THE COLE COLLECTION OF BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 173
was still there. In fact the disappearance of this species from
many of its southern localities has been most marked and
unaccountable.
Pararge Egeria is apparently another of our lost Epping
Forest species. The specimens in the collection were taken in
Epping Forest in the years 1874 and 1890. Personally, I was
rather surprised to see so recent a date for the insect as 1890,
as I believe the last I saw in the Forest was in 1868, but in my
early collecting days I was only an occasional visitor there, so 
that my records would naturally be imperfect.
Some few years ago, the late Professor Meldola wrote an article
in the Entomologist, on the disappearance of the Satyridae from
the London district, which I certainly agreed with in every
detail; yet within the last few years one species at least has 
returned in full vigour, that species being Pararge megaera. For
many years I never saw a specimen within 12 miles of London;
now for the last three years I have seen them at Loughton.
This insect has not only returned to our Forest, but after a long
period of scarceness has once again become one of our common
southern insects. It is not entirely the growth of population
which exterminates the insect fauna of a district, and we have
to look for some more subtle influence in either climatic conditions
or parasites. There is a nice specimen of Epinephele janira
with bleached wings. This form of variation is generally attri-
buted to some injury or unfavourable condition during the
pupa stage. Another of the Satyridae which apparently has gone
from Epping Forest is Tithonus. There are specimens of this 
species in the collection from Epping Forest, and also others from
St. Osyth, which have additional spots on the fore wings. This
spotted form occurs in some abundance in South Devon, but it
is unusual in the Home Counties.
Limenitis Sibylla is another interesting Essex species.
Although the series in the collection is mostly composed of New
Forest specimens, there is a single example from St. Osyth, taken
in 1912. Apparently St. Osyth has been the home of this
insect for many years past. At the present day it is to be found
in some abundance in the woods to the south-west of Ipswich,
and in my early days I was frequently told, by old collectors at
Ipswich, that Sibylla had been imported into these woods from
St. Osyth by a man named Seaman, of Ipswich, probably as
far back as 1845. It very soon established a strong hold in
its adopted country, which hold has been retained until now.
My last captures in these woods were in 1919.
In the series of Vanessa cardui there is a very fine variety
with all the usual markings entirely altered. The specimen is
almost identical with an illustration of a variety in Edward New-
man's British Butterflies. This was in the collection of Mr.
Ingall. The two are so alike that they might be the same