More Butterflies For some reason not easy to decipher the
population of butterflies, especially the more splendid butterflies, seems to be multiplying in England. I have seldom seen so many lesser tortoiseshells as emerged this March. It is reported that a quantity of red admirals, perhaps the loveliest of all our butterflies, have successfully hibernated, though this was once held by the specialists to be a very rare occurrence. Again, within the last two or three years, the Comma—that quaint tuunistakeable butterfly—has been seen in fair numbers far outside the range attributed to it in the text-books. It has become common. Twenty years ago our park-keepers tried to breed butterflies in the London parks, especially in Battersea ; but all the chrysalises, as I saw at the time, were eaten out by the parasites that are the chief enemies. Have such parasites for some reason been reduced ? Perhaps it would be worth while to repeat the Battersea experiment. These lovely insects may be safely multiplied, for it is a blessed fact that virtually no butterfly in the list, with the exception of the common white, does any particular harm at any stage of its life's history. The more evil grubs belong to the moths
and flies and beetles. - * *
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