HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE PURPLE EMPEROR. By Matthew Oates.

# 2020 1st edition. 8vo (138 x 222mm). Ppii,416. Colour photograph plates, b/w illustrations by the author, bibliography. Purple boards, spine titled in gilt.

# An entertaining and scholarly natural history of the Purple Emperor and the humans who have studied and pursued the species over the years. Chapters include: Adrift on the wind; A glorious history; The modern era; The Purple Emperor; Introduction to the adult stage; Beauty as a weapon, the male Purple Emperor; The Empress, a life apart; Looking for Purple Emperors; Habitats and breeding grounds; Sallow identification and preferences, a veritable nightmare; Eggs and late summer larvae; Hibernation and the winter months; Spring larvae and the pupal stage; Adventures with remarkable caterpillars; Looking for Purple Emperor eggs and larvae; The Purple land that England gained; Conservation issues; The future. An appendix gives; The history and current status of the Purple Emperor, by region and county.