4, 6 _male_; 5, 7 _female_.]

I have not seen any of the early stages of this butterfly. The

caterpillar, which feeds upon the green seeds in pods of the Leguminosæ,

including the garden pea and the lupine, is figured on Plate 102. It is

described as being green or reddish-brown in colour, with a dark stripe

on the back, double oblique lines on the sides, and a white line below

the yellow spiracles; head black. The chrysalis is of a red or yellowish

colour, and dotted with brown. It has a silken girdle and is said to be

attached to a stem, as shown in the figure, but probably it is more

often fixed up among the withered leaves of the food-plant. Two of the

earliest known British specimens of this butterfly were taken by the

late Mr. Neil McArthur on August 4th and 5th, 1859, on the Downs at

Brighton; the third example was captured by Captain de Latour at

Christchurch, where it was flying about a plant of the everlasting pea

in his garden on August 4th of the same year. Newman has noted that in

that particular year the butterfly was very abundant in the Channel

Islands and on the coast of France. No other specimen seems to have been

observed in England until 1879, in which year one was taken at

Freshwater in the Isle of Wight on August 23rd. In 1880 a specimen was

captured in a garden near Bognor, Sussex, on September 12th. On October

2nd, 1882, one was obtained at West Bournemouth. Three were netted in

1893, one of these in late August, and one in the third week of

September, both in Sussex; the third was taken in Kent (inland) in

September. In 1899 a specimen was found at Winchester on September 1st,

and one at Deal on the 16th of the same month; each of these, curiously,

was sitting on a window. On August 2nd, 1904, one example was taken in a

garden near Truro, Cornwall. In addition to the above, single specimens

have been reported as taken at Brighton, July, 1890, and at Heswell,

Cheshire, in 1886 or 1887.

It will thus be seen that the occurrence of this butterfly in England is

exceedingly infrequent. The species is common in Africa and in Southern

Europe; thence it extends eastward through Asia to China and Japan, and

southwards to Australia. It is also found in the Sandwich Islands. It is

believed to be migratory in its habits, and it is supposed that the

occasional specimens that arrive in this country come to us _viâ_ the

west coast of Europe.

In its proper home there is a succession of broods of the butterfly, and

if by chance a few females were to visit this country in the early

summer, they most probably would lay eggs, and the caterpillars

resulting from these would almost certainly be able to feed up and

attain the perfect state here. So far there is no reason to suppose that

the caterpillar has ever occurred in England.

The Short-tailed or Bloxworth Blue (_Cupido argiades_).

The interesting little butterfly represented on Plate 103 was not

known to occur in Britain until 1885, when the Rev. O. Pickard Cambridge

made the startling announcement that his sons had captured two

specimens, a female on August 18th, and a male on August 20th of that

year, the scene of capture being Bloxworth Heath, Dorset. Shortly after

this fact was made public the Rev. J.S. St. John added a record of two

males that he had discovered in a small collection of Lepidoptera made

by Dr. Marsh, who stated that he had taken the specimens of _C.

argiades_ in 1874, close to a small quarry near Frome. In addition to

these a specimen, also recorded by Mr. Cambridge, was taken at

Bournemouth in August, 1885; one is reported to have been captured at

Blackpool, about 1860; and one at Wrington, about twelve miles north of

Bristol, in 1895 or 1896.

[Illustration: _Pl._ 104.

=Brown Argus.=

_Egg, natural size and enlarged; caterpillar and chrysalis;

(a) Egg of "Scotch Argus" enlarged._

=Silver-studded Blue.=

_Eggs, natural size and enlarged; caterpillar and chrysalids._]

[Illustration: Pl. 105.

=Silver-studded Blue.= 1, 2, 3 _male_; 4, 5, 6 _female_.

=Brown Argus.= 10, 12 _male_; 7, 8, 9 _female_; 11, 13, 14

_male (Durham)_; 15 _male_, 16, 17 _female (Scotland)_.]

The following details of the early stages are obtained from Mr.

Frohawk's life-history of the species published in the _Entomologist_

for October, 1904. The egg (Plate 102, figured from a photomicrograph by

Mr. Tonge) is of a pale greenish-blue, but varies both in the extent of

the ground colour and in the structure of the reticulations, which are

white, resembling frosted glass.

The full-grown caterpillar (August 23rd) measures 3/8 inch in length. It

is of the usual wood-louse shape, with only a very shallow furrow on the

back, bordered on each side by a fringe of spinous bristles, which vary

in length; the whole surface is densely studded with shorter but

similarly formed whitish or brownish bristles. The ground colour is pale

green, with a darker green stripe along the centre of the back, and

fainter green oblique stripes on the sides. The head is black and

shining, and is hidden under the first ring when the caterpillar is not

feeding or moving about.

The caterpillars hatched on July 30th, from eggs that were laid in the

South of France on July 24th, and were reared on bird's-foot trefoil

(_Lotus corniculatus_), of which they ate the flowers, seeds, and

leaves.

The chrysalis, which is attached to the food-plant by a silk pad at the

tail and a thread round the body, is pale green and very finely

reticulated; the wing-cases are rather whiter green, sprinkled with

minute black specks, and the veins are white; there is a blackish line

along the centre of the back, but this is only well defined on the head

and thorax. The whole surface, except the wings, is sprinkled with

slightly curved and moderately long white hairs.

The butterfly emerges in about ten to fourteen days, according to

temperature.

The male is violet-blue with the veins rather darker; the outer margin

is narrowly bordered with blackish, and there are some black dots on the

outer margin of the hind wings; the fringes are white, and there is a

slender tail on the hind wings. The female is brownish, tinged with

violet towards the base; the hind wings have black spots on the outer

margin, and some of these are inwardly edged with orange; the tails are

slightly longer than those of the male.

All the available information concerning the occurrence of this species

in England has already been given. No doubt the localities from which

specimens were recorded have been closely investigated during the past

twenty years, but no further captures of this butterfly have been

recorded. This seems to indicate that it is not really indigenous, but

that its presence here may possibly have been due to accidental

introduction.

The spring form, _polysperchon_, is smaller than the specimens occurring

in the summer, but so far that form has not been seen in England.

The species is widely distributed over Central and Southern Europe, and

its range extends through Northern Asia to Amurland, Corea, and Japan.

