243 THE BRITISH NATURALIST. [November 



force of the objection. No doubt most scientific collectors ticket their 

 insects now, and I can understand objection being urged against the 

 British nationahty of a rarity that is unticketed to-day, but there are 

 hundreds of collectors even now who do not trouble to do this. The 

 older school very rarely did so, and the absence of sucli label on the 

 pin of Virgaurea is no more evidence that it is not British, than would 

 be the absence of a similar label on the pin of Dispar. But some 

 specimens are thus authenticated. Mr. C. W. Dale has three 

 examples of Virgaurea that belonged to his father, the late J. C. Dale, 

 and they are all ticketed. The first is marked " from Stephens," the 

 second " Huntingdon, from Dr. Leach," and the third " Kirkman's 

 Sale, 1847." Dr. Leach, I am informed had four specimens, one of 

 which he gave Mr. Dale. Mr. C. W. Dale, who has greatly assisted 

 me m this investigation, also informs me that a Mr. Denny is 

 supposed to have taken Virgaurea at Upensee in the Isle of Ely. 

 Mr. Denny collected principally for the Rev. AV. Kirby. There is a 

 fine specimen of this beautiful species in a collection formed by the 

 late Mr. Robertson, of Liverpool. No insects have been added or 

 taken away since the death of Mr. Robertson some 50 years ago, but 

 the collection has been well cared for by its present possessor, who 

 through the kind influence of Mr. Capper, allowed Mr. C. A. Briggs 

 and myself to examine it in April last. 



Now in considering the preceding items, we must rememberthat the 

 entomologists of 50 or 100 years ago, had not a score of Natural History 

 Magazines, in which to make records and observations as we have, 

 and consequently information on important points was very much a 

 matter of verbal communication or tradition; but we really have 

 several positive records of the occurrence of this species, and more in 

 which " it is said" to have occurred. But, " it is said" is as much 

 as vv^e could expect to be given in those cases where tae water v-as 

 not the observer, and as very few wrote books, and the-'e were n ;• 

 magazines, it is rather a surprise that we have so much information. 

 Lewin (1795) " was infonncd that a collector used to take this fly," 

 but he also saw two of them himself in the marshes. Donovan v'1796) 

 records a capture at Cambridge. Haworth (1803) says " Aug. 

 Paludibus rarissime apud nos." Kirby and Spence (1826) writes : 

 " In the Isle of Ely has been taken ; " Curtis, " In the Fens of 

 Cambridgeshire, in the Isle of Ely and near Huntingdon," which 

 is repeated by Stephens and Westwood. So much for the old records. 

 Then of actual specimens, Westwood has one given him by Mr. 

 Haworth " as an undoubted native specimen." Surely that is enough 

 if there were nothing more. The Duchess of Portland, we see, had 

 four. Mr. C. W. Dale has three, one of which was given his father by 

 Stephens, and the second bears both the locality and the name of 



