NOTES ON ENTOMOLOGY IN ENGLAND, 1916. 269 
in this district. There is quite a plague of the summer brood of 
P. brassicae, P. napi and P. rapae now. 
August 26th.—Notwithstanding the break up of the weather there 
were enough sunny intervals this afternoon to enable me to work 
with some success amongst the “ blues” on the downs between Fovant 
and Swallowcliff. The females of P. icarus were fine and numerous 
and many specimens extremely suffused with blue were obtainable. 
Though the males of A. coridon are quite passés, the females of this 
Species were abundant and many in good condition, but the butterfly 
of the day was Agriades thetis (bellargus), the males of which were just 
emerging. For some reason | missed the spring brood of this butter- 
fly in May and June, though I looked for it in one or two likely places 
in this locality. 
August 31st.—The weather for the last five days has been disastrous, 
both to the harvest and also to insect life, but this afternoon on the 
downs between Fovant and Swallowcliff, it kept sufficiently fine to 
enable me to continue my observations amongst the “ blues.” 
The females of A. coridon are now nearly all passés, but the males of 
A. thetis are now out in some quantity and the females of this butter- 
fly are emerging to-day. I took some more extremely fine specimens 
of the ‘‘blue”’ form of the female of P. icarus, which is swarming in 
both sexes, but have not noted any appearance yet of Pyramets cardui, 
which is quite due. I have noted no Coliads, but we are probably too 
far inland here to expect them in general. 
September 2nd.—The sun never got out this afternoon, neverthe- 
less I found Vanessa io and A. urticae, and some females of R. phlaeas, 
in some numbers at rest in teasle fields in open parts skirting Castle 
Ditches Wood, very fresh specimens of P. napi were also fluttering 
slowly about. 
September 8rd.—In an afternoon of little sun and much wind, 
collecting was difficult to-day, but in sheltered places on the downs 
between Fovant and Swallowcliff, I picked out a few males of 4. 
coridon still worth taking, an occasional JV’. io, and A. medon (astrarche), 
and a few females of P. icarus with marked blue suffusion. A fine 
fresh Pyramets atalanta was noticed for the first time this summer, but 
the butterfly season of 1916 is rapidly drawing to a close, unless the 
weather takes up again to enable our hybernating species to be seen in 
their autumn abundance. No sign yet of P. cardui. 
September 16th.—-To-day in teasle fields on the outskirts of Castle 
Ditches Wood, the hybernating Aglais urticae, V. io and G. rhamni 
were in abundance, also Pyrameis atalanta in some numbers and fresh, 
whilst on the downs between Fovant and Swalloweliff the males of 
A. thetis were still to be found in fresh condition. The females of 
this iast butterfly are in superb condition. I have not seen P. cardui in 
this district yet. 
September 2nd.—To-day on the downs between Fovant and the 
Tumulus, near Bucksberry, I took some males of Gonepterya rhamni in 
fine condition, and I saw several Aglais wrticae, but no more Vanessid 
species. The day clouding over in the afternoon I took the opportunity 
to examine the Lycaenidae resting at Bucksberry, and took several speci- 
mens of A. thetis still in good condition, although careful selection was 
needed. A further brood of Polyommatus icarus is again emerging. 
Since writing the above account of the Lepidoptera of this district 
