58 THE ENT(>.M<>i,(>(ilST S 1{I-;«I>KI». 



(IHO;-}), that the name tlispar was applied to our J>ritish insect, which 

 was described as "a new and very beautiful species." On the Conti- 

 nent, however, two other authors, Creyer (in his extension of Hiibner's 

 Hid-np. Srhiiictt., tio-s. <)(;G-1)()H), and Esper (PL HH, ti,i,'s. 1-2) fi,i,mred the 

 lU'itish species undei- the name of /lijiiKit/mc. Until this date all the 

 authors who had called the I British insect hijijintlioc had done so 

 under the impression that the ]>ritish insect was tlae A/7//'"^//nr of Linne, 

 which, however, is another species. Among- othei' things, Donovan 

 asserted that this buttei'tiy had been taken in Scotland. 



Returning to Haworth, we find that he informs us that " the 

 butterHy in July frequents the marshes of Cambridgeshire in certain 

 but undeterminable years," further, " that it is a new and very 

 beautiful species, lately detected by himself and his very dear friends 

 W. Skrimshire and P. Bkrimshire, M.D., and formerly in Wales by 

 the celebrated botanist, Hudson." He also adds that the species has 

 not been taken in Scotland, as Donovan has affirmed from ei-roneous 

 information. It would apjiear that the Messrs. Skrimshire first saw 

 this butterfly near Ely, in 1797 or 171)H, and that, knowing it was not 

 a common t)iu\ they afterwards went with Haworth to capture it. 



The Aberdeen locality for disjiar appears to have been maintained 

 l)y Samouelle. who (in 1K19) gives the names of three Copper butterflies 

 as inhabiting l)ritain, besides the Small Copper {('/iri/sop/iaiiKs ji/iIucks). 

 These are : — (1). " Li/rantn ilispar (the Large Copper), I'djiilioJiijijint/Kic 

 of Donovan. Inhabits the fens of Cambridgeshire, and has been 

 observed near Aberdeen, in Scotland." (2). " Liiiatna clui/seis 

 (Purple-edged Copper). Inhabits Europe ; in Britain it is extremely 

 rare." (8). " Li/ctinia viiyaiinar (Scarce Copper). Inhabits Europe ; 

 vei'y local in Britain. It is found in some parts of Huntingdonshire." '••' 

 There can be little doubt that /-. (lisjud- and L. n'lyaiircac, as mentioned 

 above, refer to the same species. The maintenance of the Aberdeen 

 locality, first started by Donovan, is quite inexplicable in the face of 

 Haworth"s previous I'emarks. 



Before leaving Haworth's own published remarks, it nuiy be well 

 to quote a letter of his on the subject to the Kev. ^^'. T. Bree, who 

 conmuuiicated it to Loudon's XdtKral. Hilton/, 1884. In this 

 Haworth remarks: — "Some entomologists once made an excursion 

 into the fens for the purpose of taking the beautiful Li/racna disjiar, or 

 liai'ge Copper butterfly, which, it is well-known, frequents low marshy 

 grounds. The Coppers Avere captured in great abundance. It so 

 happened that the following winter proved to be a very wet one, and 

 th(! entire tract of land where the Coppers had been found was com- 

 pletely inundated, and actually lay mider water for a considerable 

 time. The entomologists deemed that the flood would certainly 

 destroy the Coppers, and that the race would become extinct in that 

 part of the country. The next sunnner, however, the butterHies were 

 found again on tlic very same spot, as i)lentifullyas before. Subsequently 

 the tract of land was submitted to the action of fire, and the wliole 

 surface l)urnt. with a \iew to agricultm'al improvement. After 

 this operation, the C()[)pers were no longer met with in that particulai' 

 locality." 



_ Kirby and Speucc (1.S2G) make reference to this species, in their 



Ento)nvlo(jists^ Useful Covipoid'mm, p. 211. 