It is also represented in Northern and Central America by var.

_comyntas_, and has been recorded from Australia.

The Silver-studded Blue (_Lycæna argus_ = _ægon_).

The male of this butterfly (Plate 105) is purplish-blue with a black

border on the outer margins, and sometimes black dots on that of the

hind wings. The female is sooty-brown, powdered to a greater or lesser

extent with blue scales on the basal area; there is generally a series

of orange marks forming a more or less complete band on the outer margin

of the hind wings, and sometimes on the fore wings also. The under side

is bluish-grey in the male, and brownish-grey in the female; the black

spots are ringed with white, and on the fore wings there is one at the

end of the discal cell and a series of seven beyond; the hind wings have

from three to five spots before the discal spot, and a curved series of

seven beyond; there is a black-edged orange band on all the wings, and

beyond this on the hind wings there is a series of metallic blue centred

spots; hence the English name of the butterfly, given to it by Moses

Harris, which is certainly more suitable than Petiver's "Lead Argus."

In a general way the male is rather larger than the female, but this is

not invariably the case. The colour of the male varies in shade, and

very occasionally, perhaps, is of a lilac tint; the border varies in

width, and is sometimes reduced to a mere line. In the female the orange

marks may be of a brownish or yellowish tint, and now and then there may

be a series of wedge-shaped blue spots above these marks on the hind

wings. On the under side there is a good deal of modification of the

black spots as regards size and shape, and occasionally there is at

least one extra spot on the fore wings placed between the discal spot

and the base of the wing; white markings sometimes appear on the fore

wings between the outer series of black spots and the orange band, and

with this there is generally a white band in a similar position on the

hind wings. Female specimens with splashes of the male colour on one or

more of the wings have been obtained, and, more rarely, examples

entirely male on one side and female on the other have been recorded.

Frohawk states that the egg both in colour and texture, resembles white

porcelain; "all the depths produce a deep purplish-grey shade. The ova

are deposited singly, and adhere firmly to the receptacle."

Caterpillars hatched out from eggs, laid the previous summer, on April

1st to 3rd. They were reared on gorse (_Ulex europæus_), pupated towards

the end of June, and the first butterfly, a male, appeared on July 10th.

The caterpillar figured on Plate 104, when full grown, was

reddish-brown, finely dotted with white, and from each dot a tiny hair

arose; the stripe on the back and line on the side were black edged with

white, head black and shining. This caterpillar was found on the last

day of May, crawling on the ground under heather at Oxshott. It was then

about half-grown, and was reared on heather, pupated in due course, and

produced a female butterfly on July 11th.

The chrysalis, of which two figures are given, had a pale brownish and

rather shining head; the body was brown with a darker line on the back;

the thorax and wing-cases dull yellowish-green, the former rather

glossy. It was placed in an angle formed by a side and the floor of the

cage, lying quite flat and secured by silken threads, which, owing to

position, I was unable to examine. Some of the caterpillars that Mr.

Frohawk reared were pale green with a dark purplish stripe on the back.

Another food-plant is bird's-foot vetch (_Ornithopus perpusillus_).

The butterfly is on the wing in July and August, and seems to be more

often found on sandy heaths than elsewhere. It is especially common, in

some years, in the heather-clad districts of Surrey and Hampshire, as

well as other counties in England. In Norfolk and Suffolk it is said to

be common, but scarce in Gloucestershire and Somersetshire. Its range

extends through the greater part of England and Wales, and into Scotland

as far as Perthshire. Specimens from the northwest coast of Wales are

said to be larger than those from inland localities.

As regards Ireland, there is only Birchall's record, "The Murrough of

Wicklow, and near Rostrevor," in evidence of the butterfly occurring in

that country at all.

Abroad, it appears to range pretty well over the whole of Europe, and

through Asia eastward to Siberia, Corea, and Japan.

The Brown Argus (_Lycæna astrarche_).

Fore wings blackish or sooty-brown with a black discal spot, and a row

of reddish-orange spots on the outer margin of all the wings; the

fringes are white, sometimes with blackish interruptions. The under side

is greyish or greyish-brown, and the black spots are distinctly ringed

with white. On the fore wing there are seven of these spots, one at the

end of the cell, and the others in an irregular series beyond; the last

in this series is sometimes double, or it may be absent. On the hind

wings the spots comprise a series of four preceding the white discal

mark, and a series of seven beyond; the second spot in this series is

placed directly under the first, forming a colon-like mark, and this

character will help to distinguish the Brown Argus from the blackish or

brown females of the next species.

The female has larger orange markings, and the outline of the fore wings

is rather rounder on the outer margin, otherwise the sexes are very

similar.

The orange spots referred to in the male are sometimes absent towards

the tips of the fore wings, and in this respect lead up to the form

known as the Durham Argus (var. _salmacis_, Stephens), which is blackish

above and ochreous-brown below; the black spots on the under side are

much smaller then in typical specimens, and some may be absent

altogether. The male has a black discal spot, and the female a white

one, on the upper side of the fore wings; the hind wings have a red or

orange band on both surfaces. Sometimes the male also has a white spot

on the fore wings. Specimens with the orange spots on upper side almost

entirely absent are referable to var. _allous_.

_Artaxerxes_ is the form occurring in Scotland, and is known as the

"Scotch White Spot." Both sexes have a conspicuous white discal spot on

the fore wings, and the spots on the under side are white, and rarely

centred with black. In var. _quadripuncta_, Tutt, all four wings have a

white discal spot above. Occasionally an odd specimen with white discal

spots is found in the south.

Figures of the butterfly will be found on Plate 105, and of its life

history on Plate 104; the upper egg is that from a typical female, and

the lower one was laid by a female _artaxerxes_.

The egg, which is whitish, with a faint greyish tinge, is laid on the

upper side of a young leaf of the rock-rose (_Helianthemum

chamæcistus_). The caterpillar has a black shining head; the body is

green with whitish hairs, a pinkish line along the back, a whitish one

bordered with pinkish along the sides; the green colour becomes dingy as

the caterpillar matures. The chrysalis is obscure yellowish-green, the

front of the thorax is edged with pinkish, and there are bands of the

same colour on the back and sides of the body; the thorax and the

wing-cases are rather glossy. Held in position by a few silken threads

between leaves of the food-plant.

