136 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



holly, ivy, and buckthorn are the aliment of 

 the caterpillars. These three plan's flower 

 but once a year; and while the holly and 

 buckthorn bloom in May, the ivy flowers late 

 in autumn. Yet two broods occur in places 

 where only one of the food-plants named is 

 found ; and it would appear, from the Condi- 

 tion of the spring brood, as if they hao ot 

 hybernated, and that there must have beei k/ 

 therefore, two broods of caterpillars. I 

 have seen a female in August depositing eggs 

 amongst ivy, so probably it hybernates in the 

 chrysalis state." Mr. Horley, of Hoddesdon, 

 informs me that in November of last year he 

 beat a caterpillar of Argiolus from the blossoms 

 of the ivy, on which it appeared to have been 

 feeding : it changed to a chrysalis the same 

 month, and to a butterfly during April of the 

 present year : this information, coupled wifch 

 the preceding from Mr. Clifford, seems to 

 point to ivy bloom as the food of the second 

 generation of caterpillars of Argiolus, and 

 also shows that in this instance at least the 

 insect passed the winter in the chrysalis state. 

 TIME OF APPEARANCE. The flowering of 

 the holly (Ilex aquifolium) fixes with sufficient 

 accuracy the time when the first brood of 

 caterpillars is feeding, and the flowering of 

 the ivy (Hedera Helix) may be taken as a 

 guide to the second brood of caterpillars. 

 With regard to the butterfly being on the 

 wing, the following note, which appeared at 

 page 258 of the first volume of the " Zoolo- 

 gist," shows that there is a pretty constant 

 succession of individuals from May to August, 

 both months inclusive. It was contributed 

 by Mr. W. Gaze. " On referring to my 

 register I find that the first specimen of this 

 butterfly I ever possessed was captured at 

 Kedington on the 9th of May, 1833, and was 

 the only one obtained that year: in 1834 one 

 was taken on the 31st of July, and others on 

 the 1st, 8th, and 12th of August: in 1835 

 the dates of capture were May 8th, 16th, and 

 19th ; June 6th ; July 23rd, 27th, and 30th ; 

 August 1st and 6th ; on the 19th May and 

 6th of August it was very abundant : in 1836 

 I took a male at Lavenham on the 7th May, 

 which is the earliest date I ever saw it, and it 



continued very abundant in the same locality 

 during the whole of that month." At page 

 334 of the same volume Mr. R. C. R. Jordan 

 extends the period of its appearance by an- 

 nouncing a capture on the 8th of April. 



Obs. At page 213 of the fifth volume of 

 the " Entomologist," Mr. Watkins, of Pains- 

 wick, gives the following curious instance of 

 depraved taste in this butterfly : " During 

 T nly of the present year a drain, which was 

 opeu^ on our premises, attracted several 

 fresh a|^cimens of L. Argiolus. It was very 

 interesting to watch them flying over the 

 drain, sometl nes alighting to sip the sewage, 

 which they seemed to prefer to the flowers in 

 the adjoining fields." My readers will recol- 

 lect a similar instance of depraved taste in the 

 Purple Emperor. 



LOCALITIES. -Generally distributed through- 

 out Ireland, where the holly, on which the 

 caterpillar feeds, is a very common tree. I 

 have no record of its occurrence in Scotland 

 or the Isle of Man. In the south of England 

 it is a common insect, but seems very rapidly 

 to decrease in abundance as we travel north- 

 wards. 



Warwickshire. Immense quantities were 

 taken in Sutton Park on the llth of May, 

 1856 F. Meyer in "Intelligencer" vol. i., 

 p. 59. 



48. Large Blue (Lyccena Arion), Upper side of 

 Male. 



Under side of Femald. 



