51 



Epmephile ianira was noted in some numbers, but Satyrus semele 

 was a comparative rarity on the down sides, where it is often one of 

 the most abundant species. A few CKnonynipha pamphilus, two or 

 three odd examples of Polyonimatus ph/aas, and the Hke of Vatiessa 

 urticce complete the list of butterflies that came in my way, but 

 doubtless the number of species might have been increased had the 

 more inland districts been traversed. 



So much has been said and written of late regarding the drinking 

 habits of butterflies, that had not the following incident, which came 

 under my notice, been unusually well demonstrated, I should have 

 hesitated to record it. The morning of August 2nd was warm and 

 sunny, with hardly a breath of air stirring, and to fill in an odd half- 

 hour I strolled along the centre parade in front of the town. The 

 path here is made of very fine shingle and chalky earth, and, to keep 

 it in suitable order for the promenaders and others, who at times do 

 congregate thereabout, is watered each morning and afternoon by 

 means of a diminutive water-cart drawn by a couple of men. I had 

 leaned my back against the rail, and was looking dreamily at things in 

 general and nothing in particular, when one of these water-carts was 

 drawn along, and my attention was attracted by quite a number of 

 white butterflies that were following it ; one and another of them 

 would settle down from time to time on the freshly watered path, 

 and I had no difficulty in approaching them, whilst thus settled, 

 sufficiently closely to distinctly see them sucking up the drops of 

 wet mud made by the water falling on the dusty surface of the 

 ground. The operation was often repeated, a resting butterfly rising 

 and following the falling water for a time, and then settling down to 

 drink again. I also noticed that as the water-cart passed along, a 

 butterfly would occasionally flit out from among the tansy that grows 

 luxuriantly on the banks, and join those that were following the cart. 

 The incident brought to my mind a similar one that came under my 

 notice in the streets of the same town some years ago ; but I was not 

 then able to observe that the butterflies, though settling on the damp 

 ground, were actually drinking, as they undoubtedly were in the 

 present instance {F?-oc., 1887, p. 68). 



Perhaps there is no harder work to be found than the arduous 

 task of doing nothing. When one is ostensibly taking a holiday 

 many opportunities will occur for attempting it, but I will venture to 

 say that a very few minutes' trial will fully satisfy any ordinary being 

 of the difficulty of such an undertaking. At any rate, that has been 

 my own experience ; and possibly it was the desire to get away from 

 such a hard task that led me to wander around the highways and 

 byways of the town, seeking what its walls and gate-posts might 

 reveal in the way of resting species. Eastbourne, so long as I can 

 remember, has always been a good place for the two common 

 species of Biyophi/n, but of late years B. mnralis appeared to me to 

 occur much less commonly than formerly ; indeed, so few examples 

 came under my notice when I was there two or three years ago that 



