EEV. C. ir. PERKINS — BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 71 



"We come now to the Fritillarics, a goodly company of nine, very 

 showy insects of rich fulvous colour, beautifully spotted and marked 

 ■with black. These are all almost more beautiful on the underside, 

 some having bright silvery spots to heighten their splendour, and 

 in those species where the silver is absent, the blending of colours 

 on a pale straw ground is even yet more beuutiful. Argynnis 

 Faphia, the silver- washed fritillary, the largest, is common in most 

 woods in the southern counties, and may be found in July flying 

 with good speed over those parts which have recently been cut 

 down Argynnis Adippe, the high brown fritillary, may often be 

 caught at the same time and place, but it is not quite so common, 

 and makes its first appearance a week or so earlier, and disappears 

 much sooner. Argynnis Aglaia, the dark green fritillary, is so like the 

 last that it can only be distinguished by some slight markings on 

 the underside. Yet it is different in habit, and you must not look 

 for this inside the woods, but on hills outside, where from its rapid 

 flight, and there being no impediments, it will give you active 

 employment to catch a dozen even where it is most abundant. 

 Paphia, I am told, is common in woods near St. Albans, but I am 

 sorry to say I can give no certain information about the two others 

 occurring in these parts, as I have never been in this county when 

 they should be flying, but I have no doubt they may all be obtained 

 at the proper season, within a few miles of this town. A fine 

 race I had this summer over Breakheart Hill, near Dursley, in 

 getting some specimens of Aglaia for my children : a hill, wliose 

 sides are excessively steep, and which gained its name, so tradition 

 says, from a man who, in endeavouring to win a bet that he would 

 carry a chain to which a link was added at every step he took, fell 

 dead of a broken heart before he reached the top. Argynnis 

 Lathonia, the Queen of Spain fritillary, is another great rarity. It 

 has been taken in woods, and lanes near woods, in the South of 

 England, nearly every year, but I think few people have captured 

 it otherwise than singly. It is rather smaller than the three before 

 mentioned, and is at once distinguished by the larger and brighter 

 silver spots. Kent appears to be its favourite county, and September 

 its favourite month. Then next in order are the two pearl-bordered 

 fritillaries, Argynnis Selene and Eicphrosyne, which may be taken 

 in our neighbouring woods in the months of May and June, Sele^ie 

 being a little later in appearing and disappearing than its congener. 

 It is astonishing how suddenly these go to bed, and disappear 

 temporarily with the sunshine. These last six are all bedecked 

 with silver spots on the underwings, which serve to distinguish 

 them from the next three, the names of which are : Ilelitcea Cinxia, 

 the Granville fritillary, abundant in the Isle of Wight, but rarely 

 found elsewhere ; Mclitaa Athalia, the h(^ath, is met with in woods 

 on either side of our county, in Essex and Buckinghamshire, and 

 so I hope between, but I can give no locality ; and 3Ielif(ea Arfemis, 

 the greasy fritillary, about the same time, flying heavily over damp 

 meadows, is much more common in the same counties. With these 

 I finish the second family, only adding that several of these fritil- 



