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Reflections upon Odd Rambles on the Sussex Downs. 



By Robert Adkin. Read November 22nd, 1894. 



The past season has been admittedly a bad one for butterflies. 

 Whether they were really less in number than usual, or whether the 

 abnormal amount of sunless days prevented our meeting with them, 

 it is difficult to decide ; but whichever surmise may be the correct 

 one, the snug corner of the Sussex Downs between Beachy Head 

 and the town of Eastbourne, where I spent some few hours during 

 the month of August last, appeared, with two notable exceptions, to 

 show no exception to the general state of scarcity. These two 

 exceptions were Satyrus semele, L., and Epinephele iantra, L. 

 When one was fortunate enough to get a bright sunny morning, S. 

 semele was sufficiently abundant along the cliff front to satisfy the 

 most greedy hunter, flitting from flower to flower, and resting on the 

 bare ground, as is its wont. But what becomes of all these butter- 

 flies when the sun does not shine ? We have heard over and over 

 again that they settle upon the nearest bit of bare chalk and imme- 

 diately become invisible ; quite true, but they cannot remain there, 

 or our feet would disturb or kill them as we walk along the path, 

 which is here a favourite resting-place of theirs. Nor do we see 

 them rise from this position when the sun shines forth again after a 

 passing cloud which has caused them all to settle. But I have 

 noticed that when one settles it does not remain absolutely motion- 

 less, but throws itself partially on one side, often repeating the 

 operation several times, and walks forward, keeping its wings tightly 

 closed over its back the while ; and I strongly suspect that in this 

 way it reaches niore secure shelter, not only from its natural 

 enemies, but also from the weather, than would be afforded by the 

 bare ground. The similarity of its colour to the soil which it affects 

 is undoubtedly an advantage to it when settling down, but probably 

 only temporarily so, and to enable it to reach more secure quarters 

 for protracted sleep. The reports I had heard of the scarcity of II. 

 iantra were very numerous, and were confirmed by sundry rambles 

 through the surrounding country. I had seldom seen so few of 

 these butterflies along the road-sides, etc., but in the sheltered 

 hollows along the cliff's there was no lack of them ; when the sun 

 shone they were the commonest species on the wing, and in the 

 evening rose from the grass in numbers as one passed through it 

 and disturbed them from their slumbers. It was quite refreshing to 

 see even the much-neglected species so abundant, but in this in- 

 stance there appeared to be no tendency to any marked variation. 



Colias edusa, Fb., too, I think, should be numbered among the 

 butterflies more common than usual this autumn — at any rate, in 

 the particular locahty under notice — for, although it was not my 

 fortune to take any large number, my want of success was occa- 

 sioned by lack of opportunity on my part, rather than any difficulty 



