G2 THE KNTO.MOLOfilST's RKCORD. 



they were very active and shy, and would only fly when the sun 

 shone ; they woiild always settle on a thistle when they could find 

 one in bloom, flyinij;- oft* to attack any insect, no matter what, that 

 mit^ht come anywhere near them ; not always returning, but generally 

 passing on to another place. It was very little use following them 

 if you missed your first stroke with the net, as they went away like 

 the wind, and seldom let you get a second chance ; indeed, it was 

 difficult to follow them, as keeping your eyes on them and the lioggy 

 places was rather a difficult job." 



Newman (1H71) adds a little. Among other things he says :— 

 " Varieties of this species are not conuuon ; in those that have passed 

 through my hands there has been a remarkable uniformity of colon i-- 

 ing, but Mr. Dale informs me that he possesses a female almost 

 entirely black." He then adds, "My acquaintance with the cater- 

 pillar and chrysalis was made very many years ago, in Mr. Double- 

 day's garden at Epping, where the very plant of liuini'x lii/dnildpnt/iuni, 

 on which the caterpillars fed, is still in existence." The present 

 writer believes that he possesses, thanks to the great generosity of 

 Dr. Chapman, one of the very last specimens that Mr. Doubleday 

 bred on that plant. 



Of the variability of the dates of appearance, Mr. Newman gives 

 the following facts : — •' Caterpii.i.aks appeared at beginning of June, 

 1841 ; July '2-ith, IH'Al . Chkysalids on July 2r)th, 1827. J>uttkk- 

 FLiKs, June 2r,th, 182G ; July Hrd-uth, 1888 ; July 19th, 1827 ; 

 August, 1819 ; xVugust 4th, 1821."" These dates were obtained from 

 Mr. J. C. JJ)ale. Newman had quite given up the idea that this 

 beautiful species occurred anywhere except in the counties of Cam- 

 jiridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. In the former county he says it 

 was taken " in plenty at Whittlesea Mere (J. F. Stephens) ; not taken 

 in Cambridgeshire since 1845 (Thomas IJrown)." Of its occurrence in 

 the latter county we read : — "■ Yaxley and Holm Fens. The latest 

 capture, consisting of five specimens, was made by Stretton, in either 

 1847 or 1848; they were all purchased by Mr. Harrington. 1 was 

 at Yaxley for several successive yearn after this, but never saw another 

 specimen or heard of another being taken " (F. Bond). Newman 

 does not give Norfolk and Suttblk, to which counties we have already 

 referred as producing specimens, on the testimony of Stephens and 

 Mr. C. W. Dale. 



There is one little item in the history of C. (lisimr which we have 

 not been able to fathom. This originates in a report of the meeting 

 of the South London Entomological Society, held on March 9th, 

 1898, where we read that " a discussion arose as to the occurrence of 

 l'(ill/(i)iiiii(itus (lis/iar, Haw., at Cambei'well, fifty years ago, and Mr. Fenn 

 and Mr. Tugwell, both recorded probable Kentish specimens previous to 

 1848."'"' 1 have already ([uoted whiit Stephens says of a species of 

 large Copper, supposed to have been captured in Kent, long antecedent 

 to the date of his work (1828), and which he described undei' tlu' 

 name of liijiintthn?. The only other reference that I can And liearing 

 on the sul)ject is a paragraph, which is rather more detailed than 

 Stephens' remarks, iiltbough e\idently referring to the same speci- 

 mens, by Mr. C. ^^'. Dale, who writes : — " It (var. nitiln.s) has l)een 

 recorded as Jiritish under the name of lnpp<itliut. Concerning this 

 my father wrote iu Luudvn's Miujazine for 1834 : ' Mr. Hawoitb told 



* Ent. liecard., iv., p. 121 



