156 THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



garden near Truro, Cornwall. In addition to the above, single 

 specimens have been reported as taken at Brighton, July, 1890, 

 and at Heswell, Cheshire, in 1886 or 1887. 



It will thus be seen that the occurrence of this butterfly in 

 England is exceedingly infrequent. The species is common in 

 Africa and in Southern Europe ; thence it extends eastward 

 through Asia to China and Japan, and southwards to Australia. 

 It is also found in the Sandwich Islands. It is believed to be 

 migratory in its habits, and it is supposed that the occasional 

 specimens that arrive in this country come to us via the west 

 coast of Europe. 



In its proper home there is a succession of broods of the 

 butterfly, and if by chance a few females were to visit this 

 country in the early summer, they most probably would lay 

 eggs, and the caterpillars resulting from these would almost 

 certainly be able to feed up and attain the perfect state here. 

 So far there is no reason to suppose that the caterpillar has ever 

 occurred in England. 



The Short-tailed or Bloxworth Blue (Cupido argiades). 



The interesting little butterfly represented on Plate 103 was 

 not known to occur in Britain until 1885, when the Rev. O. 

 Pickard Cambridge made the startling announcement that his 

 sons had captured two specimens, a female on August 18th, 

 and a male on August 20th of that year, the scene of capture 

 being Bloxworth Heath, Dorset. Shortly after this fact was 

 made public the Rev. J. S. St. John added a record of two 

 males that he had discovered in a small collection of Lepidoptera 

 made by Dr. Marsh, who stated that he had taken the specimens 

 of C. argiades in 1874, close to a small quarry near Frome. 

 In addition to these a specimen, also recorded by Mr. Cam- 

 bridge, was taken "at Bournemouth in August, 1SS5 ; one is 

 reported to have been captured at Blackpool, about i860; and 



