time to time, noted at sea in the English Channel, but of 

 nearly allied species of the same genus undoubted migratory- 

 columns have been observed. 



There is yet one other butterfly that I must refer to. As 

 a cosmopolitan species, Vanessa cardui, L., perhaps takes 

 the first rank, its geographical distribution embraces nearly 

 the whole surface of the globe, stopping short only at the 

 polar regions ; in this country it is of universal distribution, 

 but its appearance is by no means certain. Occasionally it 

 is one of our commonest butterflies, while at others it is con- 

 spicuous by its almost total absence. We, moreover, find 

 that frequently after its scarcity or absence in the autumn 

 and early spring months, we are suddenly surrounded by an 

 abundance of what have the appearance of hybernated 

 specimens ; a case in point, that will be fresh in our memories, 

 is that of the autumn of 1887 and spring of 1888, when it 

 was the common remark that after a season of unusual 

 scarcity in the former year, the species not being seen at all 

 in many places, it was suddenly, at the end of May in the 

 latter year, swarming all over the country, and continued so 

 through June and well into July. The second brood was not, 

 however, by any means generally abundant, after a somewhat 

 cold wet summer. Climatic conditions do not, however, 

 appear to necessarily affect its appearance ; and to quote an 

 extreme case, we find that after the three successive cold wet 

 years of 1815, 1816, and 1817, and the equally unpropitious 

 spring of 18 18, it was the commonest butterfly of the year ; 

 whereas, in the hot year of 1868 it was equally abundant. 

 But perhaps the most important case of which we have 

 definite record is that of 1879; not only was it of universal 

 abundance in this country, but the greater part of Continental 

 Europe was similarly or even to a greater extent affected. 

 We are indebted to Mr. McLachlan for the compilation ot 

 much of the interesting information we have on the subject, 

 {E.M.M. xvi. 49.) 



In the autumn of 1878 the species was not unusually 

 common here, and certainly did not occur in such numbers 

 as to account for the enormous profusion in which it appeared 

 in the following year. The first news we had of its abun- 

 dance came from the east coast of Spain, where it was 

 observed in countless numbers at the end of April ; we 

 have similar tidings from the island of Minorca at the 

 commencement of May ; and it was equally abundant in 

 Italy from April to June. In the first half of this latter 

 month, migratory swarms were observed passing through 



