THE LARGE COPPER BUTTERFLY. 107 



some cause, never satisfactorily explained, it almost 

 suddenly disappeared, and, there is reason to fear, has 

 become quite extinct in this country. Still, hopes are 

 entertained that it may be surviving in some unexplored 

 districts, and that it will again " turn up." 



As comparatively very few persons have ever seen this 

 splendid creature on the wing, the following commu- 

 nication from one who has, quoted from the Intelligencer, 

 will be of interest to those who have not read it in that 

 periodical. It is from the pen of Mr. E. C. F. Jenkins, 

 of Sleaford, Lincolnshire. He writes : " I proceed to give 

 you some account of my own acquaintance with that most 

 beautiful insect, which, some thirty years ago, was so 

 abundant in the unreclaimed fens about Whittlesea 

 Mere, that I never expected to hear of its utter exter- 

 i ruination. Its brilliant appearance on the wing in the 

 sunshine I shall never forget, and to watch it sitting on 

 the flower of the Eupatorium canndbinum and show 

 the under sides of its wings, was something ever to be 

 remembered. I once took sixteen in about half an hour 

 on one particular spot, where the above-mentioned plant 

 was very plentiful ; but unless the sun was very bright 

 they were very difficult to find. In those days the 

 larva was unknown, and I attribute the disappearance 

 of the butterfly to the discovery of the larva, to the 

 unceasing attacks of collectors, and to the burning of 

 the surface-growth of the fens, which is done in dry 

 weather when they are to be reclaimed." 



The two sexes of this butterfly differ very remark- 

 ably in the appearance of the upper surface. This, in 

 the male, is of an effulgent coppery colour, narrowly 

 bordered with black, and having a black mark in the 

 centre of each wing. The female is larger, has a redder 

 tinge, with a row of black spots on the front wings, 

 and the hind wings nearly covered with black, except- 

 ing a band of coppery red near the margin, extending 

 also more or less distinctly along the courses of the 

 veins. Underneath, both sexes are nearly alike, the 

 hind wing of a general light Hue tint, with a red band 

 near the margin, and spotted with black. 



