1893.] 137 



peria Acfceon is a notable instance, inhabiting as it does only a small 

 space on the coast of Dorsetshire. And here may be placed Papilio 

 Machaon, which still continues very abundant in a few of the fens 

 of East Anglia, where it has adopted both localities and habits that 

 differ considerably from those of the same species on the CoHtinent, 

 and where it is the prey of man, woman, and child, who have learned 

 to regard it as an article of commerce. Let us hope that disaster, 

 physical or otherwise, may long be absent, and so avert its extinction ! 

 There is no other British Butterfly that is so sorelj^ tried. 



But there is still another group, that to which the " Black-Yeined 

 "White " belonged, and it is the one that may be regarded with the 

 most anxiety. It consists of species once more or less widely dis- 

 tributed that have gradually become more narrowly localized, and, as 

 I said before, this has proved to be the first step towai-ds extinction. 

 This tendency to localization shows that they are being, as it were, 

 driven into a corner, their vitality is lowered, and they are ready to 

 succumb to evil influences that may arise or be intensified at any 

 moment. Vanessa c-alhum is a good instance. 



I have spoken about the extent to which the direct action of 

 collectors may influence the extinction of a species, and have said that 

 I do not regard it as serious save in cases where other causes have 

 already put the species far on the road to extinction. But I m.ay have 

 under-estimated this matter, and it has occurred to me latterly, on 

 several occasions, whether a Close-Time could not be enforced for 

 certain British Butterflies, the species to be decided upon by a Com- 

 mittee of Experts, just as has been done for British Birds, &c. The 

 idea may seem to some childish and ridiculous, full of paltry sentiment, 

 and so on. But why not protect the beautiful innoxious insects that 

 display their admirable forms and colours, and gladden the hearts of 

 all true lovers of nature, just as much as do the Birds that enliven 

 our woods and hedgerows ? I confess I see nothing absurd in the 

 idea. But how it is to be done is quite another matter. A Close-Time 

 as in Birds, extending over only certain months in each year, would 

 be useless. Eor Butterflies it would mean that it be absolutely for- 

 bidden to capture any and all of the species decided upon in any stage 

 whatever during a series of say five or ten years. If it could be done 

 we would have a direct test of the still much-disputed agency of the 

 collector in causing or hastening extinction, and in certain cases the 

 opportunity might be taken of artificially re-stocking our woods and 



