THE WEEKLY ENTOMOLOGIST. 
115 
Those who make any discovery, or 
capture of a rare species, or observa- 
tion of general interest, are requested 
to communicate, at once, a notice of 
the same, to Mr. T. Black burn, 
Bowdon, Cheshire. 
All communications to he addressed 
to Mr. T. Blackburn, Bowdon , 
Cheshire. No notice will he taken of 
anonymous communications. 
Booksellers willing to undertake 
the agency in their respective neigh- 
bourhoods are requested to communi- 
cate with the same gentlemen. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Lepidoptera. 
Cynthia Cardui. — Has not this been 
an unusually good season for C. Car- 
dui ? Mr. Morris records the capture 
of one, and states that it was the first 
he had seen for eight or nine years, 
while Mr. J. B. Blackburn mentions 
having given chase to one, it being 
the first he had ever seen alive. I 
am aware that “ one swallow does not 
make a summer,” and therefore that 
one capture of C. Cardui does not 
constitute that season a good one for 
the species ; but my own experience 
is more to the point. This is not a 
good locality for Lepidoptera, and 
even in the splendid season of 1858 
( one of the best I can recollect for 
insect life ) I do not remember having 
seen more than four or five specimens 
of Cardui during the whole summer. 
This year, however, I may almost 
say it has begn common, while there 
has been no great increase among the 
Vanessw generally. 
In July I had observed a specimen 
dow and then of Cardui start off the 
road, as I passed along, and disap- 
pear over the hedge. This was gene- 
rally late in the day, for the Painted 
Lady appears to me to be later than 
any other of the family in going to 
roost. I have frequently seen them 
on the move, when it was getting 
quite dusk. 
It was on the 26th of August that 
I observed Cardui again. Whilst 
driving with a friend along a road 
which I usually consider one of the 
worst, for Butterflies, in this neigh- 
bourhood, as it was getting towards 
evening, I saw a fine specimen of this 
insect flying along the road side. I, 
at once, jumped out, and gave chase, 
with my hat, and, after a sharp run, 
succeeded in replacing my hat on my 
head with her “ Ladyship ” inside of 
it. Here I may mention that I have 
frequently found a hat no bad substi- 
tute for a net, in the absence of the 
latter. The chief difficulty is, how to 
get your capture out of it again, and 
I have usually had to wait till I got 
home to do this. The first “ Purple 
Emperor ” I ever saw taken was in a 
hat, This feat was performed by a 
friend of mine in Northamptonshire, 
and is mentioned by Mr. Morris in 
his Book of Butterflies. Also, among 
many others, I may mention that 
nearly the first C. Edusa I ever took 
was in my hat. But to proceed. 
Soon another Cardui came in sight, 
which my friend essayed to treat in 
the Bame manner as I had her prede- 
cessor, but without the same success. 
