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Post by Adam Cotton on Jun 16, 2015 16:34:39 GMT
Presumably Sirkar was a rival dealer? I don't know much about him, but have some specimens that came from him, and recently a new subspecies of Graphium sarpedon was named after him.
Adam.
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Post by deliasfanatic on Jun 16, 2015 17:36:47 GMT
I don't know - I've heard of Sirkar but nothing more. Wangkar's specimen envelopes are distinctive by being equilateral triangles rather than the usual variety; they're an opaque off-white colour rather than transparent. (Some older ones were made from newspaper.) And, sadly, they never have precise data.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jun 16, 2015 18:26:59 GMT
Yes, my specimens came in the same distinctive equilateral triangles without accurate data.
I just found this on a Google search: "The WANKHAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM OF ENTOMOLOGY is not just about butterflies. It is the lifetime collection of Late Mr SK Sircar and his son Late Mr D Wankhar, now maintained and managed by son-in-law Mr Dawling".
I had always understood that 'Sircar' was the correct spelling of the name, but Malcolm Page used the spelling Sirkar which confused me. Anyway, it seems that it is the same original source of specimens, Sircar was the father and Wankhar the son. I just checked Page & Treadaway (2013) and indeed they stated that "This subspecies is named after the collector S. K. Sirkar."
Adam.
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Post by nomad on Jun 28, 2015 8:31:20 GMT
Heslop's Large Blues.
The now extinct British Large Blue subspecies Maculinea arion subspecies eutyphron Fruhstorfer 1915 was Ian Heslop's second favourite butterfly. Hans Fruhstorfer based his description of ssp eutyphron on specimens from Cornwall. Cornish M. arion were of a brighter blue than the darker Iron shade blue examples from the Cotswolds. There was a notable geographical cline in the British populations. Fruhstorfer may have been unaware of this when describing the British M. arion. Heslop collected M. arion at various times in several English counties over a 44 year period. His first specimen was taken in 1925 and his last was captured in 1969. He has some very notable examples of M. arion in his collection. All of the specimens shown in this cabinet drawer were collected by Heslop and they must have represented many happy memories spent in some really beautiful places. Heslop's magnificent drawer of Large Blues. The specimens in this cabinet drawer are detailed from Left to Right Rows 1 -10 . Gloucestershire Cotswolds Hills. Specimens First row and bottom specimen row two. Heslop first encounter with M. arion on June the 16th 1925 was in strange and eerie circumstances. Ian Heslop and his father had spent the entire day searching for M. arion around the small village of Sheepscombe in the heart of the Cotswold Hills , without success. Towards the end of their search, they came to a winding track leading to a remote and hidden woodland cottage. Here they happened to meet the local vicar on his way to the cottage to console the family, who had recently lost their little boy in tragic circumstances. As they reached the cottage's garden gate, Heslop noticed a Large Blue flying on the bank opposite, capturing this specimen, one wonders what the vicar's response was to this act on such a solemn occasion. Heslop's first M. arion specimen was the rare dusky aberration cotswoldensis Le Chamberlain 1908. At Sheepscombe M. arion occurred in clearings on a south facing slope among high Beech woodland. Heslop took another single M. arion specimen at Sheepscombe on the 22nd June 1927. It was not until 1964 that Heslop caught M. arion again in the Cotswolds when he had a teaching post there. During 1964 he found it at two sites in the Cotswolds, Sheepscombe and on Cranham Common on the 29th June when he took five specimens. A year later, on June 30th 1965, searching the Cotswolds, Heslop could only find a solitary specimen at Sheepscombe. He mentions that M. arion's favourite site at this locality had been ploughed. Heslop specimen may be the last that was taken in the Cotswolds Hills. Heslop specimens prove without doubt that this species occurred in the Cotswolds four to five years later than was previously thought. Heslop's first ever M. arion specimen was the dusky aberration cotswoldensis. The last specimens believed to have been taken in the Cotswold Hills were caught by Heslop during 1964-1965. Somerset. Second Row top specimen. Historically, M. arion occured in Somerset on the limestone of Langport ( Aller Hill) and on the Polden Hills to the north near Street & Glastonbury. At both localities they were discoverecd by John Quekett from Langport in the first part of the 19th century. By the time Ian Heslop was in the field collecting butterflies, it was long considered to be extinct in this large county. Heslop was convinced that it hung on in hidden places and was rewarded with a single sighting of this butterfly at Brockley Coombe to the south of Bristol in July 1945. The specimen was not captured and his record caused much controversy. M. arion was never seen again there. However, Heslop was in the company of another very distinguished entomologist the Baron Charles