Insects. 1615 



On the Occasional Abundance and Rarity of certain British Insects. 

 By J. F. Stephens, Esq., F.L.S. 



Dr. Becker, when in London, remarked to me one day, — " You 

 English are a peculiar, a very peculiar people, you are surrounded by 

 water, and like to keep yourselves to yourselves " : a remark, elicited 

 from him, by my refusing to accept of a fine pair or two of Catocala 

 Fraxini, in addition to other presents of Lepidoptera, I selected from 

 his boxes ; he having observed, a few days previously, that I possessed 

 only an indifferent pair of that conspicuous insect, and being at a loss 

 to comprehend why I should prefer bad to good specimens. To him, 

 C. Fraxini was C. Fraxini, whether it was European or exotic. He 

 followed up his remark by observing that he had been informed a 

 sovereign or more, had been given for Argynnis Lathonia in moderate 

 condition, whereas splendid specimens which he had brought over 

 were refused to be purchased at a price under Is. per pair ! I ex- 

 plained to him it was merely because they were not British ! 

 Such is undoubtedly the fact, and it originates from various causes ; 

 the principal of which are, — a patriotic desire to ascertain correctly, 

 the production of this, our favoured island : a wish to collect such pro- 

 ductions only ; and a disinclination to venture upon the vast and ex- 

 haustless field of foreign Entomology, and its consequent overwhelm- 

 ing extent. The first of these points as regards Entomology (especi- 

 ally), I have endeavoured with somewhat more than usual assiduity 

 to accomplish, and have neglected no opportunity of so doing, regard- 

 less of expense, so far as my limited means would permit, and thus 

 after a long course of thirty-six years, I have become possessed of 

 numerous species of considerable rarity, and of occasional appearance, 

 respecting the indigenous origin of which, doubts and surmises have 

 arisen, — other individuals are moreover in the like predicament from 

 the same causes. 



I have been led to these remarks from the fact, that of late there 

 appears to be a growing disposition to strike the names of such un- 

 common species out of the indigenous list, solely from the hope in 

 many cases, delusive though it be, of more speedily completing a col- 

 lection, by diminishing the number of desiderata ; and in some few in- 

 stances, from the equally delusive wish that they were not British, 

 from the apparent utter impossibility of obtaining them, by reason of 

 their great rarity ; I would therefore as a caution to Entomologists, 

 before they so indiscriminately decide on the paternity of some of our 



