136 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



truth be said to contain a poison and a balm, — fit emblem of 

 all on earth. Several beds of the French willow-herb 

 (Epilobiura angustifolium), with their tall mauve-coloured 

 flowers, forced the eye to linger. Orchids were scarce ; the 

 O. pyramidalis and Epipactis latifolia occurred sparingly ; 

 whilst the Gymnadenia conopsea grew on the hill hard by. 

 Suddenly we came to an open space in the wood, where, 

 within a hundred yards, more than one-third of the species 

 of the British butterflies dwelt, each in its own particular 

 range, or occasionally sportively fighting or chasing strangers 

 from their borders. The silver-washed fritillaiies (Paphia) 

 appeared to keep studiously just within the shady parts of 

 the wood, whilst Aglaia (the dark green) and Adippe (the 

 high brown fritillary, the rarest of the three) hovered round 

 their borders, as if determined to keep back their larger but 

 less courageous cousins. The chalk-hill blues seemed to 

 keep principally to the cleared paths, hovering especially 

 over the wild thyme, rock cistus, and blue-bells; the common 

 blue, Alexis, brown Argus blue, Agestis, were found much 

 more sparingly : was it because they had learned that beauty 

 shines by contrast? The holly blue (Argiolus) keeps aloof on 

 the borders of the wood, as if conscious of a beauty of its 

 own. The Knaulia arvensis and Resedas luteola and 

 lutea, especially attracted the 6-spotted Burnet moth 

 (Filipendulae), the antler (Graminis), and the skippers, three 

 of which graced the scene,' — the large skipper (Sylvanus), the 

 small (Linea), and, best of all, the silver-spotted skipper 

 (Comma). Among the tufts of herbage were the far-famed 

 and ever-welcome marbled whites (Galathea), many of them, 

 alas, much tattered and torn. The three common whites 

 (BrassicEe, Rapa^ and Napi) were all in great abundance. 

 The small heath (Pamphilus) was tolerably plentiful ; and 

 there was now and then seen a brilliant small copper 

 (Phlceas), with honour reflecting the rays of the sun. The 

 ringlet (Hyperanthus) dallied among the brambles and 

 dewberries in the wood ; while the meadow brown (Janira) 

 and the small meadow brown (Tithonus), occasionally boldly 

 put in an appearance, but evidently preferring the companion- 

 ship of the wall butterfly (Mega^ra) in the old Roman grass- 

 grown lanes outside. The brimstone (Rhamni), just emerged, 

 was most partial to the tall teasles and thistle-flowers, which 



