CHRYSOrHAXUS DISPAR. 421 



maintained by Samouelle, who, in 1819, gives (Ent. Usef. Camp., 

 p. 241) the names of three copper butterflies as inhabiting Britain, 

 besides the small copper (Rmnicia pldaeas). These are : (1) 

 " Lycaena dispar (the large copper), Papilio hippotho'e of Donovan. 

 Inhabits the fens of Cambridgeshire, and has been observed near 

 Aberdeen, in Scotland." (2) " Lycaena chryseis (purple-edged copper). 

 Inhabits Europe; in Britain it is extremely rare." (3) "Lycaena 

 virgaureae (scarce copper). Inhabits Europe; very local in Britain. 

 It is found in some parts of Huntingdonshire." There can be little 

 doubt that L. dispar and L. virgaureae, as mentioned above, refer to 

 the same species. The maintenance of the Aberdeen locality, first 

 started by Donovan, is quite inexplicable in the face of Haworth's 

 previous remarks. Before leaving Haworth's own published remarks, 

 it may be well to quote a letter of his on the subject to the Eev. \V. T. 

 Bree, who communicated it to Ann. Mag. Natural History, 1834, vii., 

 p. 522. In this, Haworth remarks : " Some entomologists once made 

 an excursion into the fens for the purpose of taking the beautiful Lycaena 

 dispar, or large copper butterfly, which, it is well-known, frequents low 

 marshy grounds. The coppers were captured in good abundance. It 

 so happened that the following winter proved to be a very w T et one, and 

 the entire tract of land where the coppers had been found was com- 

 pletely inundated, and actually lay under water for a considerable time. 

 The entomologists deemed that the flood would certainly destroy the 

 coppers, and that the race would become extinct in that part of the 

 country. The next summer, however, the butterflies were found again 

 on the very same spot, as plentifully as before. Subsequently, the 

 tract of land was submitted to the action of fire, and the whole surface 

 burnt, with a view to agricultural improvement. After this opera- 

 tion, the coppers were no longer met with in that particular locality." 

 In 1824, Curtis notices (Brit. Ent., fo. xii) the species, under the name 

 of dispar (with references to Haworth, Esper, Lewin and Donovan), and 

 records its capture in Yaxley Meer, whilst, in the 2nd ed. of this work, 

 he states that " This splendid butterfly was first discovered in Wales 

 by the celebrated botanist, Hudson, and Dr. Skrimshire took it 

 many years since on Bardolph Fen, in Norfolk. Of late years, it has 

 appeared in vast abundance at Whittlesea Mere, in Huntingdonshire, 

 and has been found from June 25th to August 10th, and, at the 

 beginning of July, the larva, pupa and imago, have all been found alive 

 on the same day. This butterfly is very active, and in windy weather 

 conceals itself amongst the highest reeds. It frequents, on fine days, 

 the spaces covered with sedges and coarse grass that spring up where 

 reeds have been cut down." Kirby and Spence (1826) make reference 

 to this species, in their Introduction to Entomology, in the following 

 sentence : — ' ; Morasses also have their peculiar insects. In this kind 

 of district, in the Isle of Ely, has been taken that scarce and beautiful 

 butterfly Lycaena virgaureae, by a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge," 

 showing that, even then, the nomenclature, as in use among British lepi- 

 dopterists, was somewhat mixed. Mr. C. W. Dale asserts that, after the 

 capture of the specimens mentioned as having been taken by Haworth 

 and the Messrs. Skrimshire, the next specimens w T ere taken at 

 Whittlesea Mere, by Thomas Speechly, an old boatman in his father's 

 employ, in July, 1819, and subsequently by his father himself and the 

 Messrs. Standish. He says : "It appears to have occurred in great plenty, 

 as several hundreds were taken within the next ten years by the London 



