THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



289 



1858, Mr. H. J. Harding claimed to have 

 discovered the larva " about eight years ago " 

 on Erodium, and though he probably did so, 

 some larvae he sent out as this species pro- 

 duced a weevil (Hypera fasiculata). Mr. 

 Logan, I believe, was the first to describe 

 the larva of the Scotch or Artaxerxes form 

 of the insect, which he had found feeding on 

 Helianthemum vulgar e at Arthur's Seat ; and 

 the two forms are described in Stainton's 

 Manual as distinct. Mr. Logan showed 

 Mr. Harding a coloured drawing of the larva, 

 but Mr. Harding thought it did not agree 

 with those he had found. This, which 

 tended to increase the probability of their 

 distinctness as species, was most likely an 

 error caused by Mr. Harding comparing 

 the larva of the weevil, with the drawing of 

 that of Artaxerxes. Mr. Wailes, of New- 

 castle-on-Tyne, about the same time (1858) 

 made some careful investigations on the 

 subject, and found, that while the insect 

 occured in some places where the Erodium 

 was not known, the Helianthemum was found 

 wherever the insect was taken. He traced 

 the insect from Scotland into the South of 

 England, and ventured to prophecy that 

 " the Helianthemum will as surely prove to be 

 its food as its presence indicates the place 

 of flight." So the matter stood until 1877, 

 when I was fortunate enough to find five 

 larvae feeding on the Helianthemum, at Black 

 Hall Rocks, Durham County — the Salmacis 

 locality — from which Mr. Buckler actually 

 reared all three forms of the insect. In the 

 autumn of the same year, Mr. W. R. Jeffery 

 captured several females in Kent, when ovi- 

 positing on the same plant, from which he 

 procured a number of eggs. Mr. Buckler 

 successfully kept these over the winter and 

 they pupated in May, 1878. This was a 

 proof that, in a state of nature, they would 

 feed on Helianthemum, even in that part of 

 the country where they had been said to 

 feed on Erodium. Mr. Newman states, on 

 the authority of " Mr . Young, of Edinburgh , ' ' 



that larva of Artaxaxes, bred from the egg, 

 " preferred the leaves of the Scarlet Ger- 

 anium to those of the Sun Cistus." I do 

 not know what plant is meant by the" Scar- 

 let Geranium " ; but if it be Geranium san- 

 guine urn, it grows abundantly here, along 

 with the Helianthemum ; but it also grows 

 freely on the sand banks where Helianthemum 

 does not, and the range of the butterfly is 

 co-terminous with the Sun Cistus. On the 

 other hand, Professor Zeller saw the female 

 deposit her eggs on the Erodium, and reared 

 the larvae upon it. He also states that larva 

 of Artaxerxes sent him to Meseritz, by Mr. 

 Henry Doubleday, and which had undoubt- 

 edly eaten the Helianthemum on their journey, 

 refused the fresh food with which he sup- 

 plied them on their arrival. This is a most 

 singular fact, and it remains yet to be seen 

 if any British larvae will eat Erodium, or any 

 Continental larvae Helianthemum. 



Times of Appearance.— in the 



South of England the butterfly appears at 

 the latter end of May, or in June, at the end 

 of which month it may be found in more 

 Northern localities ; the larvae are to be 

 found in June or July in the South, and the 

 butterfly is again on the wing in August. 

 The larvae of this brood hybernate to re- 

 appear in April or May. In the North there 

 is but one brood, the larvae of which pass 

 the winter quite small, to feed up in the 

 spring. In this neighbourhood there are 

 two broods, but the variety Artaxerxes, and 

 the intermediate form Salmacis, are rarely 

 produced, except from larvae that have 

 passed the winter in that state. 



Habitat. — It appears to be generally 



distributed in England, several localities are 

 given in Scotland, and it has been taken in 

 Ireland. It seems to prefer dry sunny banks. 

 Mr. Owen Wilson says that it occurs in 

 Scotland only, which is evidently a blunder. 

 Abroad it is found throughout Europe, and 

 the greater part of Asia. 



