82 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



a patch of cotton-grass (Eriopkorum) about 

 half an acre in extent." Dr. Buchanan 

 White observes of this insect that lt it is the 

 only truly alpine species indigenous to Britain. 

 In Scotland it occurs at a considerable 

 elevation on the mountains on both sides of 

 Loch Rannoch, and on the North of Loch Tay ." 

 Mr. Birchall has also taken it on Ben Nevis. 

 In England the range of this butterfly is 

 almost, if not entirely, confined to the Lake 

 District, which term I would apply to the 

 county of Westmoreland, the south of Cum- 

 berland, and that isolated portion of Lanca- 

 shire which is north of Morecambe Bay. At 

 page 409 of the third volume of the " Ento- 

 mological Magazine," Mr. Heysham, of Car- 

 lisle, writes thus : " On the 4th of July last 

 I found this species in considerable abundance 

 in the vicinity of Sprinkling and Styeh*ad 

 Tarns, at the head of Borrowdale ; the female 

 appears to be rare, and the few that I cap- 

 tured were much wasted, although many of 

 the males were still in fine order." T. C. 

 Heysham. Mr. Curtis, however, at p. 205 of 

 his exquisitely beautiful "British Entomo- 

 logy," expresses an opinion the very reverse of 

 Mr. Heysham's ; and as he was in company 

 with Mr. Dale, one of the very best and most 

 accurate of all entomological observers, I in- 

 cline to adopt his view of the matter in 

 preference to Mr. Heyshara's. " The males," 

 says Mr. Curtis, " in forward seasons have 

 appeared as early as the llth of June ; but 

 last year, when Mr. Dale and I visited Amble- 

 side, they were later, the first being taken on 

 the 18th of June, and they did not become 

 plentiful until the 25th. They are found 

 among the coarse grass that covers considerable 

 spaces, abounding with springs, on the sides of 

 the mountains ; they fly only when the sun 

 shines, and their flight is neither swift nor 

 continued, for they frequently alight amongst 

 the grass, and, falling down to the roots, their 

 sombre colour perfectly conceals them. The 

 females are later, and have been seen even in 

 August We found the males on Red Skrees, 

 a mountain near Ambleside; and Mr. Marshall 

 took them at Gable Hill and Styehead, be- 

 tween Wastwater and Borrowdale." Mr. R. 



Bowman Labrey, at p. 171 of the first volume 

 of the " Entomologist," informs us he " took 

 a few specimens on the 23rd June, near the 

 edge of Styehead Tarn, between Borrowdale 

 and Wastdale, in Cumberland. The day 

 being generally cloudy, I only saw them on 

 the wing during a temporary gleam of sun- 

 shine." At p. 198 of the sixth volume of 

 the " Entomologists' Weekly Intelligencer," 

 Mr. Crewe says : " On the 30th June, while 

 ascending Helvellyn, I observed this species 

 flying about in plenty, about three parts up 

 the mountain, over some boggy patches of 

 ground. To these spots it appeared confined, 

 for higher or lower not a single specimen was 

 to be seen : they were getting rather worn." 

 Mr. J. B. Hodgkinson informs me he took 

 Epiplvron at Langdale Pikes, rather to the 

 west side, at the end of Juna 



22. Northern Brown (Erebia Medea). Upper side. 



Under side. 



22. NORTHERN BROWN. The hind margin 

 of the wings is rounded and scarcely at all 

 scalloped ; the colour is a rich velvety sepia- 

 brown, each wing having a broad but not very 

 clearly defined rust-coloured band parallel with 

 the hind margin ; in this band there are usually 

 four circular black spots in the fore winga 

 and three in the hind wings ; the first and 

 second of those in the fore wings are always 

 united, and each has a pupil of snowy white- 

 ness ; the third spot is smaller and less con- 

 stant ; its white pupil is very small if present, 



