THE CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY. 105 



VIH. ON THE CLOUDED YELLOW 

 BUTTERFLY AND ITS ABUNDANCE IN 1877. 



Read before the Folkestone Natural History Society, 

 May 14th, 1878. 



Those of our members who take an interest in 

 entomology have not even yet, I venture to say, for- 

 gotten the sight which gladdened their eyes during 

 last summer from June to October. Even our non- 

 entomological friends, who, without devoting them- 

 selves to the exciting influences of the chase can yet 

 notice intelligently all they see round them, well re- 

 member the hundreds of Clouded Yellow Butterflies 

 which covered the slopes of our Folkestone hills. For 

 it was the great " Edusa" year, and as such will be 

 long remembered. Never before within the recollec- 

 tion of any one was there known to be such an 

 abundance of this handsome insect. All day long 

 from the time the sun began to chase away the dew 

 to the time it fell again, field and meadow and hill 

 side were animated by hunters with the net ; they 

 had never had such a chance before, they never ex- 

 pected to get it again, and in very deed they made 

 the most of it, for captures by single individuals were 

 recorded by hundreds. 



The Clouded Yellow, or Colias Edusa, as it is 

 scientifically termed, is one of those butterflies that 

 are very capricious in their times of appearance. For 



