154 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



South in * Butterflies and Moths of the British Isles,' except 

 for the Geometrfe, for which group L. B. Prout in Seitz's 

 * Macro-Lepidoptera of the World ' has been followed. Before 

 entering upon more detailed description of species and particular 

 specimens it may be observed that with a very few exceptions 

 every species that has occurred in the British Isles is represented 

 in the combined collections. Unfortunatel.y before 1880 very 

 few collectors labelled their specimens and accurate data of 

 most of the specimens in the older collections were wanting, 

 but even in these some of the very rare specimens have good 

 data attached. As an eminent exception mention must be made 

 of the great naturalist, William John Burcheil, who, nearly a 

 century ago, labelled his small collection of British Lepidoptera 

 with the same accuracy and minuteness as the specimens in his 

 vast exotic collections, which are also in the Hope Department. 

 Even in the later collections many specimens which would 

 otherwise have been of great value were unlabelled. And here 

 perhaps, as a digression, attention may be called to the importance 

 of accurate and minute data. Many collectors even of the present 

 day seem to consider it sufficient to label their specimens with 

 the locality and the year of capture, but for insects that have 

 more than one generation in a year, the date of the year alone 

 is of no use for the study of the very interesting subject of 

 seasonal dimorphism — the dates of the month and the day 

 of the month are essential. Taking the collection as a whole, 

 however, by far the larger proportion is well furnished with 

 accurate data, labels being attached not only to the insect itself, 

 but a label also being pinned by the side so that the data are 

 clearly legible to the observer. Historically, also, the collection 

 is interesting, there being in the Hope Collection many specimens 

 and some of the types of Haworth, and also some of Doubleday's 

 specimens. 



PAPILIONID.E. 



Papilionin.e. 



Papilio 7??ac/iao»,.— Twenty-four specimens, mostly from Cam- 

 bridge fens, but 4 from Norfolk Broads, presented by the late 

 Major E. B. Robertson. Very little noteworthy variation, but one 

 very pale cream, almost white, bred by the late Lieut. R. J. 

 Champion. 



P. podalirius. — Two specimens in the Hope Collection, both 

 unlabelled. The following is a quotation from Barrett's ' British 

 Butterflies' : " The Rev. F. W. Hope records that he has a 

 specimen which he took at Netley (Shropshire), and also that he 

 had two larvae feeding on wild plum, but it does not appear 

 whether they were reared." 



