146 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



Perthshire," although he reports it as having 

 occurred both in Dumfriesshire and Ayrshire. 

 In England it is very generally distributed, 

 but its appearance is capricious. We have 

 seen how its congener Hyale has occasionally 

 swarmed in the extreme south-east of the 

 island. Edusa is occasionally equally abun- 

 dant in the extreme south-west ; in the in- 

 tervening southern counties neither of the 

 species can be described as common ; and 

 farther north both are comparatively scarce. 

 In every list from Bedfordshire, Berkshire, 

 Buckinghamshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Dor* 

 setshire, Glamorganshire, Hampshire, Hert- 

 fordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kent, Middlesex, 

 Monmouthshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, 

 Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Somersetshire, 

 Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, War- 

 wickshire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire, it 

 is reported as occurring, but without any 

 particular notes of its abundance, rarity, or 

 periodicity. 



Cambridgeshire. In many parts of the 

 county it is sometimes very common F. 

 Bond; not uncommon in the county Thomas 

 Brown. 



Cornwall Common at New Quay II. D. 

 Greville ; sometimes very abundant at Looe : 

 at page 338 of the second volume of the 

 " Entomologist," Mr. Clogg informs us that in 

 the autumn of 1865 it was abundant : during 

 the months of August, September, and up to 

 the 14th of October, a single collector, on 

 counting his captures, found he had taken 

 three hundred and forty-six specimens : he 

 then, at Mr. Clogg's request, kept a daily 

 record, with the following result : October 

 14th, seventy-eight; 16th, eighty-two; 18th, 

 twenty-five; 20th,seventy; 25th, thirty-eight; 

 28th, seventy-five; November 1st, seventy- 

 seven; total, nine hundred and thirty-five. The 

 numerical disparity in the sexes was at first 

 most remarkable, there being taken, up to the 

 14th of October, but twenty-three females to 

 three hundred and twenty-three males : after 

 that day the females became more plentiful, 

 or at the rate of fourteen males to one female, 

 until, on the last day, they exceeded the 

 males, the numbers being twenty-three females 



and twenty males : the total numberof females 

 captured was one hundred and ninety, reduc- 

 ing the average to four males to one female. 

 There were eight of the pile (or Helice) variety 

 taken. With very few exceptions, all these 

 captures, were made in two fields of wheat 

 stubble, together about twenty-six acres in 

 extent, situated close to the sea shore, very 

 hilly, and with a south-east aspect." At 

 page 1 of the third volume of the " Entomolo- 

 gist," Mr. Clogg makes some slight corrections 

 to his former report, and brings up the grand 

 total to nine hundred and seventy-two. 



Cumberland. This insect is more common 

 in Cumberland than was formerly the case, 

 specimens occurring all up and down, but 

 most commonly on the coast about Working- 

 ton, Carlisle, and \Vhitehaveu J. B. Ilodg- 

 kinson. 



Devonshire. The typicai form is very 

 abundant along the coasts of Devonshire, and 

 common in many localities inland ; but it is 

 very inconstant in the periodof itsappearance : 

 sometimes, indeed, several consecutive years 

 have passed in which the insect has not been 

 observed. The variety Helice usually occurs 

 freely : Axminster, Exeter, Teignmoutb, Tor- 

 quay, Buckfastleigh, Whitsand Cliffs, Bovi- 

 sand, Plymbridge, Berry Head, Bolt Head 

 J. J. Heading; Conipton, Millbrook G. C. 

 Bignell ; on the railway banks at Tothill, near 

 Plymouth E. James, Jun. Through the 

 kindness of correspondents these and many 

 other localities have reached me from several 

 sources in addition to those mentioned : in no 

 other instance does the writer allude to the 

 inconstancy of appearance mentioned by 

 Mr. Reading, so that 'the inference to be 

 drawn is that the insect is generally of fre- 

 quent occurrence in the county. 



Durham. Scarce, and appearing at uncer- 

 tain intervals, in the autumn ; Fulvvell in 

 1826, Castle Eden Dene, Darlington, Sander- 

 land, Shull, Wolsingham, Ryhope Wailes* 

 " Catalogue" 



Essex. In all parts of the county, and 

 apparently occurring every year, although 

 some years more plentiful than oilier* - W. 

 H. Harwood. 