de Worms who saw the butterfly very clearly and confirmed the record. In 1949, Heslop had found a few Large Blues on a limestone outcrop in a new locality in the Quantock Hills, this site was sadly destroyed by quarrying shortly afterwards. A little later in 1949 on July 11th he refound it on the Polden Hills at Butleigh. Three M. arion were seen and one specimen was taken. This single specimen taken by Heslop in 1949, is the only known 20th century Somerset specimen. By the time Heslop had refound M. arion in Somerset it was dying out through habitat change and shortly it would vanish from the county. The only known 20th century Somerset M. arion eutyphron specimen. Captured at Butleigh in the Polden Hills in July 1949 by Ian Heslop. A Page from Heslop's diary revealing Butleigh as the locality of his rediscovery of M. arion in the Polden Hills on July 11th 1949. The last paragraph reveals " Heming saw an iris over walnuts, late in the day, Eileen was with him, the far end of the wood. One other probable and one other certain arion seen ". Heslop had also set out to rediscover Apatura iris in Somerset during 1949 with his friend Mr J.E Herring who also lived in Burnham-on-Sea. In this they had earlier succeeded and Herring had caught a large female on the Sallows. Heslop had seen his first Purple Emperor in Brockley Coombe in 1918, at exactly the same spot where he saw his single Large Blue during 1945. Devon. Third Row right. Three specimens from the north coast of Devon at Marshland Mouth that were taken on the Ist July 1949 and 6 specimens taken on 15 June 1964. Cornwall. Rows four to ten. Contains specimens of M. arion taken in Cornwall between 1931 and 1969. One specimen (Row four at Bottom) was taken at a new locality, Minnack Head near Land's End in South Cornwall as late as the 11th August 1968. Three others were seen. Amazingly he had heard from his cousin Dacre that M. arion was seen there during 1931. Had he then visited Minnack Head with no results?, we do not know. His other Cornish specimens were all taken on the rugged Alantic north coast. Here at Milhook near Bude he first took M. arion in June 1931 and again in 1933, when he captured a long series. At Marshland mouth ( Cornish side) Heslop found it in plenty on 30th July 1945. On the same day he took a specimen of the very rare British migrant, the Bath White. His last M. arion specimen taken in June 1969 in Cornwall was a very fine unnamed dark aberration. How very strange that Heslop's first and last Large Blues were both rare aberrations, yet none were taken in between! A decade later this species would be extinct in Britain, with the last known colony dying out on Dartmoor in Devon during 1979. Heslop's perfect Pontia daplidice specimen that he took in 1945. P. daplidice has always been a rare migrant to Britain. From this specimens condition, it probably bred here from Spring arrivals. 1945 was an extraordinary year in Britain for rare migrants. There was a freak migration of P. daplidice when hundreds were seen or captured and many of those were taken in Cornwall. This period was short lived, since then sightings have been few and there has been none in recent years. Heslop's last M. arion specimen taken in 1969, a beautiful dark aberration. Map showing the locations ( Red Dots) of where Heslop captured his Large Blue Specimens. From North to South. 1. Cotswold Hills, Glos. 2. Polden Hills Somerset. 3 & 4. North Devon and North Cornwall coast. 5. South-west Cornwall coast.
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Post by trehopr1 on Jul 5, 2015 22:03:50 GMT
Nomad, I went today to swing the old net and in the process I came across a large glorious fresh hatch Red spotted purple (Limenitis astyanax) female . She was cavorting around the top of some large bushey looking tree at forests edge about 20 ft. or so up. Reminded me of your purple emperor's habits. But, more importantly the thing which popped in my head immediately was that iconic photo of Heslop standing next to his 38 ft. longpole "high net". Of coarse, there was no way for me to get her but that image sure made me think how innovative Heslop had to be to get some of the things he really desired !
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Post by nomad on Jul 6, 2015 17:51:35 GMT
Heslop certainly did not invent the high net, it was used by the early British Aurelians to catch iris, the Reverend William Bree used an even larger one made of bamboo poles but yes, Heslop was the first to wield such high net in Britain for a very long time, such was his passion as a iris hunter. Many must still use these high nets, at least in the tropics, you can see them for sale at the European insect fairs. They would be good for tree top species including rare Delias and that elusive butterfly of yours.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jul 6, 2015 22:14:20 GMT
My net pole is Japanese, 5 1/2 metres long telescopic fibreglass, so a total of 6 metres when extended including the net itself. The superb Japanese equipment is basically modified fishing tackle, which is probably why it is viable to produce them commercially. The only major difference is in the actual net itself, which is so sheer Japanese silk that it does not rub the wings of butterflies, unlike the awful coarse mesh net that I remember from my youth in the UK.
