62 THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



the older British authors — Donovan, Haworth, Stephens, etc.. 

 knew our species as cai?tzlla. The species known on the Con- 

 tinent as Camilla, and which, owing to the confusion of names 

 has been supposed to be British, will have to be called drusilla, 

 according to Kirby. 



This species seems to be pretty much restricted to the 

 southern and eastern counties of England. In the New Forest, 

 Hampshire, it is often exceedingly abundant in July. So long 

 ago as 1695 the butterfly was known to occur in Essex, and 

 the species is found in some woods in that county at the present 

 time. It has, however, quite disappeared from several wood- 

 land localities in Kent and Sussex, where it formerly occurred. 

 It has been recorded from Shropshire and also from Worcester- 

 shire, but both these counties appear to be beyond the normal 

 range of the species. 



Almost all writers on our butterflies, from Haworth down- 

 wards, have commented on the graceful flight of the White 

 Admiral as it skims aloft and alow through the woodland 

 glades. This elegance of motion is still retained even when the 

 wings become sadly torn and frayed, probably by contact with 

 twigs and thorns. 



Widely distributed throughout Central Europe. It is also 

 found in Amurland, Corea, and Japan. 



The Comma (Polygonia c-album). 



The peculiar shape of the wings of this butterfly (Plate 35^ 

 might cause it to be mistaken for a very tattered example of 

 one of the Tortoiseshells. The irregular contour of the outer 

 edges of the wings is, however, quite natural, and is subject to 

 some variation in its jaggedness. Their colour is deep tawny 

 or fulvous, with brownish borders on their outer margin. On 

 the fore wings there are three black spots on the front or costal 

 area, and below the first, which is often divided, there is a 



