114 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



butterfly I found the commouei' species very numerous. In June 

 and July I was staying near the Savernake Forest (Wilts.), where 

 the Argynnidse were swarming. One pine and larch enclosure, 

 with a thick undergrowth of bramble, was alive with remarkably 

 highly coloured Argynnis paphia, and in an open space covered with 

 flowering thistles A. adippe and A. aglaia were equally abundant. 

 Moving amongst the thistles caused hundreds of butterflies to 

 rise. Almost every thistle-head was occupied by adippe. On one 

 bloom I counted eight specimens of that insect. Besides the 

 aglaia and adippe, a few worn euphrosyne and selene were flying. 

 Among the Vanessida, Vanessa io was certainly the most abun- 

 dant ; man}^ nettle patches were covered with larvae. I took about 

 ninety, and with one exception they all attained the imago state. 

 I think V. U7'ticce must have suffered much from Ichneumonidse, 

 for although they abounded in the larval state 1 observed very 

 few imagines. I took half a dozen fine specimens of V. polychloros, 

 and had several others brought to me. The Satyridse were well 

 represented as usual. Melanargia galatea I found in great abun- 

 dance at Rabley Wood, near Marlborough ; but they were 

 unusually small, and the dark markings much paler than usual. 

 Pararge egeria and P. megcera were numerous, and Epinephele 

 ianira, E. tithonus, P. hyperanthus, and Coenonympha piamphilus, 

 swarmed everywhere. Of the Lycsenidae, Thecla quercus, which 

 is generally very scarce in this neighbourhood, was very plentiful 

 last July and August. I also took a long series of T. w-alhum 

 in Savernake Forest. Polyommatiis pliloeas was exceedingly 

 abundant on some heaths near here, and a bank of wild thyme 

 seemed a great attraction to this little butterfly. On some chalk- 

 hills on the borders of Hants and Berks, the beautiful Lyccena 

 corydon was seen in unusually large numbers. I took several 

 varieties of the male. L icarus was also numerous, and L. 

 astrarche was seen occasionally among its brighter-hued con- 

 genitors. The Pieridse were decidedly the insects of the season. 

 Throughout the summer the cabbage-fields and plots abounded 

 with Pieris rapce and hrassicce. I examined many plants, and 

 found every leaf thickl}' dotted with ova. I tore off a piece of 

 cabbage-leaf about two inches square, on which I counted eighteen 

 ova, and while I held it, two female Pieris rapce came and 

 deposited eggs upon it. I believe Euchloe- cardamines was 

 plentiful in the water-meadows here in June, but as I was out of 



