NOTE ON BUTTERFLIES QUESTIONABLY BRITISH. 177 



it this year in the New Forest. Panzer figures his with tlie 

 abdomen green, which, under some hghts, and in some 

 specimens, will appear so, from their excessive refulgency; but 

 the positive colour of the abdomen is red. 



Art. XXI. — Note on Butterflies questionably British. 



In the Lists of British Lepidoptera which have been 

 published by Messrs, Stephens and Curtis, many names occur 

 which, in our cabinets, that is, in the cabinets of those few 

 entomologists who are scrupulous, stand, year after year, as 

 names only ; now, if there really are British insects corre- 

 sponding to these names, it is very well to allow the vacancies 

 left for them to remain, until some fortunate entoraoloo-ist 

 discovers the locality for these rarities, and supplies our 

 cabinets ; but, on the contrary, if there exist no such insects 

 in Britain, it is surely ill-advised in us to retain the names ; 

 I suggest that it would be far better to forget that such insects 

 have ever been recorded as British, and should they hereafter 

 occur, I would re-introduce them as entire novelties. The 

 following butterflies are more or less abundant in cabinets of 

 professedly British insects, but of any authentic record of 

 capture in this country we are wholly ignorant. 



Podalirius, far from uncommon. 



Europome, very common, existing in thirty-one cabinets 

 that I have inspected. 



Palceno, in catalogues only. 



Chrysotheme (?) 



Apollo, a fine series in a cabinet in the North of England, 

 and single specimens in several cabinets. 



Mnemosyne, Tessellata, Maturna, Hampsteadiensis , Niobe, 

 PopiiH, Sibilla, Levana, Huntera, Ncera, Pltcedra, Alcyone. 



Ligea, in the cabinet of Mr. Stephens, and lately introduced 

 into those of Mr. B. Standish, and several of our dealers. 

 Mr. Stephens, in his Illustrations, acknowledges himself igno- 

 rant of the time and place of its capture, and of the name of 

 its captor. 



Mnestra. 



