Insects. 5001 



Capture of Parnassius Apollo at Dover; also Argynnis Lalhonia, Chrysophanus 

 dispar and Catocala Fraxini, near Chiselhurst, in Kent. — Mr. Dale having obligingly 

 given me a clew to the history of these splendid captures, I immediately wrote to Mr. 

 G. B. Wollaston, of Chiselhurst, who was acquainted with the particulars, and forth- 

 with received the following most courteous reply : — 



" Chiselhurst, February 1st, 1856. 

 "My dear Sir, — As you wish for more particulars about the capture of Parnas- 

 sius, I have been to-day to see the person who took it, and hear from his own lips all 

 about it. He was lying on the cliffs at Dover, in the end of August or the beginning 

 of September, 1847 or 1848 (lie«annot remember which), when the butterfly settled 

 close to him, and not having his nets with him, captured it by putting his hat over it ; 

 he then carried it to his lodgings and shut window and door, and let it go in the room 

 and secured it. He had not the slightest idea what it was till he saw it figured in some 

 work afterwards. The insect has all the appearance of having been taken as he 

 describes ; and as he bas no object to deceive, and is a person in whom I can place 

 implicit confidence, I have no doubt, in my own mind, that the specimen is a British 

 one. It will probably be in my own collection before this letter reaches you, when I 

 shall be most happy to show it to you at any time you are this way. With regard to 

 Argynnis Lathonia, I have perhaps, unintentionally, misinformed Mr. Dale. It was 

 captured in this neighbourhood, not by himself, but by an intimate friend and fellow- 

 entomologist, now dead. He has taken Colias Hyale, female, on this common, Chry- 

 sophanus dispar, male, in this parish, — his friend the female : his friend also has taken 

 Catocala Fraxini in the neighbourhood, and Zeuzera iEsculi in this parish. All these 

 insects are in his collection, and have been taken now some years. If I have rightly 

 described them, none of these statements need be doubted. I shall have much plea- 

 sure in giving you further particulars should you require them, and remain 



" Yours very sincerely, 



" Geo. B. Wollaston." 



[Mr. Wollaston being, perhaps, comparatively unknown to the Entomological 

 world, I shall be excused if I say that he is a botanist of high standing, and of the 

 most scrupulous veracity and accuracy. It will, I am sure, give him great pleasure to 

 investigate the matter further and to reply to any queries that may be asked. I am 

 quite unacquainted with Mr. Wollaston's informant, with whom the onus probandi 

 now appears to rest. — Edward Newman]. 



Trochilium chrysidiformis. — In Mr. Stainton's * Annual ' for 1856, page 29, Mr. 

 E. Brown, of Burton-on-Trent, has " had a specimen in his collection for several 

 years, from Lancashire : " a little more information is necessary : will Mr. Brown be 

 kind enough to publish in the ' Zoologist' from whom he received the specimen, and 

 particulars of capture ? The only species that have occurred in this part for many 

 years are T. sphegiformis, T. culiciformis and T. tipuliformis. — R. S. Edleston; 

 Manchester, December 20, 1855. 



Occurrence of Luperina abjecta in Flintshire. — I, last summer, took a specimen of 

 Luperina abjecta, near Holywell, in Flintshire, by treacling the trees. As I am only 

 a beginner, I should not have ventured to pronounce it to be a rare species, had not Mr. 

 T. F. Brockholes, of Birkenhead, been kind enough to examine it, and assured me 

 that it was so. — Alfred Walker ; Chester, January 21, 1856. 



XIV. L 



