72 



which day about a dozen were captured, and as many more seen. 

 By this time, too, they appeared to have spread over the country 

 much more than in the earlier part of my stay ; for whereas they 

 then appeared to be confined to the down sides and sea front, they 

 were now of common occurrence in the gardens in the town, and 

 along the country lanes, and even on the beach. One point in its 

 habits rather struck me ; it is generally supposed, and according to 

 my previous experience not without reason, that if one can only find 

 a ^ood clover field, when edusa is about, there is a certainty of 

 plenty of specimens. Now it so happened that on the down sides 

 where the species was most commonly met with, there was a very 

 good clover field, and I spent a good deal of time in examining it ; 

 but, strange to say, found very few specimens indeed, probably not 

 one among the clover, to six or eight on the other part of the downs. 

 On the other hand, on a small patch of lucerne but a few yards 

 square, growing right in the town, I saw four specimens at one time. 

 The conclusion that I arrived at was that the sweet though scanty 

 herbage of the downs had a greater attraction than the heavier 

 growth of the clover when the two were growing close together; 

 but that failing the former, the latter became an attraction of first 

 rank. The variation in those that came under my notice did not 

 appear to be so great as has been observed when the species has 

 been common on some previous occasions, and as usual v/as con- 

 fined chiefly to the lemales. These varied a good deal in the in- 

 tensity of the black borders, and the number and size of the light 

 spots contained in them, which in some specimens were very pro- 

 minent, while in others they were almost obsolete. The var. helice, 

 Hb., was met with occasionally, and some few specimens intermediate 

 between it and the type were taken. The proportion of sexes were 

 about equal, the females bemg perhaps slightly the more numerous. 



It was not mv fortune to meet with Colias hyale^ L., during my 

 rambles ; it appeared to be somewhat later in appearing than edma, 

 not being seen until August 20th or thereabouts ; and wet weather 

 setting in during my absence in London, it was out and over before 

 I had an opportunity of seeking it ; but so far as I was able to learn, 

 not more than a score of specimens were taken in the rieighbour- 

 hood. 



It will be remembered that in the early summer months not only 

 edusa, but Vanessa cardui, L., and Pliisia gamma, L., had been un- 

 usually abundant, the latter accompanied by some numbers of 

 Nomophila noctuella, Schiff. These three species stand in a some- 

 what different category to edusa, being generally more or less nume- 

 rous ; whereas edusa appears to be not infrequently absent. I was 

 therefore anxious to note the result that had followed what I have 

 no hesitation in saying was a spring immigration on a large scale. 

 My first ramble soon set the question at rest. Having ascended the 

 downs by a most dusty road that made walking anything but a plea- 

 sure, I soon came beside a field of standing corn, situated between 



