WHITE ADMIRAL. 183 



of the south-eastern counties of England formerly 

 produced it in tolerable plenty, but of late years it has 

 been nowhere abundant, although it has been noticed 

 in a considerable number of places. The following 

 localities may be cited : Woods near Rye, Sussex, 

 New Forest, Coombe-wood, Hartley- wood, Essex, 

 Berkshire, and Suffolk. It does not appear to inha- 

 bit the north of England nor Scotland. Few butter- 

 flies are greater favourites with aurelians than this, 

 and none have been more highly eulogized for the 

 gracefulness of their flight. " The graceful elegance 

 displayed by this charming species," says Mr Ha- 

 worth, " when sailing on the wing, is greater perhaps 

 than can be found in any other we have in Britain." 

 " In its beautiful flight," says another writer, " when 

 it skims aloft, it rivals the Purple Emperor, which it 

 strongly resembles in appearance. It seems, how- 

 ever (unlike the latter), to avoid the sunbeams, for 

 it frequents the glades of woods, where it rapidly in- 

 ' sinuates itself by the most beautiful evolutions and 

 placid flight through the tall underwood on each 

 side of the glades, appearing and disappearing like 

 so many little fairies."* The insect is not rare on 

 the Continent, where there likewise occur four others 

 pertaining to the genus, some of them very closely 

 resembling the present species. 



* Rev. Revett Sheppard, in Miss Jermyn's Butterfly Col- 

 lectors' Vade Mecum, 2d edit. p. 121. 



