40 fJuiy. 



CoUan Edtisa at Lewisham in June. — On the 7tli inst., two C. ]£dusa came into 

 my garden here ; on the 10th there were several : many others have been seen in the 

 neighbourhood. This is about the last insect I would hare expected to find in my 

 garden at this time of year. Truth is certainly sometimes stranger than fiction. It 

 is often supposed that stray examples captured in the spring have hibernated. Pos- 

 sibly this may sometimes be the case : but some other explanation must be sought 

 for the present anomalous (for England) appearance. Either they are examples that 

 should have come out last autumn, but were checked by uncongenial weather, or 

 they have remained in the pupa-state for a protracted period, or perhaps there is a 

 little of both these causes. To my idea, the latter may probably be the more potent 

 of the two if both time and place be taken into consideration. I have this June 

 seen more C. Edusa here in two days than in eight years, even at their usual period. 

 Of course it will be very interesting to have a series of records from other parts of 

 the country.* The present apparition shows us how little we really know of the 

 habits of our species of Collas. — R. McLachlan, Lewisham : \2th June, 1877. 



Colias Edusa in London. — To-day 1 saw this buttei-fly flying wildly not far fi-om 

 Buckingham Palace. — Id. : \Qth June, 1877. 



Colias Edusa near Taunton. — Two specimens were flying about my garden this 

 morning. Vanessa cardui is very abundant, and in splendid condition. — Murray 

 A. Mathew, Bishop's Lydeard, Taunton : Ihth June, 1877. 



Colias Edusa iw Hampshire. — In this neighbourhood dui'ing the past and present 

 week, Edusa has appeared in great numbers, culminating perhaps on the 11th inst., 

 when they were seen in all directions. 



The fields of clover and Trifolium in blossom seemed very attractive to tliese 

 butterflies, and it was not uncommon to see them flying at each other ; once on that 

 day I saw as many as six together in a confused flight, rising and falling by turns as 

 they seemed battling together. I also saw one captured by a swallow. 



But on the 12tli, a very interesting fact (not, I think, hitherto specially recorded) 

 concerning a food plant selected naturally for its offspring by this butterfly, was 

 brought to my notice by the Rev. E. T. Daubeny, of Bedhampton, wlio watched a 

 female alight on a sprig of Lotus corniculatus, and distinctly saw her lay a couple of 

 eggs on it, whereupon he captiu-ed, and kindly brought her alive to me, together 

 with part of the plant bearing the eggs. 



Placed on a fresh plant of this bird's-foot trefoil witliin a glass cylinder, and set 

 in the sunshine, this female re-corameneed laying, and, within a few hours, deposited 

 a large number of eggs. This individual female seemed certainly worn ; nevertlieless, 

 I strongly incline to the belief, tliat by far the greater number of those I saw on the 

 wing must have passed the exceptionally mild winter in the pupa state. — William 

 BucKLEE, Emsworth : June \hth, 1877. 



* In "The Field " for 17th and 24th June, the following- localities and dates are recorded for 

 Colias Eda.ta: — Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, 17th; Wolsingham, Durham, ord ; Bishop-Auckland, 

 16th ; Masham, 10th ; Chester, 12th ; Worksop, 4th ; Kcpton, 1 5th ; Llandudno, 17th ; Hanworth, 

 Norfolk, ISth ; St. Albans, 4tb ; Reading, 18th ; East Moulsey and Kltham, 7th ; Regent's Park, 

 iOth : Highbury, 13th ; Karringdon Street, 14th ; Brighton (with 6'. i/.v<i(f., 4th ; Portsmouth, 6th ; 

 Sidmouth, 5th ; Dartmouth (with var. llelice]. 4th ; St. Ives, 9th; all in the month of June. One 

 instance, from Newbury, S. Devon, is on 31st May. In many of these 'cases, the continued ap- 

 pearance of the butterfly from the date given is especially noted, as also is the freshness of the 

 specimens. Of those seen at Brighton, Mr. II. C. Maiden says: — "they h.vd apparent!}' just 

 landed from France, and were easily caught ; they were ilyiiijj inland for several daj's ; the females 

 were bv far the most numerous," — E C. R. 



