66 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



butterfly, appear when it will, it never seems 

 to be out of season. Although the preceding 

 paragraph is offered as a summary of very 

 numerous observations, still it can scarcely be 

 considered as sufficient or satisfactory, since 

 the insect itself seems to consider no laws 

 binding, and the simple question whether, 

 as a rule, one, two, or three generations ar 

 disclosed during the year still remains with- 

 out solution. The " Entomologist," which 

 has done so much to cherish the science of en- 

 tomology, and to extend the researches and 

 investigations of the true lover of Nature I e- 

 yond the drawers of a cabinet or the techni- 

 calities of the pedant, has, during its useful 

 career, given us abundant evidence of this. 

 Thus we find, at p. 305 of the second volume, 

 even that excellent observer, Mr. Pristo, con- 

 fessing himself at fault on this important 

 point of its life-history : " I am in a fix at 

 present about the economy of this species ; 

 there are small and nearly full-grown cater- 

 pillars feeding together now ; in fact, only 

 yesterday, September 19, one spun up, and 

 another a very small one changed its skin. 

 Whether these late caterpillars are produced 

 by the early butterflies of this year or the 

 late ones of last year I am unable to deter- 

 mine. I believe all will pi-oduce the perfect 

 insect this autumn." Mr. West, another of 

 our very best observers, has, at p. 363 of the 

 third volume, a very similar record : " The 

 caterpillars of Pyrameis Cardui have appeared 

 in this neighbourhood for the second time this 

 season. I have enclosed a few in a box, 

 thinking you may be interested in the appear- 

 ance of a second brood. Between the 26th of 

 July and the 16th of September I could not 

 find a single caterpillar. On the 16th of Sep- 

 tember I took four dozen very small cater- 

 pillars, and on the 24th about three dozen 

 some of them full fed." During the same 

 year I received, through the kindness of Mr. 

 Pristo, early caterpillars, and these accom- 

 plished their metamorphosis early in the 

 autumn, but no appproach towards a second 

 brood was made by the butterflies. 



LOCALITIES. Truly cosmopolitan, but in- 

 termittent and irregular. I have sometimes 



passed years without seeing a specimen ; at 

 other times it may be said to swarm on the 

 blossoms of clover (Trifolium), sainfoin (He- 

 dysarum Onobrychis), and lucerne. Mr. Birch- 

 all says it is common everywhere in Ireland, 

 and is often found on the summits of moun- 

 tains ; and Dr. Buchanan White informs us 

 that in Scotland it occurs from the sea-level 

 up to the base of Ben Lawers. In Wales I 

 have observed it at the Menai Straits, and up 

 to the stone cairn on Snowdon. In England I 

 know of no locality where it does not occa- 

 sionally appear, but mostly in small numbers. 

 A few exceptions occur, and I will cite one 

 of them. 



Mr. F. Smith, ot the British Museum, the 

 illustrious historian of British Bees and 

 British Fossorial Hymenoptera, has published, 

 in the 19th number of the "Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine," the following vivid pic- 

 ture of an entomological treat he enjoyed at 

 Ilfracombe in October, 1865 : At the western 

 extremity of Ilfracombe stands a parish 

 church, passing behind which you enter 

 a narrow lane " a Devonshire lane " ; its 

 beauty will be appreciated by every one who 

 has visited Devon, and he will thoroughly 

 understand the meaning of the above apella- 

 tion he will know how it winds, and turns, 

 and winds again just so does the lane at the 

 back of the church, until you arrive at a gate 

 at its extremity that opens to the breezy 

 downs. The last fifty yards of the hedge, on 

 the right hand of the lane, is covered by a 

 mantle of ivy, which, on the 9th of October, 

 was in full blossom, but the flowers were 

 almost hidden from sight by a countless mul- 

 titude of butterflies and moths : it was one of 

 the most beautiful sights I ever beheld. The 

 multitudinous host only comprised two species 

 of butterfly, Pyrameis Atalanta and P. Cardui 

 scores of the former, but hundreds of the 

 latter. The majority of them appeared to be 

 so overpowered by imbibing the nectar of the 

 ivy-blossoms, that I hail no difficulty in taking 

 specimens of Cardui between my fingers. 



Many unsuccessful attemptshave been made 

 to discover some law by which to account 

 for the irregular appearance of this insect 



