JOURNAL OF VARIATION. 



Vol. VIII. No. 3. June 1st, 1896. 



The Blue Butterflies of a Kentish hillside. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



A tan,q:led shaw runs up the chalk-hills from the road to the wood 

 yonder. 'L'oo broad for a hedge, too narrow for a wood, a mystery 

 of verdure, the haunt of eharmhig insects, of beautiful flowers, of 

 interesting things of fur and feather — that is a Kentish shaw. 



The chalk-hills here are capped with the Tertiaries. At one 

 time, we doubt not, they were covered with them, but the action of 

 air, rain, frost and running water has stripped their sides almost 

 bare, and deposited rich beds of soil in the valleys, whilst a deeper 

 layer of clay and sand still covers the summits of the hill-ridges of the 

 North Downs. On these are situated those Kentish woods which 

 make one of the most charming pictures of English scenery. From 

 the boundaries of Surrey, past Rochester and Canterbury, these chalk- 

 hills stretch, until at last they fall with precipitous cliffs sheer into 

 the sea, a few miles north and south of Dover. 



The woods are all of mixed growth — yews, oak, beech, hazel, 

 birch, pine and ash intermingle their varied foliage, whilst a thick 

 undergrowth is festooned with wild roses, honeysuckle and clematis. 

 Hawthoi-n, buckthorn, privet and hazel form the chief undergrowth 

 of the shaws ; and inlets, carpeted in spring with primroses, violets, 

 blue-bells and anemones, run into the woods. 



The first Blue butterfly appears with the blue-bells. What connec- 

 tion there is between Ci/aniris aniiolus and the blue-bells we do not 

 know, but years ago our attention was called to the fact, and where- 

 ever there is a carpet of blue-bells, there, on a hot sunny morning, 

 the Holly Blue will be observed flitting about. The second brood of 

 this species is here exceedingly rare. Occasionally a specimen is to be 

 seen in August or September flitting along the rides, or on the out- 

 skirts of the woods, but such appearances are very uniisual. 



With the last week in May, in ordinary years, rohjininiiatus he/- 

 IdniK.s, I', iidiusiiud I'.dsfiairhr appear, usually almost sinmltaneously, 

 but whereas the first-named comes with a burst and remains on the 

 wing for two or three weeks in succession, the last appears suddenly, 

 remains pretty abundantly for a few days, and disappears as suddenly 

 as it appeared. The appearance of /'. irarus is, at this time, only the 

 herald of a long, straggling brood, which lasts well on through .June, 

 often, indeed, until the earliest specimens of the second brood ni-e well 

 on towards maturitv. 



