NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 281 



know whether the increase is general this year, most likely it 

 is. In 1900 Mr. F. B. Newnham writing in ' Church Stretton ' 

 (Ent. part) says : " Common some seasons, scarce some years." 

 The latter, I hear, took Agriades corydon there this year, on the 

 Longmynds, I fancy. Unless I am much mistaken Euvanessa 

 antio'pa passed close to me this morning as I was watching c-alhum 

 etc., but it went straight on, when apparently making for the plums, 

 on seeing me, and I only caught a sight of hind wings as it vanished 

 over a hedge, except when it sailed overhead. I found a large larva 

 on potato tops on July 8th which puzzled me and others ; the 

 imago came out from pupa on 20th ult., viz. G. vetnsta. The spots on 

 dorsal region were uniformly 2 on each side of a segment. It finished 

 larval state on same food plant. Butterflies have been very plentiful 

 this year, but I have unfortunately had no time to go far afield. 

 — George Potts ; Benthall House, Broseley, Salop. October 1st, 

 1917. 



PoLYGONiA c-ALBUM IN SHROPSHIRE. — I can Confirm Mr. Martin 

 Harding's interesting note {antea p. 237) on the prevalence of this 

 beautiful and local species in Shropshire this past summer and 

 autumn. Mr. C. G. Barrett (vol. i of ' Brit Lep.,' p. 125) speaks of 

 it as "one of the receding species we so greatly regret," and adds 

 that " there is little doubt that at no very distant period it occurred 

 all over the South, Middle, and East, as well as the West of England." 

 Apparently up to 1893, the date at which this volume appeared, it 

 had not been recorded from Salop, for Mr. Barrett uses the words 

 "probably Shropshire" when referring to its range in the Western 

 counties. Forty-six years ago, in 1871, I took it, but not plentifully, 

 in Delamere Forest, Cheshire, and did not observe it again till 

 September, 1915, when I saw one only in my garden at Meole Brace, 

 near Shrewsbury. This year, however, it has been very abundant 

 there indeed, settling, with A. urticce, on flowers of various species of 

 Aster, and other American Compositae, e. g. Helemum autumnale and 

 bolanderi, etc. Most of my specimens were caught between Septem- 

 ber 23rd and October 12th. On the 14th I noticed it in Bellevue, 

 Shrewsbury. Mrs. Fielden, of Condover Hall, informs me it has been 

 frequent there. Mr. George Potts, of Benthall House, Broseley, has 

 captured many, and the Eev. W. S. Ingrams, of Shrewsbury School, 

 reports it from Kingsland. It will be interesting to see if it will 

 reappear in equal abundance next season. ^ — J. Cosmo Melvill ; 

 Meole Brace Hall, Shrewsbury, November 9th, 1917. 



Papilio machaon in Kent. — On August 25th last I had the 

 fortune to capture a specimen of Pcvpilio machaon at Folkestone. 

 It was flying in company with a few Golias edusa over an extensive 

 field of mustard. When I first saw it it seemed just fluttering 

 along, and practically it flew into my net. At that time, and for 

 some days previously, there was, and had been, a very high wind 

 from the south, and I have no doubt that France had been his home. 

 — Geo. B. Pearson ; 5, Upper Bedford Place, Russell Square, W.C. 1. 



Papilio machaon in 1917. — The stray specimens of Papilio 

 machaon recorded in the ' Entomologist ' {antea, pp. 231-232) no 



KNTOM. DECEMBER, 1917. AA 



