126
NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
and took two of the pale forms, one a genuine helice, and the other intermediate
between helice and the ordinary female. The butterfly did not appear to show
any preference for locality, but was found in equal profusion along sunny lanes,
over the swampy meadows bordering the river Otter, and over the grazing fields,
reduced almost to dry stubble by the drought, high up on the new red sandstone
cliffs. Although not an Essex observation, it may be useful also to note as one
effect of this extraordinary season, that in a garden on the Exmouth road a
laburnum tree was in full flower at the time of having on September 14th. The
abnormal results of this season must surely have made themselves manifest in
Essex, and it would be of interest if some of our own observers would record their
experience. The humming-bird hawk-moth was fairly common at Budleigh
Salterton, and, as I was informed by a friend, very common at Torquay. A few
Cynthia cardui were seen ; not a single specimen of Vanessa io, but V. atalanta
and V. Urtica were common.
May I in conclusion express the wish that Essex collectors would make The
Essex Naturalist the regular medium of recording their captures ? This course
would very much facilitate the compilation of the insect fauna of the county, which
we all hope to see at some future period among the special memoirs issued by the
Club.—R. Meldola, F.R.S., September, 1893.
Entomological Notes from Mersea; Scarcity of Lepidoptera.—The
magnificent weather of the spring and summer, and the abundance of many
species of early larvae, naturally led us to anticipate a goodly show of late summer
and autumnal species. In this wish Essex entomologists have been woefully
disappointed. The coast line and the clover fields at Mersea were continuously
under the observation of my brothers, B. G. C. and H. A. C, and myself during
August and the first half of September, and with the exception of one or two
species, the dearth of butterflies was most marked. In places where last summer
Colias edusa, Vanessa io, and Cynthia cardui were so common they were entirely
absent—indeed, we have not seen a single specimen of any of the three species
in Essex this season. The only butterflies commonly seen were Vanessa atalanta
and Polyommatus phlaeas, as well as Chortobius pamphilus, Satyrus megaera, and
Lycaena icarus. It is pleasant to observe that the two first-named beautiful species
have taken a new lease of life in Essex ; we quite feared, a few years ago, that
P. phlaeas at least was becoming rare, if not entirely disappearing from our lanes
and commons. It was a matter of wonder that we saw not a single specimen of
Satyrus tithonus ! Certainly the vagaries of butterflies are endless. The rarity
of C. edusa this summer appears to be a general phenomenon all over England,
with the exception, noted by Prof. Meldola above, of Budleigh Salterton, and yet
countless thousands flew in the clover-fields last autumn.
Sugar was with us comparatively unproductive—the only "good" insects
coming to it were Agrotis saucia, much less continuously than last season, and one
Zanthia gilvago.
One startling capture was a Metrocampa margaritaria (a May or June insect)
on September 2nd, in good condition !—W. Cole, Buckhurst Hill, September,
1893.
A Butterfly on the Warpath.—On a branch of one of the mighty oaks at
Maundon one day this summer, I witnessed an interesting encounter between a
Large-tortoiseshell butterfly (Vanessa polychloros) and three or four wasps. The
wasps had apparently found some luscious treasure on the branch and were busy