activities were earned out in Jersey by some residents, but their work was not expressed in the literature, 

 although the island possessed its own prestigious journal, the Bulletin of the Societe Jersiaise, founded in 

 1875. Though lepidopterous records were undoubtedly kept in manuscript form, reports containing 

 information were not published in the Bulletin until 1914. 



A major patriarch of Channel Islands Entomology 



The year 1873 saw the publication of a series of lists, concerning butterflies and larger moths for 

 Guernsey and Sark, by W.A. Luff (1873: 324-326, 1873a: 351-357 and 1873b: 375-379) in The 

 Entomologist. With Luff there was an account of records commencing from 1868 and in the 1873 paper by 

 Piquet the earliest mentioned were from 1870. These lists are filled with observations on species status, 

 notes on rearing and other biological data. From Luff there is also the first mention of a certain Mrs Boley in 

 Guernsey (see further information below). In Luffs paper (1873b: 378) from records for the year 1872, there 

 is the first record for the Channel Islands of a Noctuid species later to become known as the Guernsey 

 Underwing (Polyphaenis sericata (Esper)). This species is typical of a small number for which the Channel 

 Islands are famed, continental species that maintain localised breeding colonies in one or more of the 

 islands, but are unknown on mainland Britain. Luff at this time attributed many identifications of his 

 material to the English entomologist's Edward Newman and Henry Doubleday. For the Channel Islands 

 Lepidoptera, these articles represented the beginnings of what were later to become part of the annual 

 published accounts for the Bailiwick of Guernsey. They also served as models for the Bailiwick of Jersey. 

 The 1873 Lepidoptera listings heralded the start of Luff s prolific output on this group, which was to last 

 until his death in 1910. Luff and his contemporaries were of course responsible for many first records for the 

 islands, but in some of Luffs papers, he cites some records as originating from the listing in Ansted & 

 Latham, a detail that went unobserved by later recorders. Continuing in The Entomologist in 1874, Luff 

 (1874: 10-12) gave the first listing of macrolepidoptera for the island of Alderney, followed by (1874a: 42- 

 43) additions to Guernsey and Sark; there were further additions made the following year (1875: 29-32). 



In 1873, the discussion concerning the possible inclusion of Channel Islands fauna and flora with 

 that of the British Isles, was the concern of a trio of writers in a short article in the Zoologist (1873: 3366- 

 3367). Though observing that the Channel Islands are geographically French, J.J. Weir asked whether the 

 British Channel Islands representatives should be included with the English fauna and flora. H.T. Mennell 

 observed that in some branches of Zoology, these parts of the fauna were "annexed" to the British fauna. The 

 third pail of the trio, W.A. Luff, accepted their remarks as showing favour of inclusion with the British 

 listings. 



Born in 1851, W.A. Lulf, F.E.S., was a resident of Guernsey and undoubtedly was a most 

 influential Channel Islands entomologist during the latter part of the 19th century. He was certainly a 

 principal pioneer of entomological studies in the islands and a major instigator in recording the fauna and 

 flora. In 1 882 he was a founder member of the Guernsey Society of Natural Science, from the bulletin of 

 which were the first Reports and Transactions published in 1889. By 1922 the Society became known as the 

 Societe Guernesiaise, publishing under this title in 1923. Luff served as Honorary Treasurer for the Society 

 since it was founded, elected also to the office of President from 1898-1900. After his death in 1910, Luff s 

 vast collection of local insects and some of his originally extensive library was sold to the Guille-Alle 

 Museum. During his entomological pursuits, Luff published well over 100 articles and notes on many insect 

 groups, over 80 publications alone were on butterflies and moths (see under Literature on Channel Islands 

 Lepidoptera and Channel Islands References). Before the foundation of the Guernsey Society, Luff had his 

 articles published in the English journal The Entomologist. Later the majority appeared as lengthy articles 

 in the Reports and Transactions of the Annual Proceedings of the Guernsey Society of Natural 

 Science, most especially in the established Annual Reports for the Entomological Section. 



Notable visits by some English entomologist's 



During the 19th century, a few entomologists from England visited the Channel Islands for 

 collecting trips. Periodically small notes were published on their findings in the various English 

 entomological journals (see under Literature on Channel Islands Lepidoptera). Among some of this 

 published literature, worthy of mention is a series of insect catalogues compiled in 1878 by the Reverend 

 F.A. Walker on his own collections. One of these, mentioned above, is of historic interest in that some 

 Channel Islands material was apparently collected in 1830, though sadly, no precise data was given. A 

 second catalogue, also from 1878 (1878: 1-43) entitled Catalogue of Lepidoptera Rhopalocera in the 

 collection of the Rev. F.A. Walker, M.A., F.L.S., lists several Channel Islands records, but unfortunately, 

 here again no dates were associated with the species listed. However, in 1888 in The Entomologist, F.A. 

 Walker (1888: 150-151) wrote a more detailed account of the Channel Islands material collected by his 

 father Francis Walker and himself in 1860 and some of this material may link with the species listed in his 

 1878 catalogue. 



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