THE YOUNG NATURmST. 



259 



The Natwdlist for the year 1856, where I 

 have fully established the claim of this splen- 

 did insect to be a British species, as a native 

 of Guernsey, from whence I have had the 

 larvse. Every botanist and conchologist of 

 the present day admits the plants and shells 

 of the Channel Islands to be British without 

 doubt; no one of any eminence now disputes 

 the fact." I have not TJie NoMraXist to refer 

 to, but it is clear from the above quotation 

 that it was not as an inhabitant of the British 

 Isles, but of the Channel Isles, that Mr, 

 Morris considered it to be British. The 

 claims of the fauna of these islands to be 

 included with that of Britain has already 

 been discussed (see vol. iii., p. 169J and the 

 arguments need not be repeated here, for the 

 proof referred to was not considered suflS.cient 

 for the acknowledgement that Hera was a 

 British insect. So the matter stood until 

 1871, when, in the Entomologists' Montlily 

 Magazine for September of that year, Mr. 

 D'Orville, of Alphington, recorded the cap- 

 ture of a specimen on the 14th of August, 

 then preceding. This was quoted in the 

 Entomologist's Annualioi: 1872, and the species 

 then recognised as British. Since that time 

 an odd specimen or two may have occurred 

 in the South of England, but they have been 

 like former examples, merely stray visitors 

 that had wandered from home, and that failed 

 to become naturalized, or to perpetuate their 

 race. Though Mr. D'Orville's specimen was 

 taken by night, Kir by states that it is a day 

 flEying insect, frequenting "stony places 

 covered with flowers, especially on hilly 

 districts." It is not to be believed that so 

 magnificient an insect could escape detection 

 long, especially if it flew by day, if it really 

 was a native of this island. Some of our 

 readers will remember an amusing story 

 by Mr. Gregson who was taken a round of 

 lamps to have it proved to him that Hera 

 was British by seeing it taken, but Mr. 

 Gregson was too quick for his friend, and on 

 la red patch becoming visible on the very last 



lamp they approached, he was up in spite of 

 his friend's remonstrance to find that Hera 

 had been pinned on to wait discovery. 



Heea, Linn, is the Greek name of Juno. 



Imago.— Fore wings brownish black, with 

 pale yellow bands from the costa in the 

 direction of the anal angle, where there is a 

 round pale spot. Hind wings bright scarlet, 

 with one or two black spots near the tip. 



Larva. — " Brown or blackish, with a 

 bright yellow stripe on the back, and a 

 yellowish white line on the sides." 



Food Plant. — Morris gives the Borage 

 (Borago olfficinalis) as the natural food 

 of the larva and states it will also eat dande- 

 lion. It is probable it will feed on many low 

 plants. 



Times of Appearance. — The imago 



would appear to emerge in August ; the larva 

 passes the winter small, to feed up in spring 

 and early summer. 



Habitat. — This species inhabits south- 

 em, and the southern portion of central 

 Europe, and occurs also in Holland, Belgium, 

 France, and the Channel Isles, from one or- 

 other of which places the specimens captured 

 on our shores have doubtless flown. It also 

 extends along Southern Europe to Western 

 Asia. As already said it frequents stony 

 places covered with flowers, especially in 

 hilly districts. 



Varieties. — a very grand aberration is 

 figured in the Entomologist, for February, 

 1876. The locality of its capture is not 

 given, but as it belonged to Mr. Lufi", a Chan- 

 nel Island collector, it is fair to assume that 

 it was taken there. It varies from the 

 normal form by the three central streaks 

 that run from the costa, in the direction of 

 the anal angle, being interrupted in the 

 middle of the wing, and only appearing as 

 spots on the costa, and two of them again 

 near the anal angle. A very fine vaiiety 



