SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



229 



I will commence my papers with the butterflies 

 of South-Eastern Essex. 



Rhopalocera. 



Pieris brassicae and P. rapae are common through- 

 out the district ; P. napi is not so abundant. 

 Mr. Carrington tells me he saw, in 1877, a 

 specimen of P. daplidice that had just been taken 

 by a boy in the meadow next Leigh, between the 

 railway and the sea. 



Euchloe cardamines, generally common. It was 

 abundant during the past (1898) season. Several 

 females were observed resting on cruciferous plants 

 growing by the sides of roads near Hadleigh village. 



Colias edusa, occasionally. Occurred in consider- 

 able numbers in 1892 ; several seen on the saltings 

 at flowers of Aster tripoleum. C. liyale was taken 

 by Mr. Carrington's assistant, the late Edward 

 Matthews, commonly one season about 1876, in 

 clover-fields between Southend and Shoebury. 



Gonopteryx rhainni, not uncommon at Eastwood ; 

 hibernated males were very common last April. 



Argynnis selene and A. euphrosyne, common near 

 Eastwood, in wood clearings and fields bordering 

 the woods. A. adippe, not uncommon at Eastwood. 



Vanessa urticae, common. V. io not often seen. 

 I found a large brood of larvae in July, 1890, on 

 the cliff at Southend. V. atalanta, a few specimens 

 seen nearly every season. V. cardui is here, as 

 elsewhere, a most uncertain insect ; in 1892 and 

 1894 larvae were common on thistles between 

 Leigh and Benfleet. 



Melanavgia galatea, well distributed ; taken on 

 the river wall between Leigh and Benfleet ; in one 

 field only at Canvey ; freely in a field near Hadleigh 

 village, and in the rough fields between Leigh and 

 the Castle. 



Pararge mega-era, common. 



Epinephele ianira and E. tithonus, both common. I 

 have often found larvae of the former at Benfleet 

 when collecting larvae of Leucania impura. Epine- 

 phele hyperanthes occurs at Eastwood and Hockley. 



Coenonympha pamphllus, abundant. Some exam- 

 ples I have taken are unusually large. 



Thecla rubi, far from common. Once seen on 

 some blackthorn growing on the river wall. Only 

 one or two specimens observed at Eastwood. 



Polyommatus phloeas, abundant. Some of the 

 Canvey specimens are very large. 



Lycaena astrarche, common. Abundant near the 

 river wall on the southern side of Canvey. L. 

 icarus, common everywhere. L. argiolus occurs at 

 Southend-on-Sea. but I have not happened totakeit. 



Syvichthus malvae, common at Eastwood ; also 

 near the railway bank between Benfleet and Pitsea. 



Nisoniades tages. Eastwood, but not common, 



Hesperia thaumas and H. lineola. The former not 

 uncommon, the latter abundant and extending its 

 range ; for when it was first differentiated as a 



British species, by Mr. Hawes, and its life-history 

 made known, it was thought that while H. thaumas 

 was to be looked for on the higher ground, H. 

 lineola could not be taken freely away from the 

 marshes. I noticed last season, in a field skirting 

 a wood near Hadleigh, where there were one or 

 two fine clumps of Lotus corniculatus, that Hesperia 

 lineola was better represented than H . thaumas. I 

 have found the larva of H. lineola at Canvey, and 

 bred the butterfly. H. sylvanus is common. 

 (To be continued.) 



HELIX NEMORALIS IN IRELAND. 



T HAVE received through Mr. R. Welch, of Bel- 

 ■'- fast, particulars and some specimens of Tachea, 

 nemoralis gathered on the island of Valentia and 

 the adjoining islet of Beginnish. Both collections 

 were made by Miss Delap, the former chiefly in 

 the Rectory garden. I have details of 121 speci- 

 mens from Valentia. Of these 65 are of the var. 

 libellnla, 44 rubella, and 12 aurantia. The band 

 formulas are as follow :— Bandless, 00000 = 23 speci- 

 mens ; 1 band, 00300 = 46 ; 5 bands, 12345 = 2 7 '• 5 

 bands in 1, (12345) = 2:5 bands in 2, (1234)5 = - '< 

 (i23)(45) = 4; 5 bands in 3, 1(234)5 = 1 ; (123)45 = 5; 



5 bands in 4, 1(23)45 = 10 ; 1(23) x 45 = 1. 



The var. albolabiata occurred in twelve instances 

 in the yellow, or var. libellnla, form, and one with 

 the red or rubella ground-colour. The same white- 

 lipped variety was most frequent in the band 

 formula 00300, but also occurred once in (123)45. 

 There were a few strongly marked var. undulata, 

 chiefly with yellow ground-colour. 

 . My attention has been drawn to a whitish stripe 

 below the third dark band, especially where the 

 centre one only is present ; this occurs somewhat 

 frequently in Kerry specimens generally. Those 

 examples I have seen, however, do not appear to 

 be very unusual, this lighter band being as often 

 found in the South of England. 



Many of the Valentia shells of T. nemoralis are 

 very thin and delicate. The colours are fairly 

 bright, but not more so than from some other 

 localities. In size they are about the average of 

 typical specimens found in Britain. 



From Beginnish Island I have particulars of 67 

 specimens, divided into 43 libellnla, 23 rubella, and 

 1 aurantia. The band formulas are as follow : — 

 Bandless, 00000 = 35 specimens ; 1 band, 00300 = 



6 ; 2 bands, 00305 = 1 ; 3 bands, 00345 = 1 ; 4 bands, 

 02345 = 2 I I0 345 = 3 '• 5 bands, 12345 = 9:5 bands 

 in 1 (12345) = I '■ 5 bands in 2 (12)^45) = 4; .5 

 bands in 3 (12)3(45) = 3 : (123)45 = 1 i 5 bands in 



4 ( I2 )345 = i- 



The specimens from Beginnish Isle are only 

 about two-thirds the size of those from Valentia, 

 but are thicker and stronger ; very weatherworn. 

 J. T. Carrington. 



