RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS OF THE SEASON AT EASTBOURNE. 79 



of May to the end of June being well under half an inch, for the 

 month of July just an inch and a-half, for August an inch and 

 three-quarters, September practically one inch, and October 

 somewhat less, and for the whole period the record of sunshine 

 slightly exceeded the average. 



Such conditions one would have expected to be particularly 

 favourable for our butterflies, especially the Vanessids that 

 haunt our gardens in the autumn, yet with some few notable 

 exceptions quite the reverse appears to have been the case. 

 The spring emergence of the '* Whites " was well up to the 

 average, but in the autumn, although Pieris rapce was met with 

 in much its usual numbers, and P. napi, as will be seen 

 later, was even abundant, P. brassier was just hereabout 

 exceedingly scarce. This seems to be the more remarkable in 

 view of the reports from Norfolk of its abundance there at the 

 end of August (' Entom.,' vol. hii, p. 40), and at Dovercourt, 

 Essex, earlier in the month ("Entom.,' vol. lii, p. 227). 



Cyaniris argiolas is with us a common garden species and 

 occurs all along the sea front, the spring emergence usually far 

 outnumbering that of the autumn. In 1919 this order of things 

 was reversed, the autumn emergence apparently being much the 

 greater and indeed more numerous tban usual. 



Agriades hellargus and A. corf/don, both abundant species in 

 their special haunts along the cliffs, were less so than usual, and 

 in one isolated spot, where the first-named species may usually 

 be seen by the' score, it was hard to find more than two or three 

 individuals even on the most suitable of mornings. The autumn 

 Vanessids, too, were quite scarce. Often Pi/rameis atalanta may 

 be seen jostling one another for a seat on their favourite 

 Michaelmas daisies, but not so last autumn ; the flower-heads of 

 Sedum spectabile, beloved of Aglais uritcce, were seldom tenanted 

 by that species, and the great patches of " red valerian " on the 

 banks of the parade seemed to have lost their charm, so seldom 

 were either of these species, or that ubiquitous creature P/y/v/^it^js 

 cardiii seen at them ; all three species were met witb, but in far 

 smaller numbers than for many seasons past. One Vanessa io 

 was seen. 



But if some species have been unduly scarce some others 

 have by their abundance quite made up for them, as will be seen 

 from the following incidents, and in passing I may mention that 

 Argynnis aglaia was met with much more commonly in its head- 

 long flight along the hollows on the Downs than for many years, 

 and that Macroglossa stellataruni has been exceptionally frequent, 

 cropping up in all sorts of places and at all hours of the day 

 from early morning till late evening, from raid June till late 

 September, and on two separate occasions during the last-named 

 month single specimens of Colias ediisa were seen flying over the 

 parades. 



