140
NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
Frogs and Snakes in Mersea.—If the country people here are faithful
observers, this head-line parallels that of the famous chapter in the Natural
History of Ireland, for they tell me that there are no frogs or snakes on the
island. I have certainly seen none, although many places appear to be fitted for
them. Is a like absence of these animals in other places on the Essex coast
known to any reader ? Possibly the animals cannot cross the salt-water fleets,
and any individuals accidentally introduced may be speedily destroyed by the
numerous herons and voracious sea-birds always on the look out for anything
promising a suitable meal.—W. COLE, East Mersea.
Clouded Yellow Butterflies in Essex.—Since the date of my last note
(ante, p. 130) we have kept a good look out for Colias in the clover fields here.
The changeable and somewhat stormy weather of a fortnight back, followed by
exceedingly cold nights, apparently much diminished the numbers of these
butterflies ; but we have taken two specimens of Colias hyale, and several others
were seen. C. edusa has been fairly abundant when the weather was favourable,
and this day (September l6th), in spite of a stiff breeze blowing, I saw a
considerable number of specimens (males and females), together with abundance
of Cynthia cardui, in a large clover field on the borders of an escarpment over-
looking the sea, but partially sheltered on one side from the wind by a high
hedge. We were pleased to take, some days ago, two examples of the variety
helice, together with an interesting specimen intermediate between that and the
ordinary form of the female edusa. We had not previously seen Colia helice alive
since 1877, when we found it somewhat commonly in a clover field at Woodford
Bridge, Essex (see Essex NATURALIST, vol. ii., p. 170).1 A large number of
records in the current entomological periodicals attest the extent of the migration
of Colias edusa this year, and the wide range of the irruption. Mr. Lane says
("Entomologist," Sept., p. 208), that it was fairly abundant at Chingford on
August 14th, and one helice occurred.—William Cole, East Mersea, Sept. 16th.
[Since writing the above, my sister saw edusa in our garden at Buckhurst
Hill 011 September 20th, and again on the 28th, and other records have come in
from Forest Gate, Woodford, High Beach, etc., as well as Mr. Fitch's interesting
news from Maldon below. Mr. Harwood notes the capture ("Entom. Record,"
iii., 208) of five specimens of C. hyale at St. Osyth, Myland, and Lexden ; and
two others were seen.—W. C]
Colias edusa and C. hyale near Maldon.—This has been quite an edusa
year again. The butterfly has been common, almost abundant at times,
everywhere in this neighbourhood, but not in the numbers that it occurred
in 1877. I first saw C. hyale on August 16th ; on the 23rd of the same month
it was fairly common. My boys chased and caught over twenty, and I caught
two at once in one sweep of the net. Several specimens of this same species
were again seen on August 27th.—Edward A. Fitch, Maldon.
Lycaena corydon, and Colias edusa and helice in Epping Forest.—
It may be interesting to note that on the 22nd of August I captured a freshly
emerged male specimen of Lycaena corydon on Fairmead, Epping Forest. I may
also add that during the past week I caught, besides many good specimens of
Colias edusa, a fine example of the var. helice.—J. Bernard ARGENT, Woodford
Wells, 23rd August, 1892.
1 Errata.—In the two notes above alluded to, two printer's errors have escaped correction—
in E.N., vol ii., p. 170, line nine from the bottom, for 1887 read 1877, and in vol. vi., p. 131, three
lines from top, make the same correction.—ED.