LARGE COFFEE. 117 



Large Copper Butterfly, in the face of such vast and magnificent 

 advantages. Still he may be pardoned for casting " one longing lingering 

 look behind," and I cannot but with some regret recall, at all events, 

 the time when almost any number of this dazzling fly was easily 

 procurable, either "by purchase" or "by exchange," for our cabinets. 

 A goodly "rank and file, " from some individuals of which the figures 

 in the plate are taken, I now consider myself fortunate in possessing, 

 for the existing number of indigenous specimens is no more again to 

 be added to by fresh recruits: " Fuit Ilium et ingens gloria" — 



"The light of other days has faded, and all its glories past." 



Nay, further, not only is it, or rather was it, for it is now, as I have 

 said, extinct, extremely local, but it has always hitherto been believed, 

 like the Grouse, to be peculiar to Britain, being not found elsewhere. 

 These are inexplicable facts in Natural History, into the consideration 

 however of which the limits of my space prevent me from entering. 

 Mr. H. N. Humphreys however states that he took a sjjecimen, which 

 appeared to be identical with it, in the Pontine marshes between Rome 

 and Naples. 



The "Fen Districts" of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, and 

 other congenial places in Norfolk and Suffolk, such as Holme Fen, 

 Whittlesea Mere — now no longer a iSIere, Bardolph Fen, and Benacre, . 

 were the localities of this fine fly. It was quick and active on the 

 wing, flying among and about the reeds. 



It appears, that is to say, used to appear, at the end of July and 

 the beginning of August. 



The food of the caterpillar was the water-dock, [Rumex palustris.) 



This species measures in the expanse of its wings from a little 

 under to a little over an inch and a half The fore wings are of a 

 splendid copper-colour, with a black edging to the outside of the wing, 

 widest at the upper corner, from whence it decreases; there is a black 

 oblong spot in the centre of the wing, near the front edge; some of 

 the spots from the under side shew faintly through in some lights. The 

 hind wings are of the like colour and markings, only that the outside 

 black border is indented and equally wide all along, except at the 

 uppermost part, where it is narrower; the whole of the inner edge, 

 from the base downwards, is dusky black. 



Underneath, the fore wings are pale orange, the outside edge blue 

 ash grey; there are two large and one small black spots, placed 

 horizontally, in a row from near the base, their edges bordered with a 

 line of still paler orange; the inner one is the smallest: these are 

 succeeded by a transverse row of seven others, of smaller comparative 



