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It has entirely disappeared from many places where it was formerly common. 



The first English author to describe and figure it was Thomas Mouffet, in 

 his " Insectorum Sine Minimorum Animalium Theatrum " published in the 

 year 1633. 



It is also briefly described by Dr. Christopher Merrett, E.R.S., in his 

 "Pinax rerum Naturaliam Brittaniarum," published in 1667, being the 

 first publication which gives any account of British insects exclusively. 



It is described in Ray's " Historia Insectorum/' 1710, in the following 

 words, " Papilio ulmaria similis, seel minor > alie lacinatis interioribus lineola 

 alba increva notalis. Papilio lestudinarius alis laceralis, D. Petiver." 



Moses Harris, in his ' Aurelian," 1770, writes, "The caterpillar of the 

 Comma Butterfly, which generally feeds on the leaves of the hop, but is 

 sometimes found on the nettle, is very slow of motions, and may be taken 

 from the latter end of July to the middle of August, about which time it 

 suspends itself by its tail to the branches, or underpart of the leaves of the 

 hop by a web, which, though very fine, is so strong that unless great care be 

 taken in separating them, you will pull the caterpillar asunder ; it hangs in 

 this manner about twenty-four hours, then changes to the chrysalis, in which 

 state it remains about fourteen days, and then produces the butterfly, called 

 Comma from a white mark on the underside of the under-wings, resembling 

 that stop in printing. The female is larger, her colour paler, and her wings 

 not so much indented as those of the male. This fly hides itself during all 

 the cold season, and appears again in the month of April, much faded in its 

 colour, when it lays its eggs on the young sprouts of the hop and nettle, 

 which are hatched about the middle of May, go through the same changes as 

 above, and produce a fly by the latter end of June, which lays the eggs that 

 produce the first mentioned caterpillar." 



Lewin, in his "Insects of Great Britain," 1795, writes: "A few of this 

 species of butterfly, if the winter has proved mild, lie in the winged state 

 till the spring, and appear in April much wasted in colour, with their wings 

 broken at the edges. Others remain in chrysalis till that time, and may be 

 easily distinguished by their perfect shape, and the brightness of their colour. 

 It is an insect swift in flight, and difficult to take, except when feeding. It 

 flies in lanes, by the sides of banks, on hedges, frequently settling on dry 

 places, and against the bodies of trees/ 1 



Donovan, in his " Natural History of British Insects, Vol. VI., published 

 in 1797, writes : In colour and markings the Comma Butterfly seems at first 

 allied to the Tortoise-shell, but the elegant scallops of the margins of the 

 wings sufficiently distinguishes it from every other British species, indeed 

 wings indented in this remarkable manner are rarely seen in any insects, 