The ordinary form of the butterfly is on the wing in May and June, and

again in August. It is widely distributed throughout the southern half

of England, and also in Wales.

Although chiefly associated with rock-rose, especially in chalky

districts, it occurs too among stork's-bill (_Erodium cicutarium_), upon

which plant the caterpillar also feeds, in sandy places inland as well

as on the coast.

Caterpillars from the first flight of butterflies may be found in July,

and those from the second flight hibernate and feed up in April.

The butterfly has a marked liking for roosting on the flower stems of

long grasses, and quite a number may often be found resting together

towards sundown, or on dull days, in sheltered hollows. Sometimes

several specimens of this species and of the Common Blue may be found on

the same perch. It is rather less frequently seen in the Midland

counties, but it is more or less common in some parts of Derbyshire,

Yorkshire, and Lancashire.

[Illustration: _Pl._ 106.

=Common Blue.=

1, 2, 7, 10, 12 _male_; 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13 _female_.]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 107.

=Common Blue.=

_Eggs, natural size and enlarged; caterpillars and chrysalids._]

The intermediate form, _salmacis_ and its modifications, is found in the

neighbourhood of Richmond, Yorks, and thence northward to the Scottish

border.

Var. _artaxerxes_ occurs in Scotland from Roxburgh to Aberdeenshire on

the east, and from Dumfries to the Clyde on the west. Kane records four

specimens from Co. Galway, and these are all that are known of the

species from Ireland. This form, together with the var. _salmacis_, are

not found anywhere outside the United Kingdom, and, it may be added, the

latter appears to be getting scarce--at least, in some of its old haunts

in Durham.

The species is distributed throughout the Palæarctic Region, except the

Polar parts.

The Common Blue (_Lycæna icarus_).

The male is blue, with either a tinge of violet or mauve in its

composition. Sometimes, though rarely, it assumes the brighter shade of

the Adonis Blue. All the wings are very narrowly edged with black on the

outer margins; the veins are generally pale, shining blue, sometimes

becoming blackish towards the outer margins, and occasionally continued

into the fringes, but not to their tips. The female is most often brown,

with some blue scales on the basal area of all the wings; there is a

black discal spot on the fore wings, and a series of orange crescents

before a row of black spots on the outer margin; the hind wings have an

outer marginal row of black spots, edged outwardly with white and

inwardly with orange.

On Plate 106, Fig. 1 represents a typical male, and Fig. 3 a typical

female, whilst the normal under sides of the sexes are shown in Figs. 10

and 11. The size of this butterfly ranges from one inch and a half to

three-quarters of an inch. The large specimens at the bottom of the

plate are from Scotland.

Scotch and Irish males often have some black spots on the outer margin

of the hind wings, as in Fig. 2, but this is from Ventnor in the Isle of

Wight. The female is sometimes of a uniform brown coloration, devoid of

blue scales, and, with the exception of slight traces of orange on the

outer margin of the hind wings, entirely without marking. On the other

hand, this sex is sometimes almost as blue as the male in colour (var.

_cærulea_), but the discal spot, outer marginal borders, and orange

markings are present. Occasionally the orange spots give place to yellow

ones. The discal spot on the fore wings may be encircled with

bluish-white scales, and now and then this spot on all the wings is

surrounded very distinctly with bluish-white. I have seen the latter

form from Durham and Ireland only, but it probably occurs in other parts

of the kingdom.

Quite a number of gynandrous specimens of this species have been

recorded, some of them being male on the right side and female on the

left, in others the reverse was the case.

On the under side the male is greyish and the female brownish,

consequently the white rings around the black spots show up more

distinctly in the latter sex. A not uncommon aberration is without spots

between the discal spot and the base of the fore wing; this is known as

_icarinus_. Another form that occurs fairly often has the lower basal

spot united with the last spot of the outer series, as in Fig. 9, this

is ab. _arcua_, and a modification, with the junction bar-like instead

of arched, has been named _melanotoxa_. Very rarely the whole of the

under side, except the outer margins, is free of spots (Plate 119). A

specimen exhibiting aberration in this direction is shown on Plate 118,

Fig. 6, whilst Figs. 1 and 3 show modifications of what is known as the

streaked form.

I am indebted to Mr. E. Sabine, of Erith, for the loan of all the fine

aberrations of the Blues figured on Plate 118.

On Plate 107 will be found figures of the early stages.

The egg, which is usually laid on the upper side of a terminal leaf of

bird's-foot trefoil (_Lotus corniculatus_) or on rest-harrow (_Ononis

spinosa_), is whitish-green in colour, netted with glossy white.

The caterpillar is green, covered with short brownish hairs, with which

are mixed some longer ones; it is wrinkled on the side, ridged on the

back, and the line along the middle of the back is darker. Head black

and glossy.

The chrysalis is green, with the head, wing-cases, and sometimes the

hinder parts of the body, tinged with buff; thorax brighter green,

rather shiny; a darker line down the centre of the body.

The plants mentioned, and especially rest-harrow, are known to be the

food of the caterpillar, but eggs have also been found, in Scotland, on

red clover, plantain, burnet saxifrage, and yarrow. The caterpillars are

to be found, after hibernation, in April, and a second brood in June and

July. Those feeding on rest-harrow seem to prefer the blossom.

This caterpillar is stated to form a cocoon, but the only approach to

any such structure made by the seven individuals I had under observation

was in the case of two caterpillars that pupated among leaves of

_Lotus_, which were drawn together by the slenderest of threads. Four

effected the change at the bottom of the cage and seemed to be quite

free, one had climbed to the leno top of the cage and there spun a

silken carpet under itself, which drew the leno together, and so formed

a shallow cave in which the chrysalis rested. In every case the cast

skin was attached to the tail, and so remained after the butterflies

emerged.

The butterfly is to be found almost everywhere in the country, and its

distribution extends throughout the United Kingdom, except, perhaps, the

Shetland Isles. There appears to be only one flight in the north of

Scotland and Ireland, and this occurs in June and July. In England there

are two broods, and in some years probably three in the southern

counties. It may be seen on the wing, in greater or lesser numbers, all

through the season from May to September.