It is actually not too unwieldy when fully extended, and is very useful to catch butterflies feeding on flowering trees. Beetle collectors also use them to catch small flower feeding beetles high up on oak and other trees - just put the net over the flowers, shake vigorously and bring it back down again with all the beetles inside.
Adam.
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Post by Paul K on Jul 7, 2015 1:02:11 GMT
Japanese silk net ? That is very interesting. Regular net rub the wings indeed ! it is enough for fresh specimen to flap wings inside while try to corner it and there you go... no more perfect specimen. Adam , where do you get them ? I have never seen them for sale at online stores. Paul PS. My long net is the long bamboo stick that I found at my parents in law house ( they used it to collect red ant larvae which are delicacy in south east Asia )
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Post by trehopr1 on Jul 7, 2015 4:18:07 GMT
I second the motion after Paul K on that question Adam. Where do you get a net like the one you have? Sounds like the "Mercedes" of all butterfly nets !
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jul 7, 2015 16:01:01 GMT
My net pole and frame is made by Shimano, definitely the best brand. I have tried others, but they are always inferior, especially the quality of the folding net frame. I found that other frames often break at the joints, but never had a Shimano frame break. Here's what the best type looks like (note the sturdy hinges on the left): As for the net bags, there are 2 sizes, large and small (I think 60 and 50 cm diameter), and the bags come in a range of different colours, white, green and red. The green and red bags are often used as lures to attract butterflies that react to those colours. The smaller size bags are used for the collapsible net frames that are made from a single steel strip that twists into a small ring and springs open when undone. These can be put in your pocket, and are very useful when you want a net but cannot carry anything large. My nets were brought out from Japan by Yasusuke Nishiyama about 10 years ago, and I don't know exactly where to order them nowadays. I just e-mailed Inayoshi to ask him if he can help provide an English language link to the net bags at an online entomological supplier's website. If he sends me a link I will post it here. Adam.
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Post by cabintom on Jul 7, 2015 16:40:53 GMT
I purchased the extendable net handle from Bioquip and have been using it for the first time these past few weeks. It's been quite useful. In the past I've used bamboo handle between 5' and 6' long, so to have a handle that I can collapse for those tight spaces and then, fairly quickly, extend to reach up high has been novel.
The main complaint I have is that the segments don't always lock-up tight, so I'm often twisting the pole at the joints to ensure everything is snug. Sweeping at a butterfly in dense grass, or at a beetle on a flower high up in a tree can cause one of the joints to slip out of lock and consequently the net to spin. Secondly, it's quite heavier than the bamboo handles I had grown accustomed to... which is not at all surprising.
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Post by nomad on Sept 8, 2015 18:41:11 GMT
A superb case of Heslop's female forms of Colias croceus, including the white helice. All self caught. Attachments:
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Post by trehopr1 on Sept 9, 2015 0:37:16 GMT
Wow, what a nice collection. It definitely has been accorded due respect and care by the Oxford staff. I love how neat and symmetrical everything appears. And each specimen can clearly be seen with its accompanying label. No shingling here. Thus no damage. Beautiful drawer from admirable collection. Heslop would surely be proud. If only the wonderful Hyde collection had been deposited at Oxford (instead of where it is) !
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Post by nomad on Sept 9, 2015 5:04:29 GMT
Wow, what a nice collection. It definitely has been accorded due respect and care by the Oxford staff. I love how neat and symmetrical everything appears. And each specimen can clearly be seen with its accompanying label. No shingling here. Thus no damage. Beautiful drawer from admirable collection. Heslop would surely be proud. If only the wonderful Hyde collection had been deposited at Oxford (instead of where it is) ! Yes Heslop's collection has much rare material, his collection is not in Oxford but in the Bristol Museum. I doubt if the Doncaster museum ,will allow their Hyde collection to be moved, even though it is not being given the attention it deserves. Museums such as Oxford , will not request other museums collections, it has to be donated .
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Post by mygos on Feb 14, 2016 22:16:52 GMT
Yes, my specimens came in the same distinctive equilateral triangles without accurate data. I just found this on a Google search: "The WANKHAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM OF ENTOMOLOGY is not just about butterflies. It is the lifetime collection of Late Mr SK Sircar and his son Late Mr D Wankhar, now maintained and managed by son-in-law Mr Dawling". I had always understood that 'Sircar' was the correct spelling of the name, but Malcolm Page used the spelling Sirkar which confused me. Anyway, it seems that it is the same original source of specimens, Sircar was the father and Wankhar the son. I just checked Page & Treadaway (2013) and indeed they stated that "This subspecies is named after the collector S. K. Sirkar." Adam. I confirm you are right Adam ! Sircar is the correct spelling ... Copies of correspondance and invoice received from him in 1972 ! A+, Michel
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