124 
NYMPHALIDAE 
and costa of the fore wing is thickly clothed with greyish. 
The Irish and Cumberland forms closely agree ; also the 
form from Cowes, Isle of Wight, is almost similar to the 
Irish race. 
Besides these local forms, striking aberrations occasionally 
occur with very abnormal markings, or with many markings 
obsolete ; others are heavily suffused with black, and some 
have the whole of the ground colour pale ochreous. 
Note .—During the spring of 1934 a few larvae of this 
species after hibernation fed for a short time (with the rest 
of the brood), but early in May they ceased feeding and spun 
themselves up in a web and again entered into hibernation, 
in which state they remain at the time of writing, August, 1934. 
Genus MELITAEA, Fabricius, 1807 
THE GLANVILLE FRITILLARY 
Melitaea cinxia (Linn., 1758). 
(Plate X, facing page 129) 
Haunts and Distribution. In former times there is no doubt 
this butterfly used to occur in various localities on the main¬ 
land, although some of the localities given by the older 
authors are unlikely places for this Fritillary to frequent. 
Possibly either M. athalia or E. aurinia were mistaken for it. 
In the middle of last century, apparently, it was common on 
the Kentish coast between Folkestone and Sandgate and 
existed there until 1863. But since that year it has not 
been seen. It is now only found in the Isle of Wight, chiefly 
on the rough broken slopes of the cliffs and sheltered valleys. 
From the inaccessible nature of some of its haunts, M. cinxia 
is preserved from extermination. In certain seasons it is 
much more abundant than in others, and it sometimes shifts 
its quarters. 
Abroad the range of this butterfly extends throughout 
Europe (except the Arctic), Asia Minor and Siberia. The 
flight of this little Fritillary is rather slow, but graceful while 
