156 



III.— Castilloa. 



C. australis, Hemsl., vol. xxvii., t. 2676. 

 C. Tunu, Hemsl., vol. xxvii., t. 2651. 



Under tab. 2651 we have reduced Gastilloa Markiiamiana to 

 C. elastica, and given reasons for the opinion that G. costaricana, 

 Liebm., belongs to the same species. 



XXXL-ADDITIONS TO THE WILD FAUNA AND 



FLORA OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, 

 KEW : III. 



LEPIDOPTERA. 



A. Langley Simmons. 



The season of 1906 was not a good one for the collection of 

 insects belonging to this order. The prevalence of cold winds in 

 the early summer retarded both insect and vegetable life generally, 

 and particularly in the South of England the absence of butter- 

 flies was most marked. With the exception of parts of the 

 uorset and Kent coasts it is many years since they were so scarce. 

 JNear London this scarcity will no doubt be more noticeable every 

 year, especially of the butterflies belonging to the genus Vanessa, 

 the larvae of which feed principally on the nettle. As the suburbs 

 grow so will the wild food plants disappear, with the consequent 

 diminution of insect and other life. In the Gardens the absence 

 ot the Khopalocera was also observed, the most plentiful species 

 being the second broods of Vanessa urticae. Very few 

 v . atalanta or V. to were seen and only one V. cardui. Of the 

 ^!/ ca fntaae Lyamris argiolus was strangely very much more 

 pientiiui than 6. teams, while not a single species of the 

 Hesperndae was observed during the whole of the season. 

 Apaturairis^ carefully watehed for in the Queen's Cottage 

 ^rounds, but it does not seem now to obtain there, although it has 

 been taken recently in Richmond Park. Queen's Cottage grounds 

 n?o«t ^orious oaks and necessary Salix Caprea for the food 

 plant would seem to provide an ideal - * 



of 'his majesty." While Wins und 



reserve 



massive 



all +K«?- w>-j ° — 7 r u "^ maoaive UclKS, standing out 111 



mst ^nt ^l am ^f r gl ° ry against the blne 8k y> it seemed that it 

 S 11 d . th t e mdescent flash from the wings of the « emperor " 



W v g 2£ ° i n e ! Unlight t0 com Plete an otherwise perfectly 



nllased tnT' ^J! .*!?? l0Ver8 0f nature would be sincerely 



such snrtnn? that *h ^ nific ent insect could be seen amid 



vef how W f ' a -n d alth0Ugh not ob8erved thi * «eason one may 



gardens. make an a PP e arance in this part of the 



nublkh.7 a l di l°. n * T5f made to the HBt of butterflies already 



specimens 