Abroad, the range extends over the whole of Europe to North Africa, and

through Western and Northern Asia to Amurland and China.

The Common Blue, as well as the Chalk Hill and the Adonis Blues, are to

be found, often commonly and sometimes in large numbers, in their

favourite haunts. Each of them is subject to a considerable range of

variation on the under side, and this seems to be of a similar character

in all. Very striking aberrations are, perhaps, not often obtained, but

still many modifications are to be found, and the possibility of a

really good thing turning up, induces one to give attention to the

business of overhauling these butterflies. A very good method of

conducting this kind of work is to first ascertain the places where they

chiefly congregate, and then to visit there on dull days or late in the

afternoon, when the butterflies are asleep or, at all events, resting.

They can then be easily examined as they sit on the long grass stems,

etc. (Plate 27), but only the under sides can be viewed in this way. So

to avoid passing over a good upper-side variety, it will be needful to

take each specimen between the finger and thumb of the right hand,

seizing the closed wings gently, but firmly, near their base, and then

quickly secure the thorax from underneath with thumb and index finger of

the left hand, when the upper as well as the under side becomes

available for inspection. There is no reason whatever to damage the

insects in any way, and those that are not required may be set free

again none the worse for their short detention. Work against the wind,

and to avoid a second interview, turn rejected specimens to the rear.

[Illustration: _Pl._ 108.

=Chalkhill Blue.=

_Egg enlarged; caterpillar and chrysalis._]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 109.

=Chalkhill Blue.=

1, 2, 8, 10 _male_; 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 _female_.]

The Chalk Hill Blue (_Lycæna corydon_).

Although this butterfly (Plate 109) is, in England, fairly constant in

the matter of colour, and, as regards the male especially, differences

in tint are noticeable when series from various localities are ranged

side by side. Silvery-blue perhaps best expresses the general colour of

the male on the upper surface, sometimes very pale, and sometimes

faintly tinged with greenish. The blackish border on the outer margin of

the fore wings varies in width and in intensity; often there are

indications of eyed spots on this margin, and occasionally these spots

are quite distinct, although the whitish rings are not always clearly

outlined. The black border on the outer margin of the hind wings is

often narrow and external to a series of white-edged black spots, but

sometimes it is broad and obscures the spots; orange markings rarely

appear on this margin, but such aberrations have been taken on the

Dorset coast. The fringes are white chequered with blackish on the fore

wings, but with seeming continuation of the veins through those of the

hind wings. The female is sooty-brown above, with a black discal spot on

the fore wings, and sometimes on the hind wings also, and these spots

may be ringed with blue or bluish-white; the outer marginal borders are

hardly darker, and those on the fore wings are limited by a wavy pale

line, which may be faintly or strongly marked with orange, but orange

marking on these wings is rather the exception than the rule; on the

outer margin of the hind wings there are some black spots, edged

outwardly with white and inwardly with orange. The fringes are white

chequered with brown, and those of the fore wings are tinged with brown.

There are generally some blue scales at the base of the fore wings and

over a larger portion of the basal area of the hind wings, but

occasionally the whole discal area of the hind wings (Fig. 7, Plate

117), or of all the wings, var. _syngrapha_ (Fig. 8, Plate 117), is of

the male colour. The former is from Eastbourne and the latter from

Wiltshire. They are rather uncommon varieties, but intermediate forms

are more often met with in the same localities as well as in other parts

of England where the species occurs.

On the coast of Dorsetshire a very unusual form occurs. The border of

the outer margin is white instead of the usual black or blackish; the

inner limit of this border is, on the fore wings, defined by a dusky

shade, and the black nervules break up the border into six spots; on the

hind wings four or five of the white spots are centred with black dots.

The female has a similar border, but on the hind wings it is inwardly

edged with orange. It has been named var. _fowleri_, and I have seen one

example of this form without black dots in the marginal white spots of

the hind wings. On the under side variation is on somewhat similar lines

to that adverted to in the last species. On Plate 109, Fig. 8 represents

the typical under side of the male, and Fig. 7 that of the female. It

will be noticed that the male is greyer than the female. Some of the

ordinary aberrations are shown on the same plate, and some rarer ones

will be found on Plate 118, and of these Fig. 12, if without the basal

spot on the fore wings, would represent var. _lucretia_.

For figures of the early stages see Plate 108; that of the caterpillar

is after Buckler. The egg is flat on the top, with a slightly darker pit

in the centre (the micropyle); the sides are rounded, netted, and

studded, and the colour whitish-green. The above short description was

taken from one of a few eggs of this butterfly sent me in August last by

Mr. Ovenden, and the same egg has been figured.

Mr. Frohawk has described the egg more fully in the _Entomologist_ for

1900. With reference to the egg-laying of the butterfly he writes: "On

August 13th, 1900, I watched several females in the act of depositing,

on various stems of the usual stunted herbage to be found growing on

chalk downs. They frequently crawled among the plants for a distance of

about a couple of feet, occasionally curving the abdomen downwards among

the small plant-stems and grasses, and here and there depositing an egg.

I therefore dug up portions of the turf, potted it, and placed a couple

of females on each lot; they deposited ova on the 14th and 15th, on the

stems of various plants; a few were laid upon the brown dead trefoil

leaves, as well as on the living leaves; but the site generally chosen

is the intermingled stems of both plants and grasses. Another female,

placed upon a similar pot of plants, deposited about fifty ova on

September 10th, nearly all being placed upon the stems, and a few upon

the under side of the leaves of rock-rose; in all cases the eggs are

deposited singly."

The caterpillars do not hatch out until the following spring. According

to Buckler and Hellins, the only difference between the caterpillar of

this butterfly and that of the next species, _Adonis_, is that the

latter "has its ground colour deeper green, with the hairs or bristles

black, while _Corydon_ has the ground colour of a lighter, brighter

green (a green with more yellow in its composition), and the hairs light

brown."

The butterfly is common and often abundant in July and August, chiefly

the latter month, on chalk downs in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire,

Berkshire, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex; it is also found in the Newmarket

district of Cambridgeshire and on one chalk hill in Norfolk, according

to Barrett, who adds: "on the oolite as well as the chalk in Wilts,

Dorset, Gloucestershire, and Somerset; and on limestone at Grange and

Silverdale in North Lancashire, in Lincolnshire, Westmoreland, and

Cumberland. It has also been taken in Essex, Hants, Cornwall, and in one

locality in Glamorganshire."

