Journal of Proceedings. 
xxvii 
was a paradise for martins, but the absence of sparrows was to be 
accounted for by the absence of their food, as Thorndon was not used, 
the gardens were not kept up, and there were no cornfields there. 
A cordial vote of thanks was passed to Col. Russell for his paper. 
The Secretary then read a paper entitled “ The Lepidoptera of the 
District around Maldon, Essex ; a contribution to the insect fauna of the 
county.” By Gilbert H. Raynor, M.A., Vice-President of the Cambridge 
Entomological Society. [See ‘Transactions.’] 
In connection with Mr. Raynor’s essay, the Secretary read the following 
interesting letter from our member, Mr. W. H. Harwood, of Colchester, 
the well-known collector. Mr. Harwood wrote : — 
“I have never been to Maldon, and, beyond spending a day at Danbury, 
have done no collecting in what I call the Maldon district. Tiptree 
Heath is, I think, a little nearer Maldon than Colchester, but the few 
excursions I have made there have been very profitless. I have collected 
a good deal in the woods at Messing and Layer Marney, about midway 
between Colchester and Maldon, but they are probably beyond Mr. 
Raynor’s limits. I find them very productive as regards certain species, 
but the number of species that occur in them is very small as compared 
with the woods between Colchester and Ipswich and those in the Tendring 
Hundred. I have never seen Argynnis adippe at Messing, or Limenitis 
sibylla ; A. paphia is very rare indeed, and I do not remember to have 
seen either A. euphrosyne , A. selene, or Melitcea athalia. 
“ The food plants of L. sibylla and M. athalia are in abundance, but 
though the woods are full of flowers I have not noticed the dog-violet, 
but it must surely be present. 
“ Probably L. sibylla has occurred, and has been exterminated by 
birds. I have bred very many specimens, and never found the larva 
‘ ichneumoned,’ nor do I think birds meddle with them in the larval 
state ; but- they probably destroy a large proportion of the pupa in 
some localities. In some of my best hunting-grounds there is fortu¬ 
nately no game-preserving, and consequently the small birds are 
fewer in number than when the predatory species are more systemati¬ 
cally killed off. 
“Limenitis sibylla is only found when the ‘slop’ or underwood is 
high, and a considerable clearance in a small wood means sometimes 
the all but total extermination of the species in that particular wood, 
but colonists from neighbouring woods soon restore the balance, so 
soon as the favourable conditions again obtain, but when there is no 
neighbouring wood the balance may never be restored. 
“ In very hot seasons local butterflies become to some extent migratory ; 
such was the case with L. sibylla last July, and I should not be sur¬ 
prised if this year specimens are met with in woods where none have 
been previously seen. Mr. Laver saw a specimen in the town here last 
year two miles from any known locality.” 
After a few remarks by the President and Mr. Cansdale as to the value 
of Mr. Raynor’s paper and Mr. Harwood’s notes, inasmuch as they 
recorded the results of personal observation in our own county, a cordial 
vote of thanks was returned to the authors. 
The accustomed conversazione concluded the meeting. 
