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those from foreign countries not excepted. There is more than one brood in 

 the year ; the butterflies are generally found in June, the second brood late 

 in August. The caterpillars are sometimes found in February, but oftener in 

 July ; they remain about a fortnight in chrysalis." 



Stephens, in his "Illustrations of British Entomology," published in 1828 ? 

 writes : " This species has become somewhat scarce everywhere within these 

 few years. Prior to 1813, I used to find it very abundantly near Hertford, 

 but since that period I have not seen it. It has, however, occurred during 

 the last and present seasons in several parts of the country ; and it appears 

 to be generally distributed over the southern half of the kingdom, and Mr. 

 Backhouse informs me that it is abundant near York." 



Miss Jermyn, in her " Butterfly Collector's Vade-Mecum," published in 

 1837, writes: "The Papilionaceous insects, in general, soon after their 

 emergence from the chrysalis, and commonly during their first flight, dis- 

 charge drops of red-coloured fluid, more or less intense in different species. 

 This circumstance is peculiarly worthy of attention from the explanation 

 which it affords of a phenomenon often considered, both in ancient and 

 modern times, in the light of a prodigy : viz. the descent of red drops from 

 the air, which has been called a shower of blood ; an event recorded by 

 several writers, and particularly by Ovid ; among the prodigies which took 

 place before the death of Julius Csesar. 



11 With threatening signs the lowering skies are filled, 

 And sanguine drops from murky clouds distilled." 



This highly rational elucidation of a -phenomenon, at first view so inexplicable, 

 seems to have been discovered by the celebrated Pierese, at Aix, in Provence, 

 where a shower of this kind fell in 1608. The common people were terrified 

 with the apprehension of some great calamity ; but that intelligent Naturalist, 

 enquiring into the affair with minute attention, was fully convinced that these 

 drops were scattered by an innumerable swarm of Vanessa c~album, hovering 

 in the air ; he preserved several of their caterpillars in a glass, which after 

 transformation discharged these drops of blood. This discovery ruined two 

 hypotheses, which had been supported with equal ability, one, that it was the 

 work of evil spirits, the other, that these drops were formed from red exhala- 

 tions precipitated again in rain/' 



Newman, in his " British Butterflies," 1871, writes : " A noticeable feature 

 in its distribution is its absence from what may be called maritime lists, as 

 those from Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, Sussex, Isle of Wight, Dorsetshire, 

 Devonshire, and Cornwall; this absence from the lists is not sufficient 

 evidence of the butterfly's not occurring there, but certainly of its great 

 rarity. In the midland counties, on the contrary, it is of frequent occur- 



