RHOPALOCERA IN THE NEW FOREST. 283 



New Forest and Isle of Wight. When I say that within six 

 miles on either side of this town, we saw and could have captured 

 thirty-three species of the Diurni during the three weeks from 

 July 18th to August 8th, it will be seen that to a beginner the 

 locality affords abundant opportunity for increasing his acquaint- 

 ance with, and captures of, several of the much-wished-for species 

 in the Ust. A detailed list of what may seem at first sight a large 

 percentage of our Rhopalocera may not be uninteresting. 



The three common species of the Pieridse, viz., Pleris hmssiccB, 

 P. rapi, and P. napi, were of course plentiful in most parts of the 

 neighbourhood ; of the two former some specimens noticed were 

 particularly large, while of the latter some were decidedly under 

 the usual expanse of wing. Gonepteryx rhamni was common after 

 July 25th in the Forest, more especially about Stubby Copse, but 

 noticeably absent from the lanes; while among the Nymphalidse 

 no less than ten species were on the wing. Four of the genus 

 Argynnis were visible; A. paphia was common in nearly all the 

 enclosures, and in some really abundant, especially in Ramnor, 

 Stubby Copse, and Park Hill. This insect was well out, although 

 not worn, by July 20th ; and on the 23rd my brother captured a 

 conlEluent variety of the male at Park Hill, and at the same time and 

 place a freshly emerged specimen of the variety valez'ma in copula 

 with a typical male. Of this variety {valezina) we afterwards saw 

 a dozen or more, nearly all about Stubby Copse ; but although we 

 took three they were much worn. Of A. adippe a few were seen 

 and six captured in the more open parts of the enclosures, flying 

 over and settling on common brake-fern; and of A. aglaia only 

 two were seen, — one a fresh female in Ramnor Enclosure, and 

 another in a lane between Sowley Pond and Beaulieu. Of 

 A. selene two were seen as late as July 25th; of course much 

 worn. Of the genus Vanessa five species were present. The 

 larvse and imagines of V. urticce were seen in nearly all the 

 lanes about Lymington ; and one V. polycliloros in Ramnor 

 Enclosure on July 27th, and a pupa found under a gate-post in 

 Lymington the same evening, from which the imago emerged 

 four days later. Both larvae and imagines of V. io were very 

 common all over the district, forming a pleasant contrast to its 

 apparent scarcity in the neighbourhood of London ; also larvae 

 and imagines of V. cardui, especially in Stubby Copse ; and in the 

 lanes the larva of V. atalanta was also common. Limenitis sihylla 



