220 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



bred June 22nd, 1897, and following days, from larvae and pupae 

 collected in Northamptonshire, June 20th and 21st ; bred also June 

 28th to July 4th, 1898, from larvae and pupae taken June 18th-19th, 

 in a wood about one mile away from those taken last year (Dixon) ; 

 June 29th to July 8th, 1898, in Monk's Wood (Peed) ; July 15th, 

 1899, in Monk's Wood (Rowland-Brown) ; bred June 14th-22nd, 

 1901, from Monk's Wood larvae (Ash); abundant July, 1901, in 

 Monk's Wood (Keynes) ; July 12th, 1903, in Monk's Wood (Crisp) ; 

 June 15th-22nd, 1904, bred from larvae obtained in Monk's Wood 

 (Raynor) ; July 1st, 1904, and following days, in Monk's Wood 

 (Dewar) ; bred from June 15th, 1905, onwards, for a period extending 

 over three weeks, the larvae obtained in Monk's Wood (Kaye) ; last 

 days of June, and first few days of July, 1906, in Hunts (Fryer). 



Habits. — This species appears to resemble somewhat in its habits 

 those of E. w-album, being very infrequently seen, except by close 

 observers, until seduced by the flowers of some favourite plant in the 

 neighbourhood of its habitats, both sexes being then equally attracted; 

 privet blossom is one of its favourite weaknesses, and Rowland-Brown 

 observes that, when the insect is at rest, showing only the markings 

 of the underside of the hindwings, it mimics the fading flowers of the 

 privet to perfection. It was first recognised as a species apart from 

 E. w-album on its discovery in Monk's Wood, in 1828, and was later taken 

 somewhat abundantly in this locality, Stephens observing (lllus. 

 Brit. Ent., iv., p. 382) that " the species occurs in profusion in Monk's 

 Wood towards the end of June, when it w T as taken by Babington, and 

 also at the beginning of July, when I took it myself." It is also, like 

 E. w-album, irregular in its appearance in abundance, and Bree writes 

 (Zool., 1852, p. 3349): " T. prnniis very uncertain in its appearance, for, 

 in 1837, it literally swarmed in Barnwell and Ashton Wolds, in 

 Northamptonshire ; I do not scruple to say that it would have been 

 possible to have captured some hundreds of them, had one been so 

 disposed; for the last few years it has appeared very sparingly indeed." 

 Sturgess notes (Ent. Wk. Int., iv., p. Ill) that, in June, 1858, he 

 "captured three dozen pruni flying around the flowers of Viburnum 

 lantana, at Kettering." Dewar states (in lift.) that, "during the first few 

 days of July, 1904, he was able to observe the habits of the insect in 

 Monk's Wood, where it occurred in a ride, bordered on one side for 

 50 yards or more by a blackthorn hedge, 8ft. or 9ft. in height. At the 

 time they were on the wing, one would not, perhaps, for a few minutes, 

 see a butterfly, and then, providing the sun was shining, one would 

 come flitting, or rather dancing, along, generally well out of reach, 

 at the top of the hedge ; after a few minutes it would generally settle, 

 and was then difficult to see ; when one settled it often remained motion- 

 less for a considerable time, and, owing to this habit of prolonged 

 basking, the insect appeared to be in fewer numbers than it really was. 

 The least cloud checked their flight. Rarely were more than one or 

 two to be seen at the same time, yet there was a constant succession 

 of individuals, and as many as twenty were sometimes captured in an 

 hour. The butterfly was seldom seen far from its foodplant, but was 

 occasionally observed in little open sunny spaces throughout the wood, 

 where it was generally found to be visiting flowers of Viburnum 

 lantana and Ligustrum vulgare, or settling on flowers of hazel." N. C. 

 Rothschild writes (in litt.) that, " in Ashton Wold, the butterflies love 