Mr. Sydney Webb has stated that a dwarf form occurs pretty regularly in

a valley about two miles east of Dover, but that it only appears to be

found at odd times in other parts of England.

Abroad, the species is found in Central Europe, also in the Pyrenees,

Aragonia, and the Balkan Peninsula.

The Adonis Blue (_Lycæna bellargus_).

The butterfly on Plate 110 is the Clifden Blue of Moses Harris (1775),

so named because it was said to have been first observed at Clifden in

Bucks. The male is of a beautiful bright blue colour, but as in the same

sex of the previous two species, it is not quite constant in tint. In

some specimens we find a distinct mauve shade, and in others, but more

rarely, the blue colour is tinged with greenish (Plate 118, Fig. 11):

the veins become distinctly black on the outer margins, and appear to

run through the white fringes on all the wings. Often there are black

dots on the outer margin of the hind wings. The female is dark brown,

sometimes slaty-black, with orange spots or crescents on the outer

margins; these are often only faintly in evidence on the fore wings, and

sometimes this is the case on the hind wings also; there is a black

discal spot on the fore wings, and the fringes of all the wings are

white chequered with black. The bases of the wings are powdered with

blue, but this is more noticeable on the hind wings. On the under side

the fore wings of the male are greyish, and the hind wings

greyish-brown; all the wings of the female are brownish, with a faint

grey tinge in some specimens; the ornamentation is very similar to that

of the Common Blue. The two figures on Plate 110, showing specimens with

the wings closed, represent typical male and female, and the other

figures of under sides on this plate exhibit minor aberrations from

typical lines; examples of the more extreme variations will be found on

Plate 118, where also are figured some uncommon aberrations in the

colour of the male on the upper side.

There is often a tendency in the female to assume the colour of the

male, and this is usually seen on the hind wings, but occasionally on

the fore wings also. In the extreme form of this phase of variation,

var. _ceronus_, the whole of the upper surface, with the exception of

the orange-spotted borders, is almost as blue as that of the male. This

is a parallel aberration to that of the Chalk Hill Blue known as

_syngrapha_, but it seems to be somewhat rarer in this country.

Figures of the early stages will be found on Plate 111.

The egg is greenish-white, becoming rather greener in tint towards the

top, which is depressed; the netting is whitish and shining, and

somewhat rougher on the sides than towards and on the top.

Buckler describes the full-grown caterpillar as deep, full green in

colour, covered with tiny black speckles, bearing little black bristles,

which are longest on the dorsal humps and on the yellow-edged ridge

above the spiracles; on the top of each of the eight pairs of dorsal

humps is a deep bright yellow longitudinal dash, somewhat wider behind

than in front; these dashes form in effect two yellow stripes

interrupted by the deeply sunk segmental divisions; the line along the

back is darker than the ground colour, and the spiracles are black. The

head is dark brown, and there are two yellow dots on the first ring of

the body near the head.

The chrysalis, when first formed, is greenish-brown with the wing-cases

greenish, the whole afterwards becomes ochreous; the thorax and

wing-cases are rather glossy, and the body is slightly hairy. Buckler

states that some of his caterpillars buried themselves about half an

inch deep in the loose soil, and formed a weak sort of cocoon; others,

not having been supplied with soil that could be so easily penetrated,

retired under the stems of their food-plants, and in angles formed by

the branching stems spun a few weak threads to keep themselves in place.

The food-plant is the horseshoe vetch (_Hippocrepis comosa_). From eggs

laid in August, the caterpillars appear to hatch towards the end of

September, but do not feed up until the spring. Butterflies from these

caterpillars are on the wing between the middle of May and the middle of

June, thus occupying about nine months in passing through the various

stages from egg to perfect insect. From eggs laid in May and June the

butterflies appear in August and September. Although it is found in

similar kinds of situations to those affected by the last species, and

sometimes on the same grounds, it is more local, and almost confined to

the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. It is, however, rather common

at Ventnor and in some other parts of the Isle of Wight, and is found

near Winchester. Barrett states that it is abundant at Corfe Castle,

Dorset, and gives as localities for the butterfly Wotton-under-Edge, and

near Bristol, near Torquay, Sidmouth, and Seaton. Its range abroad

extends through Central and Southern Europe, to Armenia, Northern Asia

Minor, and Western Kurdistan. It is also found in North-West Africa,

where the males are greenish-blue with conspicuous black spots on the

outer margins of the hind wings; this is the var. _punctifera_.

The Holly Blue (_Cyaniris argiolus_).

About the beginning of the eighteenth century this butterfly (Plate

113) was known as the "Blue Speckt," but Harris, in 1775, changed the

name to the "Azure Blue." The male is a pretty lilac-tinged blue, with a

narrow black edging on the outer margin of the fore wings, often only in

evidence towards the tip, and a narrow black line on the outer margin of

the hind wings. The white fringes of the fore wings are distinctly

marked with black at the ends of the veins. The female is of the same

shade of blue, or sometimes much paler (var. _clara_, Tutt), with a

broad blackish border on the outer margin of the fore wings extending

along the front margin to about the middle; this border varies in width

and seems to be wider in summer specimens than in those of the earlier

flight; the discal mark on the fore wings is black, but this is

sometimes very faint; there is a series of black dots on the outer

margin of the wings.

[Illustration: _Pl._ 110

=Adonis Blue.=

1, 2, 4, 5, 9 _male_; 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 _female_.]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 111

=Adonis Blue.=

_Eggs, natural size and enlarged; caterpillars and chrysalis._]

Although the colour of the upper side is somewhat like that of the

Common Blue, it should not be confused with that species, as the under

side is very different both as regards the colour, which is

bluish-white, and the arrangement of the black spots. On the outer

margins of the wings in some specimens there are more or less distinct

traces of blackish crescents.

There is no considerable variation in this species, but the spots on the

under side are subject to slight modification in the matters of size and

shape; the borders also vary in width, and in the female the blue area

is thus sometimes much restricted. A gynandrous specimen has been

recorded, in which the right side is male.

