An important visit at this period, undertaken by an English entomologist, was from R.C.R. Jordan 

 in 1886 who stayed for a week in Jersey. In the Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, Jordan (1888: 49-52) 

 wrote up his findings. The list included many species of microlepidoptera, most of which were identified for 

 him by the then eminent English microlepidopterist H.T. Stainton. Stainton*s moth collections were later 

 donated to the British Museum [Natural History] in London. Discovered among the unidentified specimens 

 in Stainton's collection, were many of Jordan's Jersey moths from 1886. Some proved to be duplicates of 

 species listed by Jordan, but many retained species (not having been identified by Stainton), later proved to 

 be unpublished records, having been omitted from Jordan's original list of 1888. These extra species have 

 subsequently been determined by current specialists, including the author, at the BMNH, and the material is 

 now listed in full under their relevant species in the record's section of this book. 



First account of Lepidoptera published in the Guernsey Society of Natural Science 



In 1889 a paper by W.A. Luff (1889a: 61-73) was included in the first published Report and 

 Transactions of the recently formed Guernsey Society, a paper he had read before the Society members at its 

 foundation in 1882, giving an updated account entitled 'The butterflies of Guernsey and Sark'. For the 

 following year, 1890, Luff (1890b: 155-174) produced a listing and more detailed account of the 

 macrolepidoptera of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm. By 1891 a small milestone was achieved by 

 Derrick in a published account of Lepidoptera sightings on the tiny island of Jethou in 1890, ( 1 891: 76-79). 

 In consideration of distribution within the islands, it is worthy of noting that at this period, a minute amount 

 of distributional information on the Lepidoptera from Jethou and Brecqhou was also becoming available. 

 From the earliest days of recording until even today, no Lepidoptera listing has ever been achieved for the 

 small island of Burhou, which is situated north-west of the island of Alderney. 



The question of nationality for Jersey insects 



In 1892, F.A. Walker (1892: 320) produced a small article with the provocative title 'Are Jersey 

 Insects British?' This again raised the disputable subject first mentioned by Stainton in 1856. This time the 

 remark was attributed to his father F. Walker in 1860, who maintained that Jersey insects were not British, 

 noting that a certain Dr Bowerbank accompanying him, apparently expressed the opposite opinion. 



In 1893, E.T Nicolle revised and edited a third edition of Ansted & Latham's book The Channel 

 Islands. This edition however, lacked the extensive lists that were such a major feature of the earlier 

 editions. J. Sinel gave an account of the insects, in which he commented that within Zoology the insects 

 attracted the greatest number of devotees, but the group was still far from being adequately worked. Sinel 

 stated that in published lists of the time, it was estimated that the Lepidoptera for the Channel Islands 

 amounted to about 600 species. This was later to prove a great underestimation of the fauna. 



W.A. Luff in control with a team of able Guernsey supporters 



Many short notes in various English journals were continually appearing from a few English 

 lepidopterists, inevitably resulting in additions to the checklist of Channel Islands fauna. The literature 

 output on Channel Islands Lepidoptera however, was dominated by the sheer profusion produced by the ever 

 enthusiastic recorder W.A. Luff. Luff was not of course restricted to Lepidoptera and many other insect 

 groups greatly benefited from his industrious surveillance. Typical of his output was the contribution 'The 

 Insects of Alderney' (1898a: 175-178) published in what was now his mainstay journal of the Guernsey 

 Society, which summarised the known records from this island and included a large selection of 

 Lepidoptera. His lengthy paper 'The Microlepidoptera of Guernsey' appeared in 1899 (1899a: 267-277) and 

 was a major contribution for this much neglected grouping of families. Its value was that status information 

 was finally made available for what can be considered very common species, when for the majority of 

 previous and especially subsequent occasions, common species even from the macrolepidoptera, never 

 receive a mention at all. A further contribution to the Alderney insect list, (Luff, 1900f: 388-396), contained 

 additional records largely provided by another eminent naturalist of his time, E.D. Marquand. This update 

 entitled 'The Insects of Alderney', helped to further increase the fauna of this proportionally neglected 

 island. Luff needless to state, was not on his own in the role of resident recorder, though other recorders, 

 especially those who might reside on different islands appear to have been extremely hard to find. Guernsey 

 at this period was fortunate in possessing several very able and enthusiastic recorders, who along with Luff 

 put much effort into the entomological studies of the island's insect fauna. Notable among them was E.D. 

 Marquand who contributed greatly to the study and recording of Alderney species. Reverend F.E. Lowe 

 wrote several small papers in 1886, 1892, 1897, 1898 and 1900, the latter being an interesting account of the 

 life history and distribution of the Lycaenid butterfly Lampides boeticus (1900: 409-412). After the death of 

 Luff, Lowe took on the task of being responsible for the Annual Reports on Entomology from 1911-1918. 

 There was also Mrs Boley, who, though not writing papers herself, contributed a great deal by collecting 



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