THE CLOUDED YELLOW. 53 



The figures of the caterpillar and the chrysalis are taken from 

 Buckler's " Larvae of British Butterflies," and the descriptions 

 of these stages by the same author have been followed. 



The Clouded Yellow has a great fancy for clover or lucerne 

 fields, and should be looked for in such places in August and 

 September. It is not very difficult to rear from the egg, so that 

 if a female is captured in August (the spring ones should not 

 be taken), it would be a good plan to try to induce her to lay 

 some eggs. The best method to succeed in this is to pot up 

 a growing plant of clover, and over this place a glass cylinder 

 with a muslin cover. (See further directions in the Introduction, 

 page 28.) 



This butterfly, which was known, to the earliest English authors 

 as the " Saffron " or " Spotted Saffron," has always, no doubt, 

 been erratic and uncertain in its appearance in this country, 

 sometimes becoming increasingly abundant for three, four, or 

 even five years in succession, and then scarce or entirely absent 

 for similar periods. The most recent years of plenty, or w T hen 

 it was fairly common, were 1877, " tne great Edusa year," 1892, 

 1893, 1894, 1895, r ^99? 1900? and 1902. In some of these years 

 the Pale Clouded Yellow was also common. 



In some of the warmer countries that this butterfly inhabits 

 it has certainly three, and possibly four, broods in the year. It 

 is therefore conceivable that at times its increase in numbers 

 may become very great in some particular area. At such times 

 swarms of the surplus butterfly population set out to seek fresh 

 fields and pastures new. Some portion of these flights reach 

 our country from time to time, and this probably always occurs 

 in the spring of the year. The weather conditions being favour- 

 able, the offspring of the visitors put in a welcome appearance 

 in the autumn, and not only gladden the heart of the entomo- 

 logist, but add a charm to the countryside which every one can 

 appreciate. 



The butterfly has probably occurred, at some time or other, 



