is;;.] 41 



Colias Edusa in Hampshire. — Is it not very early for C. l^dusa? I saw one on 

 Juno 5th, and have heard of several being seen since in this neighbourhood. I do 

 not remember having ever seen them in June before. — L. M. S. Pasley, Shedfield, 

 Botley, Hants : June, 1877. 



Colias Editsa at Chatteris. — The occurrence of Colias Edusa as early as June 

 4th is perhaps worth recording. Tlie insect (a large and rather worn male) flew 

 across the corner of the court in which I was playing lawn-tennis. Judging from 

 the time of its appearance, its worn condition and the great heat of the day (76° in 

 the shade), I should say it was no doubt a hibernated specimen. — Hekbeet Foetescub 

 rEi'ER, Chatteris : June Mh, 1876. 



Chcerocam'pa nerii. — I have just had the pleasure of adding to my collection 

 the specimen of Chcerocampa nerii taken at Hemel Hempstead, Herts, on the 13th 

 of October last. It is a fine large ? specimen, but is short of a small piece of the 

 lower left wing, which was unfortunately taken out whilst the man was capturing it. 

 Its British authenticity is thoroughly established.— Geo. T. Poeeitt, Highroyd 

 House, Huddersfield : June 4th, 1877. 



Collectiotis of British Lepidoptera. — It is encouraging to see at last a well-known 

 name like that of Mr. Birchall to an article on our insular pi-ejudice against insects 

 of continental origin. It must indeed need a large amount of infatuation to believe 

 that a large portion of the rarities shown in cabinets are British captures, and when 

 really such, what do they after all prove in most instances ? Nothing. No new- 

 species, in the true sense of the word, has been added to the British Ust, but merely 

 a foreign insect has lost its way and had the melancholy distinction of being pinned 

 on British soil. No doubt some additional value is thus given to such a specimen, 

 but not the exaggerated one so universally set. 



Amongst the general body of collectors, how lamentable is the ignorance on any 

 point, not purely of insular interest ; and yet, by a slight study of the European Fauna, 

 how much those who have some little deeper aim than merely the desire of 

 acquiring a number of insects, would find their means enlarged of taking an extended 

 and comprehensive view of their favoui'ite subject ! There is much to interest in the 

 comparison of foreign with English specimens of the same species, and also in 

 finding the gradual passage from one genus to another much more completely illus- 

 trated than can be seen bj%the limited British list. Amongst the NoctuidcB, for 

 instance, how little the beauty of some species is known to the ordinary British 

 collector. Few are aware that our sober coloured CucuIUcb pass by steady gradations 

 to the brilliant light green and silver of the common South German Cucullia argenlea ; 

 that the genus Meliothis includes the rich magenta-tinted, but equally common 

 German delphinii, or the rarer delicate rose-pink of TreitschJcii ; that our handsome 

 I'lusice are rivalled by several common French and German species, or that the large 

 subdivision of the yellow underwingcd Catocalce will bear contrast with our own 

 richly coloured species. All this and much more they might learn if they would 

 enlarge their present limited range of study ! 



Mr. Birchall rightly hints, it is a want of liberal ideas rather than the difficulty 

 of obtaining continental insects. Like him, I can say their acquisition is not difiicult. 

 My special study is that of the European NoctuidcB, and out of the total number of 

 about 850 species in Eui'ope I have obtained about 500 with little more trouble and 

 expense in getting the continental than the British. I also add specimens from 

 various parts of the Continent to my series of British species, and am much interested 



