3396 Insects. 



The Artist and the Butterflies. — " He was beginning to paint the figure of a re- 

 clining sylph, when a difficulty arose in his own mind how best to represent such a 

 being of fancy. A friend who was present said, ' Give the sylph a butterfly's wing, 

 and then you have it.' ' That I will,' exclaimed Stothard ; ' and to be correct I will 

 paint the wing from the butterfly itself.' He sallied forth, extended his walk to the 

 fields some miles distant, and caught one of those beautiful insects : it was of the 

 class called the peacock. Our artist brought it carefully home, and commenced 

 sketching it, but not in the painting-room ; and leaving it on the table, a servant 

 swept the pretty little creature away, before its portrait was finished. On learning his 

 loss, away went Stothard once more to the fields to seek another butterfly. But at this 

 time one of the tortoise-shell tribe crossed his path and was secured. He was asto- 

 nished at the combination of colour that presented itself to him in this small but exqui- 

 site work of the Creator ; and from that moment determined to enter on a new and 

 difficult field — the study of the insect department of Natural History. He became a 

 hunter of butterflies. The more he caught, the greater beauty did he trace in their 

 infinite variety; and he would often say that no one knew what he owed to these in- 

 sects: they had taught him the finest combinations in that difficult branch of art — 

 colouring." — From ' The Life of Thomas Stothard, R. A.' 



Captures of Lepidoptera in Cannock Chase, 8fc. — The following list contains a few 

 of my best captures during last season. It may perhaps interest some of your readers. 

 Where no other locality is mentioned Cannock Chase is to be understood : — 



Lithosia mesomella, end of June, beaten from heather among birches by day, 

 and flying at dusk, common. 



Gastropacha Ilicifolia, May 17, in repose, clinging to a dead sprig of heather, 

 apparently but lately emerged from the pupa. From its great resemblauce to a 

 withered leaf it would not probably have caught my eye, had I not luckily knelt down 

 within a few inches of it to pin a small Tortrix. This fine addition to our Bombyces 

 was announced at the June meeting of the Entomological Society, and exhibited at 

 the subsequent one in July. What is its time of flight? 



Platvpteryx Lacertula, ten, June 20 to July 21, beaten from birches. 



P. falcula, fifteen, May 22 to August 21, beaten from birches. 



Cerura furcula, one, from larva on sallow ; Gayton, Norfolk, appeared April 23. 



C. bifida, a larva, on sallow ; Gayton, September, now in pupa. 



Ptilodontis palpina, one from larva, on sallow; Gayton, appeared April 19. 



Notodonta DietaBoides, a larva, on sallow ; Gayton, now in pupa. I believe this is 

 generally found on birch. 



N. Ziczac, one from larva, on sallow ; Gayton, appeared May 5. Also in Septem- 

 ber last, upwards of a dozen larva? at the same place, now in pupae. 



N. Dromedarius, a larva, on birch, Cannock Chase, now in pupa : continued feed- 

 ing till November 9. 



N. Dodonaea, one from pupa, dug up under an oak at Bagots' Park in this neigh- 

 bourhood, appeared April 22. 



Clostera reclusa, one from larva, on sallow, Gayton ; appeared April 1 . Also a 

 larva at the same place last September, now in pupa. 



Apatela leporina, two, June 23 — 28, on trunks of trees; Cannock Chase. Also 

 several larvae at Gayton, on sallow, now in pupas. 



Ccropacha flavicornis, upwards of sixty, on palings, March 8 to April 1 . Occasion- 

 ally flying in the sun about the tops of birches. 



