NYMPHALID/E. -143 



becomes suddenly almost common, as in 1793 — when it was 

 spoken of as being as common as the garden whites — and 

 1846, which used to be called the " Antiopa year." Such 

 another season was in the year 1872, when something like 

 fifty were seen, and thirty taken, in Norfolk alone ; in Cam- 

 bridgeshire twenty-five were captured or seen ; in Suffolk 

 from twenty to thirty ; in Essex over twenty ; in Kent about 

 thirty ; and in Yorkshire as many ; but only five in 

 Lincolnshire. The southern counties came next in point of 

 numbers : Surrey thii-teen, Hants seventeen, Sussex four 

 taken and others seen, and Berks two. In the southern 

 central counties there was also a good sprinkling : Middlesex 

 six, Herts five and others seen, Hunts two, and Bucks one ; 

 while the Midlands furnished a better record, Derbyshire 

 ten, Staftbrdshire four, Nottingham and Leicestershire 

 one each, with others seen. Even the North made a good 

 show, Durham four, Northumberland one ; and eleven in 

 different parts of Scotland. The district in which they were 

 most rare was the western, where three were taken in Lanca- 

 shire, one in Cheshire, three in Wales, and one in Somerset. 

 The dates of appearance seemed in some degree perplexing. 

 The earliest recorded seems to have been at Great Yarmouth, 

 on July 26th, a single specimen ; and the two next on 

 August 16th, one in Surrey, the other in Yorkshire ; Lincoln- 

 shire furnished a specimen about the same date. But the 

 great rush of specimens commenced about August 20th, and 

 continued for a fortnight, during which period most of those 

 enumerated were taken, the earlier and more numerous por- 

 tion in the eastern and north-eastern counties. One thing 

 about them was very remarkable — the extreme beauty and 

 perfection of many of the specimens ; indeed, some of those 

 from Cambridge and Norfolk a]ipeared as though their 

 wings were hardly fully hardened. The llev. T. H. Marsh, 

 of Cawston, wrote that they were beautifully fine and fresh, 

 apparently just out of the pupa; and Mr. H. M. Upcher, of 

 Sherringham, Cromer, was of opinion that they could not 



