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feeding for a short time hybernate at the roots of the food-plants till the 

 following spring, when they feed up quickly. Like the last species they are 

 fond of basking in the full rays of the sun. It does not occur in Scotland 

 or the Isle of Man, but is abundant at Killarney in Ireland. In England, 

 it seems to be most plentiful in the more southerly counties, and is very rare 

 in the midland, not occurring north of Staffordshire. It is rare near London, 

 but abundant in some parts of Devonshire, Cornwall, and Sussex ; it also 

 occurs in Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Wiltshire, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, 

 and Staffordshire. It is spread generally over Europe, but only occurs in the 

 northern and western parts of Asia. 



It was first figured and recorded as a British species by James Petiver in 

 his "Papiliorum Britanicse Icones," published in 1717, under the name of 

 the Straw May Fritillary, and as being very common in Cain Wood. 



Wilkes, in his "English Moths and Butterflies," 1773, writes, "The 

 Heath Fritillary Butterfly. I found the caterpillars of this fly feeding on 

 common heath in Tuttenham Wood, about the middle of May, 1745. Six 

 or seven of them were feeding near to each other, I observed their manner of 

 eating, which was extremely quick, and when they moved it was at a great 

 rate. I fed them with common heath for three or four days; at the end of 

 which some of them changed into chrysalis, in which state they remained 

 about fourteen days, and then the flies came forth. This butterfly is very 

 common in most woods, but its caterpillar is very rarely found." 



Lewin, in his "Insects of Great Britain/' 1795, writes, " It may be taken 

 in June, flying in the open parts of woods and dry places, near which heath 

 grows. In some summers it is tolerably plentiful, and in others scarcely to 

 be met with ; just as the winter has proved more or less favourable to the 

 caterpillars." 



Curtis, in his " British Entomology," 1832, writes, " M. atJialia is found 

 on heaths, marshes, &c., the end of May; in Coombe Wood ; Hartley Wood, 

 Essex ; Apsley Wood, Bedfordshire ; Dartmoor, and near Bideford, and in 

 Bradley Wood, Devon, by Capt. Blomer, as late as the 10th of July. It 

 used to be frequent in Cain Wood, and at Faversham. The P. tesselata of 

 Petiver was formerly pretty common in Cain Wood, the begining of May, 

 where M. athalia was common also ; 1 suspect it is only a variety of that 

 species." 



The Rev. F. 0. Morris, in his "History of British Butterflies," 1853, 

 writes, " The late Capt. Blomer used to take this very interesting insect 

 plentifully in Devonshire ; Ford Wood is one of the localities there for it, 

 and Dartmoor another ; it is taken also in Cain Wood, Middlesex ; Bagley 

 Wood, Berkshire, near Oxford ; Apsley Wood, and near Bedford ; near Deal, 