The egg (Plate 112) is described as whitish or bluish-green in colour.

The full-grown caterpillar has a blackish head, the body is bright

yellowish-green with paler lines; eight rings from and including the

second are crested with two ridges of humps, between which lies the sunk

dorsal space; the whole skin of the body is velvety, with its surface

thickly covered with yellowish warty granules, each bearing a minute

bristly white hair. Sometimes the humps and the middle of the back are

marked with rose-pink.

The chrysalis is pale brownish-ochreous with a thin blackish-brown line

on the back of the brown freckled thorax; the body is marked with rather

blotchy arrow-head dashes, and some larger dark brown blotches; the

wing-cases are pale greyish freckled and outlined with brown, their

surface is smooth and rather more glistening than the other parts, which

are thickly studded with fine, short, brownish bristles. (Adapted from

Buckler.)

The following is a brief summary of a paper by Mr. R. Adkin (_Proc. S.

Lond. Ent. and Nat. Hist. Soc._ for 1896), in which he gives a most

interesting account of the earlier stages of the second brood of this

species.

At the time when the butterflies of the second brood are on the wing,

the flower-buds of the ivy (_Hedera helix_) are still young, and form

compact heads. The butterfly, having selected one of these heads,

settles upon its top, closes her wings over her back, and bending her

abdomen down and round underneath the buds, affixes an egg to the under

side of one of the slender single bud-stalks. In about a week the eggs

hatch. The young larva which in colour matches the buds very closely,

rests on the bud-stalk with its anterior segments, which completely

cover its head, pressed closely against the bud, and looks so exactly

like a slight swelling of the upper part of the stalk as to make

detection a matter of great difficulty, even with the aid of a fairly

powerful lens. The larva is very sluggish in its habits, seldom leaving

the head of the buds on which it is hatched, so long as sufficient food

remains for its nourishment, or occasionally when about to change its

skin. It appears to feed only at night, and its manner of feeding, which

is the same throughout its life, is to eat a round hole through the

outer shell of a bud, and pressing its head forward through it to clear

out the soft inside of the bud. In from four to six weeks it is

full-fed; it then quits the buds, and attaches itself by slender threads

to a leaf, and in a few days becomes a pupa, in which state it passes

the winter.

Normally the eggs of the spring butterflies are laid on the under side

of the calyces of flower-buds of holly (_Ilex_). The caterpillars feed

on the flower-buds and also on the young green berries. They are full

grown in about a month, change to chrysalids, and the butterflies emerge

in July and August. Among other pabula that have been mentioned are the

flowers of dogwood (_Cornus sanguinea_), berry-bearing alder (_Rhamnus

frangula_), and spindle (_Euonymus europæus_).

[Illustration: _Pl._ 112.

=Holly Blue.=

_Eggs enlarged; caterpillar and chrysalis._]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 113.

=Holly Blue.=

1, 2, 6 _male_; 3, 4, 7 _female (spring)_; 5 _male_; 8, 9 _female

(summer)_.]

In confinement the caterpillars will eat young leaves of holly and

probably of ivy also, but where flower-buds are available they prefer

them and ignore the tender leaves.

The Rev. Gilbert Raynor, on May 18, 1901, observed a female deposit an

egg on an unopened flower-bud of rhododendron in his garden; and he also

mentions that he beat a number of the caterpillars of all sizes from

holly during the first week of July in the same year.

Mr. Dennis reported that on October 9, 1902, all stages of the species

were to be found at Earl's Colne, Essex.

Butterflies of the first flight are usually to be seen in April and May,

and of the second, which is perhaps only partial and may not be

represented at all, in July and August. Specimens have been observed as

early as the last week of March, and, as adverted to above, as late as

October. For a few years in succession the species may become

increasingly numerous, and then suddenly become quite scarce for a year

or two. Most probably this is the result of favourable or unfavourable

weather conditions.

The taller hollies, where these grow in gardens, open woody places, on

hillsides, or even in hedgerows, are frequented by these butterflies in

the spring; and the ivy-clad walls, etc., are their haunts in the

summer.

The species is widely distributed, and often common, over the whole of

the south of England and Wales. North of the Midlands, as well as in

Ireland, it is more local, and occurs, I believe, only in the first

brood. Possibly in the South of Ireland there may be a second brood.

Barrett states that there is no reliable record for Scotland.

Abroad, its range extends throughout Europe and Northern Asia, except

the Polar Regions, to China and Japan. It also occurs in North Africa.

The Small Blue (_Zizera minima_).

The butterfly on Plate 115 is sometimes referred to as the "Bedford

Blue" and also as the "Little Blue."

Both sexes are blackish, or sooty-brown; the male is powdered, more or

less, with silvery-blue scales. The under side is greyish-white with a

tinge of blue at the base of each wing, but chiefly on the hind pair;

the spots are black encircled with white. As will be seen on turning to

the plate, there is variation in size. Fig. 5 represents a giant race

occurring in some localities, and the particular specimen depicted was

taken, with many others, on the coast near Lymington, Hants; it seems to

be referable to var. _alsoides_, Gerhard. Variation on the under side is

usually in the direction of complete absence of spots, but Mr. Joy has

recorded a specimen with the spots on the hind wings extended into

streaks of considerable but varying length.

Figures of the early stages will be found on Plate 114.

The egg is pale greenish in colour, netted with whitish; it is laid in

June on the calyx of a flower-bud, generally low down, of the

kidney-vetch (_Anthyllis vulneraria_).

According to Buckler, caterpillars hatched on June 21 from eggs laid

between the 16th and 18th of that month, and at once commenced to feed

on the flowers of the kidney-vetch, and made their way to the seed, for

which they evinced a marked preference. When full grown, the caterpillar

is brownish, sometimes tinged with pink. The fine bristles are dark

brown; there is a darker line along the middle of the back, and a line

of dark marks on each side. The head is black and shining.

The chrysalis is described by Buckler as "dirty whitish-grey,

approaching to drab, palest on the back of the abdomen, greyish on the

head and thorax, both of which are marked with a black dorsal stripe,

which is a little interrupted; on either side is a subdorsal row of

short slanting black dashes. The pale ground colour is sprinkled with

some very minute black specks. The head, thorax, and abdomen are hairy

with bristly whitish hairs." Although the caterpillars feed up rather

quickly and are full grown and apparently ready to assume the chrysalis

state, they do not effect the change until the following May or June.

