﻿216 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



whole time I spent in the district I did not see a single specimen 

 alight on wild thyme. I had several fine clumps of thyme under 

 observation for a considerable time, and L. avion was constantly 

 passing, but although I saw several rest upon the grass at the 

 foot of the dwarf beeches and larches which grew all over the hill 

 side, I saw none alight on their food-plant, and this tends to 

 confirm observations made in previous years. I could have 

 understood this better had the great majority of the insects 

 been males, but of the twenty I netted twelve were females and 

 eight males. Pararge megcera were fairly common on the stone 

 walls enclosing the fields, but were very much worn ; but P. 

 cgeria were in fine condition and very plentiful, flitting along 

 tiie tree-lined lanes from sunlight to shadow in the manner 

 familiar to all entomologists. I took several fine specimens 

 of Ast]ie)ia hlomeri in the beech woods at dusk, and lodis 

 lactearia were very common among the undergrowth, and in 

 good condition. I was rather surprised to come across a fine 

 colony of P. plantagiais, both males and females being in 

 good condition, the latter especially so, and in the same valley 

 many Euchelia jacohace, Zygana trifolii, and Z. filiyendulce. 

 P. ])lantaginis and E. jacolxBce were very late for this district, 

 although many of the insects I encountered seemed rather 

 earlier than usual. 



I saw several large colonies of larvse of Vanessa io nearly full 

 grown, and individual larvte of Pyrameis atalanta. I also saw 

 many imagines of Vanessa urticcs, mostly in jjairs, and a few 

 Pyrameis cardiii, all in very good condition. Melanargia galatea 

 has now become very common on all the hill sides, and on the 

 dates mentioned were in fine condition. 



Earlier in the season I have taken the following butterflies 

 in this district: — Argynnis euplirosyne, EucJdoe cardamines, 

 Cyaniris argioliis, Nemeobius lucina, Polygonia c-album, Tliecla 

 w-album, and later Lyccena corydon, Argynnis paphia, A. adippe, 

 Zephyrus quercus and Aphantopus hyperanthus, and, in addition 

 to these, the commoner buttei flies, such as Pieris hrassica, 

 P. rapcB, P. napi, Epinephele ianira, E. tithoniis, Cosnonympha 

 pamphilus, Adopcea thaumas and Chrysophanus phloeas, are always 

 to be found in large numbers in their particular localities. I 

 have never taken Lyccena agon on the Cotswolds nor Satyrus 

 semele, although I believe the former was taken some years ago 

 on one of the hills. Ino geryon occurs in large numbers on 

 several of the hills in early June. 



Ward End, Birmingham. 



