The Aurelian Legacy

A history of British butterflies cannot be separated from that of their collectors, since our knowledge of them is the result of four hundred years of collection and study. A mere fifty years ago many now uncommon species were widespread and abundant - their subsequent seemingly irreversible decline owing more to changes in land management and the environment than to past collecting. However, given the present state of butterfly populations, indiscriminate collecting can no longer be justified.This thoroughly researched, highly informative and enjoyable book includes a short history of butterfly collecting in Britain and of the equipment used; brief biographies of 101 deceased lepidopterists, generously laced with anecdotes and quotations, and many contemporary monochrome portraits; accounts of selected species of historical interest; and an appraisal of the effect of collecting and of current conservation policies. Appendixes list all the British and Irish butterflies with their earlier, often confusing and sometimes fanciful, vernacular names; and provide a chronological account of entomological societies, publications and significant events in the canon of British entomology. The work concludes with a comprehensive Bibliography and Index. In addition to colour photographs of historic specimens, an outstanding feature of the book is the superlative colour plates and text figures of butterflies by nineteen artists of the past from Petiver to Frohawk - some never previously reproduced - which enhance the text and add greatly to its historical perspective.