iltc fjjmng |laturali.'it : 



A Penny Weekly Magazine of Natural History. 



No. 30. 



MAY 22xn, 1H80. 



Vol. 1. 



FOREIGNERS. 



WHAT is n British insect ? Ento- 

 mologists residing on the Con- 

 I incut do not seem to have the insular 

 krejudiees of we native-born Britons, 

 Innl they have less difficulty therefore 

 In deciding what species to admit into 

 I heir collections. The question, what 

 Is a British insect, is brought rather 

 forcibly before us just now when we 

 I nust decide what species are to be ad- 

 mitted, and what are to be excluded 

 |rom the " British Butterflies," of 

 -vhich an account is now appearing in 

 Br pages. Every now and then we. 

 ind certain species of Lepidoptera 

 ■buring in larger numbers than usual. 

 Last year we had an enormous swarm 

 ">f Vanessa cardui. In 1877 Golias 

 Edusa was taken in numbers beyond 

 ill precedent; and in places where it 

 aad never been seen before. Vanessa. 

 Antiopo sometimes appears in the same 

 way, while several species oiHeteroeera 

 occasionally swarm in like manner. 

 Cardui and Edusa are undoubtedly 

 natives of our island, and Antiopa has 

 audi strong claims that it is an accepted 

 jspecies on our list. Yet the last time 

 lit occurred in any great numbers, a 



theory was put forward by a high 

 authority, that the -warm of Antioj>a 



had come over from Sweden, and 

 spread over our shores. In the same 

 way, it was argued from the dates at 

 which Cardui was observed at various 

 plaeeson the Continent last year, that 

 a great tiight of the species took place, 

 commencing somewhere in the south, 

 and penetrating northward, even to our 

 own shores. Without taking this for 

 granted, and our own experience on the 

 subject would lead us to believe that 

 the swarm of Cardui last year at all 

 events were bred and born "Britishers," 

 we may ask this question. Supposing 

 the Cardui of last year were emi- 

 grants, should the specimens be ad- 

 nutted to our collections. In other 

 words, if a species be admitted to be 

 truly a native of our island, can we 

 place in our collections, specimens of 

 it that were bred and born on the 

 Continent, but were wafted by favour- 

 able winds across the "silver streak." 

 We presume no one would, hesitate to 

 do so with a species so common as 

 Cardui. If, however, Continental bred 

 specimens of a British insect, captured 

 alive in Britain, have any place in our 

 collections, w T hat difference w T ould there 



