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LEPIDOPTERA. 



Notes on New and Rare British Lepidoptera 

 (excepting Tineina) in 1872. 



By H. Guard Knaggs, M.D., F.L.S. 



With the exception of a few " early appearances " in 

 February, among which may be mentioned two small white 

 butterflies, which doubtless imagined they were going to have 

 a fine time of it, and a hibernated Vanessa Antiopa ? , little 

 remains to be recorded for the first half of the year, for 

 February set in in May and January in June ; towards the 

 beginning of July, however, warmth and sunshine for a time 

 held sway, and everything seemed to be brightening up, ex- 

 cept the collector's prospects, whatever his hopes may have 

 been. Then came storms, hurricanes, and pelting rains, 

 which did not exhaust themselves until the middle of August, 

 when the face of nature again looked radiant, and three 

 weeks of glorious weather supervened during which the best 

 part of the year's work was effected. At this period, " the 

 grand sm'prise" of the season was in store for us ; three of 

 our rarest butterflies, Pieris Daplidice, Argynnis Latona 



and Vanessa Antiopa, suddenly started forth from 



nobody knows where, in such numbers as had never pre- 

 viously been heard of, — at any rate in the present century; 

 Antiopa especially eclipsing all foimer displays within the 

 memory of living man, and throwing into the shade the so- 

 called " Great Antiopa Year" of 1846, for then the captures 



