THK LARCK COPPRIl m'TTKlil'LY. 61 



to do away with the pleasant fiction, in the beUet' of which we have 

 all made oui-selves comfortable, that collectors had no direct hand in 

 the extermination of this beautiful species, but that the untoward 

 result was brought about by the drainage of their haunts. This, how- 

 ever, is what Harding has written : — " About forty years ago Mr, 

 Benj. Standish (the grandfather) heard that dispar, as then called, had 



been seen in the t'ens He got a painting of the butterfly, 



coloured by his fatlier, and went down to the Fens and showed it to 

 people there, but no one knew anything about it, Mr, ])rake, at the 

 ' Checkers,' told him that a man lodged there who worked in the Fens, 

 cutting reeds, who was a most likely person to know. When the 

 num returned from work Standish showed him the drawing and said, 

 'Do you know anything about a butterfly like this?' 'Yes,' said 

 the man, ' I saw some to-day,' ' Well,' said Standish, ' what shall I 

 give you to take me to the spot ? ' ' No,' said the man, ' I intend to 

 take a lot up to London." Stnndish then ottered him five shillings to 

 take him to the place, but the man would not divulge the locality, 

 even for a promise of two shillings for each insect captured. The 

 landlord, however, told Standish where the man worked, and he was 

 successful in finding the place and took a fine lot of /'. hipjiotluw. it 

 soon got wind among the folks at the Fen that they were worth two 

 shillings each in London, and two men came from C'and^ridge and 

 secured a large quantity, which they took to London in boxes full and 

 sold them at sixpence each, 1 went down about three years after 

 and got some of the larvte. They appeared to be very local, and 

 most numerous where their food-plant — the water-dock — was most 

 abundant. The larvae were collected by all persons, young and 

 old. I l)ought two dozen larv^e of an old woman for ninepence, from 

 which 1 bred some fine specimens, and sold them at one shilling 

 each. Mr. Cole, at Holme Fen, took a large quantity of them. 

 His back-yard was (piite close to their locality. The last time 

 I was there j\Ir, Cole said he had not seen one for some years. There 

 was the food-plant in plenty on the same spot but no larvte. They 

 had been too closely hunted for " (Ivnt., xvi,, p, IHO), The facts that 

 its food-plant existed '• in plenty '" long after the insect had gone and 

 that " the larvae had been too closely hunted for," speak volmnes. 



The records of more recent authors are, of course, all culled from 

 the ancient publications. Even as late as lHo7, Stainton gives two 

 species of Jiritish Coppers, besides Chnisdiihamisplducax. These are : — 

 (1), '' ( '/iri/s(ipliauu.s ili.spar (Large Copper), and (2) C/tii/sdji/icmits 

 (•/(/■//.sr/.s (the Purple-edged Copper)," Of ('. dispar he writes: — " 1", 

 7'" . Bright copper-red, with one or more black spots on each wing ; 

 hind margins black, U,-s, — H,-av., pale blue, with distinct black 

 spots, vii.-viii. Larva green, with a darker dorsal stripe, and one 

 paler stripe on each side (Freyer), On Jliiuir.r htidndapatlnuii (great 

 waterdock) and /.', aipiaticxs, vi. Formerly found at Whittlesea 

 ]\Iere and Yaxley,"*'' 



Stainton then quotes Mr. IJond as follows : — " You ai'c (piite right 

 in supposing that I have had personal accjuaintance with living < '. 

 dis/iar. I much fear that I shall nevei- have the pleasure again, as 1 

 am (juite sure they have disappeared from the Cambridge and Hun- 

 tingdonshire fens. All I can tell you about their habits is this, that 



* Manual, i., p. 55. 



