologist ' f calling attention to its rarity or absence. It 

 remains to be seen what 1893 will bring forth. 



Other Butteeflies. — The large and small white butterflies 

 {Pieris hrassicce and P. rapcB) are reported as having been a very 

 great pest at Hitchin last autumn. Mr. Harold Gatward, of that 

 town, has favoured me with the loan of some artistically-executed 

 drawings, very true to nature, of several larvae, and they include 

 representations of these most injurious and voracious caterpillars. 

 As these two species are so exceedingly well-known it is only 

 necessary to simply mention the fact of their unusual abundance. 



Several butterflies of the genus Vanessa are recorded in the 

 entomological papers as having been remarkably abundant during 

 1892, but the only local observer who reports a similar state of 

 things in Hertfordshire is Mr. E.. Dymond, of Southgate. With 

 regard to the red admii'al butterfly he says : " Vanessa atalanta 

 was unusually abundant here during August and September of last 

 year. Along one side of the Great Northern Cemetery there is a 

 wall made with brick pillars and iron bars intervening. On these 

 pillars, between eight and nine o'clock a.m., I have often seen 

 about forty atalantas collected together, sometimes a dozen on each 

 pillar. Curiously enough they always keep to the same part of 

 the wall (about 100 yards). I have also seen the painted lady 

 ( V. cardui) settling on a certain part of the road from five p.m. 

 till as late as eight o'clock." Both these are beautiful and abun- 

 dant species, and seem to prefer the haunts of men, flying about 

 our gardens in a fearless manner, sunning themselves and sipping 

 nectar from the flowers. It is a curious fact that the Vanessidse 

 are reported as having been exceedingly numerous in the last great 

 edusa year, 1877. % Mr. R. Dymond also tells me that the 

 Camberwell beauty, V. ant'iopa, was taken at sugar a few years 

 ago at Southgate. Although very rare in England, I have seen 

 antiopa sporting over the pastures very freely on the Continent. 



The capture of the chalk-hill blue {PolyommaUis corydon) on 

 Broxbourne Common some time ago is recorded by Mr. H Warner. 

 He has never heard of another there before or since. This pretty 



* On the appearance of a report of this paper in the County newspapers, Mr. 

 C. F. Pilbrow, of Colney Heath, St. Albaus, wrote to the ' Herts Advertiser,' 

 stating that on June 7th, 1892, he took two female specimens of C. cdu.sa near 

 Cohiey Heath, one of which hiid a hirge number of eggs on the food-plant sup- 

 plied to it, which, however, did not hatch, probably owing to being unf'ertized. 



t 'Entomologist,' 1878. p. 269. 



J ' Entomologist,' 1877, p. 188. 



