404 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



1904, at Hazeleigh (Raynor) ; August 21st, 1904, at Benfleet (Whittle); 

 August 27th, 1904, in Epping Forest (Gardner) ; October 15th, 



1904, at Hazeleigh ; October 20th, 1904, at Danbury (Raynor) ; 

 May 21st, 1905, common near Carmarthen (Barker) ; May 26th-30th, 



1905, at Aldeburgh ; August 19th, 1905, at Loughton (Image) ; May 

 30th and July 24th, 1905, at Hazeleigh (Raynor) ; May 31st, June 

 3rd, 10th, 22nd, July 28th, August 8th, 14th, 17th, 1905, at Tintern 

 and Llandogo (Bird) ; June 28th-October 9th, 1905, at Mucking 

 (Burrows) ; August 5th, 1905, on Aldbury Down (Barraud) ; August 

 6th, 1905, at Shoeburyness (Whittle) ; August 12th, 1905, at Abertillery 

 (Rait-Smith); latestdate noted at Ashford, September 8th, 1905 (Wood): 

 April 19th, 1906, at Reigate (W. N. Jups) ; dates for 1906 in the 

 Tintern district, first brood (?)— Mav 15th, June 3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 

 12th, 13th; second brood (?)— August 6th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 16th, 

 18th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 29th, 30th, September 1st (J. F. Bird); 

 June 8th, earliest seen of first brood, July 25th, 1906, earliest seen of 

 second brood, September 18th, 1906, latest seen of second brood, all at 

 Hazeleigh ; September 20th, 1906, earliest seen of the third brood, at 

 Danbury (Raynor) ; August 4th, 1906, on Wimbledon Common 

 (Smallman) ; October 11th, 1906, common at Mucking (Burrows). 



Habits. — In addition to the notes published by Gosse (antea, p. 

 346), concerning the pairing habits of this species, Harrison notes 

 (Ent. Rec, xvii., p. 254) that the species pairs at about 11 a.m. On 

 one occasion a $ was observed to alight on a thistle-plant (without 

 flowers). It raised its abdomen and vibrated its wings, standing in 

 such a position that the head was furthest from the ground. A $ 

 soon appeared and alighted beneath the $ , its head being in the same 

 direction; the $ appeared to be rather coy; the $ turned his abdomen 

 nearly parallel to the thorax, when the 2 moved further up the 

 stem and repeated the process. This took place three times, and then 

 copulation took place. Another pair was found in copula, on a flower-head 

 of ragwort ; the wings remained partly opened and both specimens were 

 probing flowers. These two pairs remained in copula about 65 minutes." 

 Farn says : " A sheltered corner of a field, on September 7th, 1868, 

 where a quantity of thistles grew, appeared to be the rendezvous of C. 

 phlaeas, as both $ s and $ s were in abundance, and I observed that, 

 if a flirtation between any two was likely to end in the more material 

 object, that of propagating the species, they quitted the assemblage 

 and retired to some distance, and I also noticed that the <? s, whilst 

 depositing their eggs, avoided that part where C. phlaeas congregated 

 most, although the sorrel grew in greater abundance there than else- 

 where." The butterfly is a most active little creature, alighting on a 

 roadside-bank, or flower, to sun itself, or flitting restlessly from flower 

 to flower, quarrelling occasionally with other individuals of its own 

 kind, or fearlessly attacking much larger species ; occasionally it 

 chooses a leaf by a hedgeside or wood-riding, and we have seen it thus 

 resting on hazel, dogwood, and other bushes, walking slowly round, 

 dropping its hindwings lower than its forewings, and bringing itself to 

 a standstill in such a position that the sun falls full on its richly 

 glowing wings. But the insect can be still enough, and, having 

 settled on a flower, whose nectar delights it, it draws up its wings 

 closely over its back and is soon almost without knowledge of its 

 surroundings. Smith observes that, in Norfolk, it flashes about in 



