MELITVEA. 75 



and as over-cultivation rapidly exterminates such plants, and as 

 insects as a rule are far less generally distributed, and much 

 more easily destroyed than the plants on which they feed, it is 

 not surprising that the species of Melitcea are among those 

 Butterflies which are rapidly becoming more and more scarce 

 and local in England, and are within measurable distance of 

 extinction as British species. They are gregarious, and are 

 therefore still common in those localities where they are 

 permitted to exist at all. A century ago they were probably 

 as generally distributed in England as they are at present in 

 most places on the Continent. Their absence in Corsica and 

 Sardinia is somewhat remarkable. 



These Butterflies have a slow flight, flitting from flower to 

 flower on heaths, meadows, open places in woods, and similar 

 localities where their food-plants are to be met with. 



THE GREASY FRITILLARY. MELITVEA AURINIA. 



(Plate XV., Figs. 3, 4.) 



Papilio aurinia, Rott, Naturforscher, vi., p. 5 (1775). 

 Papilio artemis, Denis and Schiffermiiller, Syst. Verz. Schmett. 



Wien, p. 322, no. 10 (1776); Hiibner, Europ. Schmett, 



i., figs. 4-6, 653(1803?). 

 Papilio maturna (nee Linn.), Esper, Schmett., i. (i), p. 209, 



pi. 1 6, fig. 2 (1777). 

 Melitcea artemis, Steph., 111. Brit. Ent. Haust, i., p. 32 (1827) 



Buckler, Larvse Brit. Butterflies and Moths, i., p. 84, 



pi. 12, fig. 2 (1886); Barrett, Lepid. Brit. Isl., i., p. 196, 



pi. 27, figs. 2, 2a-f (1893). 

 Melitcea aurinia, Kirby, Eur. Butterflies and Moths, p. 15, pi. 



8, figs. 3~a-d (1878); Lang, Butterflies Eur., p. 183, pi 



43, fig. 2 (1883). 



The Greasy Fritillary, though very local, is widely distributed 

 in all parts of the kingdom, and is rather variable. It is by 



