The Butterflies of the British Isles

by Richard South

Dale states that "the latest capture, consisting of five specimens, appears to have been made in Holme Fen, by Mr. Stretton either in 1847 or 1848."

There is evidence that floods, which were not uncommon in the home of the Large Copper, were not really injurious to the butterfly, and therefore the occasional submergence of its feeding grounds can hardly have been the cause of its almost sudden destruction. It seems more probable that its disappearance was due to the draining of the fens, and at least it is significant that the two events were almost coincident.

There are records of the butterfly having been taken in various odd localities since it was last seen in fenland, but the latest of those dates back to the year 1865. There seems to be no question that the butterfly is now extinct in England, and, lamentable to relate, the chief locality where we can hope to secure a specimen or two for our collection is in the neighbourhood of Covent Garden, where the only requirement for the capture will be a well-lined purse.

The continental form rutilus is found in Germany, France, Northern Italy, South-Eastern Europe (except Greece), Northern Asia Minor, Armenia, and the Altai. The Asian form auratus occurs in South-Eastern Siberia, Amurland, Corea, Northern China, and Amdo.

Four other kinds of "Coppers" have been reported as occurring in England: these are Chrysophanus hippothoë and C. virgaureæ, both of which have even had English names bestowed upon them, to wit, the Purple-edged Copper and the Scarce Copper; C. gordius, and C. circe (dorilis). These are only mentioned to afford an opportunity for saying that there does not appear to be the least reason for considering either of them to be a British butterfly. Kirby, Barrett, and others, however, think it possible that the first two may have inhabited England in ancient times.

The Small Copper (Chrysophanus phlæas).

This little butterfly is very smart, in activity as well as appearance. In colour it is very similar to the last species, but both sexes are spotted with black on the fore wings, the outer series of six spots forming a very irregular row; the hind wings are black, with a wavy orange-red band on the outer margin.

There is considerable variation, and it is, therefore, deemed advisable to give a number of figures representing some of the more striking aberrations. The three figures at the top of Plate [101] depict the normal male and female; the latter sex is Fig. [3.] For the loan of the other specimens (Figs. 4-12) my thanks are due to Mr. E. Sabine, who has a very fine and extensive series of varieties of this butterfly. Other examples of aberration on the under side are shown on Plate [119.] Blue spots are sometimes found on the hind wings; these are placed near the orange-red band, and occasionally they attain a good size. Specimens much suffused with blackish sometimes occur; these are referable to var. eleus, which is the usual summer form in some of the warmer countries abroad. A very rare form is that known as schmidtii (Fig. [7]), in which the ground colour of the fore wings and the band on the hind wings are silvery white instead of orange or coppery-red. A modification of this form which is hardly less rare has a creamy tint. Straw-coloured or pale golden specimens are rather more frequently met with. The colour of the hind wings in fresh specimens is sometimes steely-grey, but blackish is the more usual hue; the band on the outer area, which as a rule agrees in colour with the fore wings, varies in width a good deal, and occasionally is more or less obscured by the blackish ground colour. The arrangement, size, and shape of the black spots, both above and below, are subject to much vagary, sometimes of a very striking kind, as, for example, when the spots of the outer series on the fore wings are united with the discal pair and form a large irregular blotch. A remarkable specimen taken some years ago in the Isle of Wight had a small patch of copper with a black spot in it on the under side. This gave one the idea of a clumsy attempt at patching, but as I happened to take that particular specimen, I know that it had not been tampered with. Gynandrous specimens of this butterfly sometimes occur, but these are very rare.

The egg is of a yellowish-white colour at first, and afterwards becomes greyish; the pattern on the shell, which resembles network, is always whiter.

The caterpillar is green and similar in tint to the leaf of dock or sorrel upon which it feeds. It is clothed with short greyish hair which arises from white dots; the dorsal line is brownish-olive, and the ring divisions, especially along the back, are well defined. Head very small, pale brownish, marked with blackish, drawn into the first ring of the body when resting. The legs and prolegs are tinged with pink, and sometimes the body is marked with pink.