353 



Scraps relating to Natural History in North Northumber- 

 land. By Charles Murray Adamson, Esq., Newcastle. 



CoLiAs Edusa. — Being more interested in Birds than Insects, I 

 will merely make some remarks about Butterflies, and be done 

 with, the subject. In 1877, we were as usual at Holy Island in 

 August and September. The Butterflies we met with were, first 

 in importance, Coltas Edusa, the others the Meadow Brown, Com- 

 mon Blue, Tortoise-shell, Painted Lady, the Small White, and the 

 Grayling. With respect to the last, being not so well up in the 

 subject as I ought to have been, I thought it was the Wall ; but 

 having brought one home, Mr. Hancock on seeing it pronounced 

 it the Grayling. This shows how cautious one should be in posi- 

 tively stating a circumstance, and consequently how often mis- 

 takes arise and occur in writing about species met with. About 

 Col'ias iEdusa, which was not uncommon in some places that year, 

 I and one of my children saw one in our own garden at North 

 Jesmond on the 17th June, 1877, the first we ever saw on the 

 wing. On the 29th August, at Holy Island, we saw one. At the 

 time we saw it, Ethel and I were looking for a Green Sandpiper. 

 I tried to catch the butterfly, she taking hold of my gun, and 

 lending me her hat, mine being a very soft one, but I failed to 

 do so, it flew so quickly when chased. It was within a yard of 

 me twice, when it settled on a Hawkweed flower, nearly the colour 

 of itself, on the side of a sand hill. On September 3rd we also 

 saw another, and on the 11th, two were caught and two others 

 seen by my elder son, who has since sent me a large collection of 

 butterflies from the Karen Hills and other parts of Burmah. On 

 the 16th, a sunny day, but with a cold N.W. wind, twelve were 

 caught, and on that day they were actually common. Of those 

 caught, nine were males and three females. I copy from my 

 notes : — " They were very difficult to run down. The first was 

 caught after a very long chase ; but afterwards, by allowing them 

 to settle, which they often did on the Hawkweed and Lady's 

 Finger, they were more easily captured. Mary caught by far the 

 greatest number. We had neither nets nor boxes, but we found 

 amongst us two pins on which we stuck the butterflies sideways, 

 and in this manner they received very little damage." On the 

 I7th, on another part of the Island, one was seen, but there might 

 have been plenty of them, as we did not look for them. On the 

 18tii, one was caught by Mary; and, on the 26th, one was caught 



