SCARCE SWALLOW-TAIL. 



PLATE II. 



Papilio podalirius, Linn.eus. Donovan. Curtis. 



" " Lewin. Westwood. Duncan. 



Podalirius EuroptP.us, Swainson. 



Iphididcs podalirius, HuBNER. 



Some there are who dogmatically deny the claim of this species 

 to be a British insect, but the following facts will be sufficient for 

 every unbiassed judgment. Nothing is more certain, as will abundantly 

 appear in the course of the present work, than that some species once 

 common in particular districts, now are never known there, and, ' vice 

 versa,' that new ones, new to the district, spring up on a sudden, 

 where none had been ever seen before, in the memory, at least, of the 

 "oldest inhabitant." 



This Swallow-tail is a native of Europe, Asia Minor, and the 

 northern parts of Africa. It is plentiful near Moscow and Berlin; in 

 fact throughout the whole of our continent. 



The following authorities are extant for its admission to a place 

 in our native fauna: — 



Berkenhout, in his "Outlines of British Natural History," says 

 that it is "rare in woods;" and Haworth observes that Dr. Berken- 

 hout might probably have had it, as he had heard of his having 

 given a large price for a rare Swallow-tail from Cambridgeshire. 



Mr. Rippon says, in 1778? that twenty-five years previously he had 

 taken "two sorts" of Swallow-tails near Beverley, Yorkshire. 



Mr. H. Sims was certain that he saw 'Podalirius' on the 2-4th. of 

 August, 1810, about twelve o'clock, on his way from Norwich to 

 Salhouse. He struck at it with a forceps, but, for want of a better 

 kind of net, was unable to catch it. 



My esteemed friend, J. C. Dale, Esq., the well-known entomologist, 

 is also certain that he saw one settled on some rushes near Eltisley, 

 Cambridgeshire, in July, 1818. The wings were half-expanded towards 

 the sun. 



