286 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



The 1917 Butterfly Season in Bucks. — As some species of 

 butterflies have been more numerous than usual during the past 

 summer a few remarks on some of the Lepidoptera met with in this 

 district may prove of interest. I came to this town at the fall 

 of last autumn, and when time and weather permitted during the 

 winter and early spring I scoured the country for miles around in 

 search of likely-looking collecting grounds. The first insect of note 

 to attract attention was Sesia anclraniformis — or rather, the external 

 signs of its presence. A remarkable coincidence about this Clearwing 

 in Bucks, so far as my experience goes, is that it does not get 

 stung. This applies to pupae gathered near Wycombe and also to 

 pupee found a considerable way to the north-east. P. egeriavax. egericles 

 was seen during the middle of May in greater numbers than I have 

 ever met with it before. They even flew in the town itself, and 

 were frequently observed over my allotment. A single specimen 

 of the spring brood of P. megcera was noted on the Chilterns. 

 Nemeohius lucina was another butterfly to show up plentifully in one 

 wooded hollow. Polyommatus astrarche did not appear in any great 

 quantity in the spring, while specimens of the autumn brood appeared 

 to be positively scarce whenever I tried to find them. On June 13th 

 amongst a crowd of P. icarus I was surprised to take a fresh male 

 of A. bellargus. Although I searched this ground (on which the food- 

 plant grew) on subsequent fine days and again in September I did 

 not meet with the species again. Cupido minimus, in one sheltered 

 hollow, was always to be found during its season. On one dull 

 day I am certain that fully fifty specimens started up at once fx'om 

 some long grasses covering only three or four square yards. A few 

 examples of the August brood were seen. Adscita geryon and Parasemia 

 plantaginis were also much in evidence. Larvae of Vanessa io and 

 A. tirticce were common enough about the allotments of Wycombe. 

 I reared several broods of both species under ordinary outdoor 

 conditions and was fortunate in getting out a few aberrations, both 

 of ground colour and markings ; the most striking, perhaps, being 

 a male of io with deep black all along the costa of fore wings, and 

 quite without the eyes to under wings ; ah. belisaria, I believe, it 

 is named. Of Brentliis euphrosync I saw but three. After nearly 

 a month's field inactivity, I got out to some of the remote parts of 

 the Chilterns on July 11th, and observed great changes in the 

 species on the wing. Melanargia galatea and Argynnis aglaia 

 were about in fair numbers; also Agriades corydon, both sexes. This 

 date seems particularly early for the last named, but doubtless it was 

 due to the scorching weather we experienced during the latter part 

 of May and early June which must have forced larvae along at 

 a great rate and probably accounts for the under side varieties met 

 with amongst the earlier emergences of this interesting Blue. 

 Striated and obsolete forms were taken, and I netted two males 

 bearing a mixture of both forms. On one slope, which during the 

 spring was rather devoid of butterflies I was pleased, after a deal 

 of hard work, to take a nice little series of the var. syngrapha. So 

 far as I can see, this variety is extremely local. I took corydon 

 from five distinct localities but found syngrapha on this one ground 

 only, and yet, on this ground the species, for corydon was far from 



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