THE SMALL GARDEN WHITE. 63 



The colour of this caterpillar is pale green, with a 

 yellow line along the back, and a dotted one of the- 

 same colour on each side. 



The chrysalis is nearly like that of the last in shape, 

 but of course smaller, and is of a more uniform brownish 

 or yellowish tint. 



This butterfly occasionally multiplies immensely, and 

 is given to migrating in vast armies to distant settle- 

 ments, sometimes crossing the sea to effect this purpose. 

 Here is an extract from a Kentish newspaper, de- 

 scribing an occurrence of this phenomenon : 



" One of the largest flights of butterflies ever seen in 

 this country, crossed the Channel from France to Eng- 

 land on Sunday last. Such was the density and 

 extent of the cloud formed by the living mass, that it 

 completely obscured the sun from the people on board 

 our Continental steamers, on their passage, for many 

 hundreds of yards, while the insects strewed the decks 

 in all directions. The flight reached England about 

 twelve o'clock at noon, and dispersed themselves inland 

 and along shore, darkening the air as they went. 

 During the sea-passage of the butterflies, the weather 

 was calm and sunny, with scarce a puff of wind stir- 

 ring ; but an hour or so after they reached terra firma, 

 it came on to blow great guns from the S. W., the 

 direction whence the insects came." 



A contemporary account states that these were the 

 small white butterflies (Pieris Rapce). 



The smaller butterfly with more dusky markings, 

 formerly known as P. Metro, has been recently proved 

 to be merely a variety of Rapce, a Mr. J. E. Dawson 

 haying reared a brood of caterpillars all exactly similar 

 in appearance, which eventually produced every variety 

 of P. Rapce and P. Metra. 



Mr. Curtis, in his "Earm Insects," mentions the 

 capture, near Oldham in Lancashire, of a male specimen, 

 which had all the wings of a bright yellow colour. 



Most juvenile butterfly hunters, unblest by scientific 

 knowledge of insect life, imagine that this and the last 



