president’s address. 
239 
that ho had seen some that day. Mr. Standish ascertained the 
locality (with some difficulty, as the man wanted to keep it secret), 
and took a number of the butterflies. Two men from Cambridge 
came later and took a large number to London, where they were 
sold at sixpence each. Three years later, I [Harding] went down 
myself and took the lame. They were very local, and were 
collected by all persons, young and old. I bought two dozen of 
an old woman for ninepence, from which I bred some line 
specimens, and sold them for a shilling each. Mr. Cole, at Holme 
Fen, had a large quantity, but the last time I went he said ho 
had not seen one for some years.” 
In the article on the subject written by Mr. Balding of 
Wisbech, and published in Miller and Skertchley’s ‘Fenland,’is 
a record from the Rev. E. C. Jenkins, stating that about 1829 he 
found it in abundance, and once captured sixteen in half an hour ; 
but adding that, except in bright sunshine, it was hard to find. 
The larva was then unknown. 
Salmon in his diary under the head “ Yaxley, 13th May, 1830,” 
has the following : “ Phillips says that he obtained threepence per 
dozen for the caterpillars of the Copper Butterfly ( Lijcaena dispar); 
a few seasons ago he collected thirty dozen for one person.” 
I have no means of fixing accurately the date of Mr. Brown’s 
first acquaintance with Yaxley, but from various incidents of his 
conversation I imagine that it was at least prior to 1844. He told 
me that in his time the fen-men always asked a shilling each for 
pupae or good specimens of the butterfly. Bearing in mind that 
the Norfolk reed-cutters usually offer Swallowtail pupaj at one 
penny each, and the Wicken men ask only twopence each for 
them, wo may infer that at that time the supply was decidedly 
limited. A similar instance of sudden diminution, in the case of 
Li pa vis solids, occurring in the Norfolk Fens within my ow r n 
experience is recorded below. 
It seems at first sight probable that the rapid decrease and final 
extinction of this Butterfly, which, according to Mr. Balding, took 
place not later than 1848, and before the draining of the Fen 
(this is also borne out by the last clause of Harding’s account). 
