HAIRSTREAKS. 



Ill 



every Wednesday evening, and in the most 

 kind and generous manner opened his rich 

 cabinets, and imparted his great entomological 

 knowledge to every one who applied for infor- 

 mation. The first Wednesday evening sub- 

 sequent to my making the discovery found me 

 at the residence of this patriotic entomologist : 

 that night I was his earliest and most enthu- 

 siastic visitor. He gave the subject an imme- 

 diate investigation, and promptly acquiesced 

 in the necessity for a change of name, but 

 at the same time threw a damper over my 

 enthusiasm at the supposed discovery of a 

 new British butterfly, by expressing a doubt 

 whether it was British at all ; and represented 

 the intense and praiseworthy desire to do 

 business which was prevalent among dealers 

 in insects as occasionally overcoming the love 

 of truth. Seaman, unconscious of the value 

 of his capture, had given the real and now 

 familiar locality of Monk's Wood as its 

 habitat, and it was so announced when he 

 first disposed of them j but no sooner was it 

 made known that the butterflies were not the 

 Black Hairstreak at all, but a species new to 

 Britain, than the locality became a mine of 

 gold ; and Mr. Seaman very judiciously con- 

 cluded to remove the mine to a greater distance, 

 even to ultima thule of his geographical know- 

 ledge, Yorkshire ; and Mr. Curtis, who 

 published the insect under its correct name 

 shortly afterwards, gave Yorkshire as the 

 locality where it has been found. Benjamin 

 Standisb, of happy memory, was at that time 

 in full possession of his insect-hunting powers, 

 and also of an imaginary estate and baronetcy 

 in the north of England : how often were he 

 and I companions to Darenth and to Birch ; 

 he was fired with ardour at the "turning up" 

 of a new butterfly, and we consulted long and 

 often on the expediency of a trip to Yorkshire 

 in quest of the old baronetcy and the new 

 Hairstreak. Alas ! all the actors in this little 

 comedy, except myself, have been removed 

 from works to rewards ; the estate and 

 baronetcy have gone by another and per- 

 haps a more direct line ; and the once " new " 

 Hairstreak is in the butterfly market at a very 

 moderate price. 



LIFE HISTORY. The EGG is laid on the 

 twigs of tlie blackthorn (Prunus spinosa], 

 and remains attached to it all the winter ; the 

 young CATERPILLAR feeds on the leaves. When 

 full fed the caterpillar is woodlouse-shaped, 

 the head being small and retractile within the 

 second segment : the body is very convex on 

 the back, with a shallow medio-dorsal furrow, 

 and the edges of the segments adjoining this 

 appeal from the figures to form two parallel 

 series of projecting points ; the colour is pale 

 green, the crests of the ridges and a narrow 

 lateral stripe being yellow ; the CHRYSALIS is 

 attached by a belt, and by the anal extremity ; 

 it is obese, blunt-headed, and humpbacked, 

 and has a medio-dorsal series of five rather 

 conspicuous warts or tubercles. Jasper's and 

 Hubner's figures. 



Obs. I have never seen either the cater- 

 pillar or chrysalis of this species, and have 

 relied solely on published figures, which Mr. 

 Doubleday assures me are correct. 



TIME OP APPEARANCE. June and July. 



LOCALITIES. Thecla Pruni is unknown in 

 Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man ; its 

 range in England seems confined tc five 

 counties. 



Derbyshire. In a box of insects captured 

 within a few miles of Chesterfield 1 find this 

 very local species J.R. Hind," Intelligencer" 

 vol. ix., p. 27. 



Huntingdonshire. Monk's Wood, on the 

 4th and 6th of July, but in shattered con- 

 dition -J. F. Stephens ; Monk's Wood, just 

 appearing on the 18th June H. Doubleday ; 

 near Peterborough Frederick Bond ; common 

 in Overton Woods and about St. Ives, and 

 elsewhere in Huntingdonshire T. H. Allis 



Monmouthshire. I have- taken a single 

 specimen in St. Julian's Wood George Lock. 



Northamptonshire. Very plentiful some 

 years, rare in others, at Barn well and Ashton 

 Wolds in July William Bree ; near Tow- 

 cester Hamlet Clark; Barn well Wold 

 Frederick Bond ; on the 1 9th June I captured 

 three dozen Pruni, flying round the flowers 

 of the wayfaring tree ( Viburnum lantana) at 

 Kettering W. Sturgess, in " Intelligencer.' 

 vol. iv., p. 111. 