[Illustration: _Pl._ 114.

=Small Blue.=

_Eggs, natural size and enlarged; caterpillar and chrysalids._]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 115.

=Small Blue.= 1 _male_; 2, 3 _female_; 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 _male vars_.

=Mazarine Blue.= 9, 11 _male_; 10, 12 _female_.]

The butterfly emerges in about three weeks, so it will be seen that this

species continues the caterpillar existence for something over ten

months.

On the Continent there are two broods of the butterfly, and in England

there appears to be a partial second flight in some years, as, for

instance, in 1901, when captures in August were reported from Herts,

Kent, Surrey, and Wilts. Its haunts are warm and sunny grassy hollows

and slopes, and it is often common in such places on the chalk hills in

the south, from the end of May to the end of June. According to Barrett

it is scarce in the Eastern Counties; widely distributed but local in

the Midland and Western Counties, even to Devon, and in Wales, where

chalk or limestone is found; also in extremely restricted localities in

Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumberland, and Durham, and in various places in

Scotland, extending as far north as Aberdeen. In Ireland it is much more

plentiful, especially on the limestone of the west and on the coast

hills near Belfast, and even frequents the sand-hills of the Dublin

coast.

It is widely spread over Europe, except the Polar parts, and,

apparently, the south of Portugal and Spain; its range extends eastward

to Amurland, Mongolia, and China.

The Mazarine Blue (_Nomiades semiargus_).

The male is dull purplish-blue, narrowly bordered with blackish on the

outer margin; the female is dark brown. On the underside both sexes are

pale greyish-brown, with a bluish tinge at the base; there is a black

discal spot and a series of black spots beyond, all ringed with white.

The egg is described as being white in colour and small, and round in

shape.

The caterpillar is of a dingy yellowish-green, with darker lines on the

back and sides; there are fine hairs on the body, and the head and

spiracles are dark brown (Rühl).

It feeds in July and August on the flowers and seeds of thrift (_Armeria

vulgaris_), kidney-vetch (_Anthyllis vulneraria_), and melilot

(_Melilotus officinalis_).

The chrysalis is rather oval in shape, pale olive-green in colour when

first formed, in September, but olive-brown later; it is attached by the

tail to a stalk of the food-plant and has a silken girdle (Rühl).

This butterfly (Plate 115) is the _cymon_ of Lewin, who, writing in

1795, considered it very rare. In 1828 Stephens refers to it as scarce

and local, "found in chalky districts in Norfolk, Cambridge, Yorkshire,

and Dorsetshire; also near Brockenhurst and Amesbury, Hants; and on

Windlesham Heath, Surrey, towards the end of May and of July." Newman

(1871) adds Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire,

Glamorganshire, Somersetshire, and Lincolnshire. Curtis gives

Leicestershire and Worcestershire. It seems to have been fairly common,

and even plentiful in some years around Glanville's Wotton, Dorset, but

has not been seen in that district since 1841; at Wotton-under-Edge,

Gloucester, it was not uncommon up to 1858; as late as 1864 it occurred

at Epworth, North Lincolnshire. Probably the latest captures in Britain

were the specimens taken in Glamorganshire in the years 1874-77. Tutt

mentions that the butterfly was taken near Cuxton in Kent, some

thirty-five years ago, but it has not since been seen in that locality.

Occurs in May and June and again in July and August over the greater

part of Europe; its range extends to Asia Minor, and eastward to

Siberia, Mongolia, and Amurland.

[Illustration: _Pl._ 116.

=Large Blue.=

_Egg, natural size and enlarged; chrysalis._]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 117.

=Large Blue.= 1, 5 _male_; 2, 3, 4, 6 _female_.

=Chalkhill Blue vars.= 7 _female_; 8 _do. var. syngrapha_.]

The Large Blue (_Nomiades arion_).

The butterfly on Plate 117, Figs. 1-6, is the largest "Blue" found in

this country. All the wings on the upper side are deep blue, and their

outer margins are bordered with blackish; the discal spot, and a row of

spots beyond, are black; the hind wings have a row of black dots on the

outer margin, and sometimes, and especially in the female, there is a

series of black dots just beyond the central area; the fringes are

white. The under side is greyish tinged with blue towards the base of

each wing, but covering nearly the whole of the basal third of the hind

pair; the spots are black ringed or edged with white; on the fore wings

there are two in the discal cell and a row of six beyond; on the hind

wings there are four or five before the discal spot, and a series of

seven beyond; all the wings have a double marginal series, and some

black dots at the ends of the nervules. Sometimes the wings have a

purplish tinge, and this is more usually so in Gloucestershire

specimens. The chief variation is in the number and the size of the

spots; these are occasionally only faintly in evidence, but more rarely

perhaps those beyond the discal spot on the fore wings are of large size

and bar or wedge-like in shape; the smaller cell-spot is often absent. A

dwarf form is stated to occur at times in all localities.

The complete life-history of this species has yet to be ascertained; no

one seems to be acquainted with the caterpillar after hibernation.

Pretty much all that is known of the early stages has been worked out by

Mr. Frohawk, who has published some very interesting accounts of his

observations in the _Entomologist_ for 1899 and 1903, and from these the

following details have been obtained.

The egg (Plate 116) is bluish-white in colour, and is laid singly among

the buds of wild thyme (_Thymus serpyllum_).

Caterpillars hatched on July 10 from eggs received the previous day;

they were placed upon thyme blossoms and soon commenced to feed, one

being observed to eat its way into the base of the calyx so that the

forepart of the caterpillar was hidden. In its colouring and downy

covering the caterpillar so closely resembles the flower-buds of the

thyme that it is very difficult to detect. After the third moult (July

26) the colour is a uniform, dull, ochreous-pink; there are four rows of

long curved hairs, each row composed of a single hair on each ring from

the fourth to the ninth inclusive; the first three rings have each a set

of three subdorsal hairs, those on the first ring curving forwards; the

bases of the hairs resemble glass-like pedestals with fluted sides. The

head is ochreous with dark brown markings in front. The caterpillar at

this stage develops an aversion to thyme or any other plant offered to

it, and seems to be anxious to hide itself in the ground.

