THE LEPIDOPTERA OF ESSEX.
89
then were in existence not many years back. Since those times I
have never met with the insect here" (E. Doubleday ; Ent. Mag. iii.
285 ; B.B. 51). This species has disappeared from many places
where it was formerly common. All the old writers record it as
being "abundant near London," and many entomologists now living
can remember, when they were young, such was the case (S.M. i.
40). One, Eastlands Wood, near Maldon (E. H. Burnell ; M.N.H.
(2) i. 602). One, Mundon, near Maldon, by R. E. Stuart, in 1871
(Raynor ; Ent. vi. 264). I have seen this specimen this year.
Colchester, two or three, but it is a great rarity (Harwood ; B.B. 51).
Dr. Laver has one taken by W. Tillaney, at Colchester. Saffron
Walden (Jeffrey ; B.B. 51). Mr. H. A. Cole and myself believe
that we saw a specimen in Takeley Forest on October 10th, 1890.
Vanessa polychloros, L. Large Tortoiseshell.
Geographical Distribution—Europe, North and West Asia (except far north).
Doubtful native of Scotland, absent from Ireland.
Larva—Brown, yellow stripe on back, divided by black line, and sides ; spines
ochreous. Food—Elm, cherry, sallow, osier, willow, aspen. Imago— July to June ;
hibernating.
Fairly common, and generally distributed throughout the county.
See Mr. White's paper on a specimen of V. polychloros, bred with
a brood of V. Urticae feeding upon nettle (T.E.F.C. ii. 1-7). [This
was probably an error of observation, the larva being really V. poly-
chloros. —Ed.]. Mr. J. A. Tawell, of Earl's Colne, bred V. poly-
chloros from nettle-feeding larvae in 1871 (Ent. vi. 88). Some of
these specimens are still in the Entomological Club Collection. Mr.
Raynor found V. urticae, in. cop. with V. polychloros at Hazeleigh in
the beginning of August, 1872 (Ent. vi. 221).
Common in the Maldon district, but I have never found the larvae
feeding on anything but elm, generally on stubs. "A brood of the
caterpillars fed upon a cherry-tree this year in a garden in this town
[Sudbury] ; after stripping the end of one branch, they were observed
to migrate in a body to the extremity of another, preferring the young-
leaves to those which had been longer expanded" (W. D. King ?;
F.S.J., Dec, 1838). Larvae feeding on a low branch of a cherry-tree
in a garden at Brentwood, July 10th, 1888 (Raynor ; Ent. xxi. 255).
Very common round Colchester in 1860, the caterpillars feeding
on elm, sallow, and osier, now rare (Harwood ; B.B. 57). This