The chrysalis, which is figured on Plate 116 (after Frohawk), is

ochreous when first formed, but becomes darker gradually; the

wing-cases, however, remain of the original colour, but their hind

margins darken. From a chrysalis found on July 12 the butterfly emerged

on July 16.

There is some evidence in favour of the supposition that this

caterpillar is in some way dependent upon ants for nourishment after the

third moult, if not before, but what the exact requirement may be is not

known. Probably the circumstances connected with the discovery of the

chrysalis in 1905 by Messrs. Frohawk & Rayward may afford a valuable

clue to the direction in which their future investigation will have to

be conducted. We may hope, therefore, that the mystery that has so long

hung over the last stages of the caterpillar will be solved before very

long.

Lewin (1795) and Donovan (1796) both refer to this as a rare English

butterfly. The former states that it is on the wing in July, and is

found on high chalky lands in different parts of the kingdom, having

been taken on the cliffs in the neighbourhood of Dover, Marlborough

Downs, the hills near Bath, and near Clifden in Bucks.

Stephens, in 1828, wrote of it as "an insect of great rarity." He

mentioned the localities given by the older authors, and added that it

had been taken in the Mouse's Pasture, near Bedford, in rocky situations

in North Wales, and had been plentiful near Winchester.

Newman (1871) wrote, "Its 'metropolis,' if I may borrow an expression

from the revered fathers of British entomology, is in South Devon; it

has occurred in some abundance in Somersetshire, and on the Cotswold

Hills in Gloucestershire; from Gloucestershire we ascend to a Midland

county, Northamptonshire, in which county (at Barnwell Wold) a

considerable number have been taken." One specimen was reported from

Charmouth in Dorsetshire, and the butterfly has also been recorded from

Herefordshire, but these are matters of ancient history. At the present

time the species is only to be found in limited numbers in the

Cotswolds; it seems to have become much rarer than formerly in its South

Devon locality, _i.e._ Bolthead, near Plymouth; one never hears of it

now from Clovelly, in North Devon, where, according to Dale, it was once

reported to be abundant. In 1891 Messrs. Waterhouse obtained a fine

series of specimens in West Cornwall, and since that time the district

has been annually visited by an increasing number of entomologists.

Judging from the "big bags" that are made each year it would seem that

the butterfly has a very strong and widely distributed settlement in

those parts.

Abroad it is distributed throughout Europe, except the Polar and the

south-western parts, and is also found in Armenia, Bithynia, and South

Siberia.

* * * * *

Our next species belongs to the Nemeobiinæ, a sub-family of Lemoniidæ =

Erycinidæ. Only one member of the family is known to occur in Europe;

this is _Nemeobius lucina_.

As the fore legs of the male butterfly are aborted, and are therefore

useless for walking, the species would seem to come near the Nymphalidæ,

in which the fore legs of the butterflies, in both sexes, are reduced.

In its early stages, however, the species seems to be most nearly

related to the Lycænidæ.

The Duke of Burgundy Fritillary (_Nemeobius lucina_).

This butterfly is figured on Plate 120. The male is black, with three

transverse tawny bands on the fore wings; these are crossed by the black

veins, and so form series of irregular spots. Those on the outer margin

have black centres; on the hind wings there are three or four tawny

spots on the disc, and a series of black centred tawny spots on the

outer area. The female is similar to the male, but the tawny markings

are wider, so that the fore wings appear to be of this colour, with a

black patch at the base, two black irregular lines, and a series of

black spots on the outer margin. On the under side of the hind wings

there are two transverse series of whitish spots, and a series of black

spots on the outer margin. The wings of this sex are always broader than

those of the male, and the apex of the fore wings is not so distinctly

pointed. Variation is not usually of a very pronounced character, and in

a general way it consists mainly in a greater or lesser amount of black

in the male, and this more particularly on the hind wings, and an

increase in the tawny colour in the female; in the latter sex, outer

marginal black spots are sometimes absent from all the wings. Barrett

mentions two extreme aberrations. In one, a female, the usually dark

spaces, bands, and veins are of an exceedingly pale brown, suffused with

fulvous, so as to be comparatively indistinct; another example, a male,

has the basal area of the fore wings pale, and the first transverse dark

band absent.

[Illustration: _Pl._ 118.

1, 3 =Common Blue vars.=, _male_; 6 _do. female_.

2, 5, 8, 11 =Adonis Blue vars.=, _male_; 4, 7, _do. female_.

9, 10 =Chalkhill Blue vars.=, _female_; 12 _do. male_.]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 119.

1, 2, 3 =Small Copper vars.=; 4 =Adonis Blue var.=

5 =Common Blue var.=; 6, 7, 8 =Gatekeeper vars.=]

The eggs of this species are to be found at the end of May on the

under sides of the leaves of the cowslip (_Primula veris_), sometimes as

many as ten on one leaf, but as a rule there will only be one or two on

a plant. When laid, the egg is very glassy in appearance, but it

gradually turns to a pinkish-grey; and when the caterpillar is formed

inside, the shell becomes transparent, and its occupant can be clearly

seen. It eats a considerable portion of the shell in making its exit

therefrom, and afterwards consumes the remainder of the shell. When in

its last skin the caterpillar is brown, covered with short whitish hair,

among which are some longer dark brown or blackish hairs; the lines on

the back and sides are blackish, and there are black dots on the front

part of each segment or ring. Head, honey brown, notched on the crown;

eyes and jaws, brownish. It feeds from June to August on cowslip, but

will also eat primrose (_Primula vulgaris_), and hides among dead and

withered leaves beneath the food-plant (Plate 121).

The chrysalis is pale whity-brown, hairy above, with black dots; head

and the upper edge of the wing-cases streaked with black.

Occasionally a few butterflies emerge in August, but they usually remain

in the chrysalis until May or June.

This is a woodland species, and prefers the sunny but sheltered nooks

and glades, but also resorts to the broader rides and pathways. Flowers

do not seem to have any strong attraction for it, but it may often be

seen sitting on the foliage of a bush or sapling tree. It appears to be

pretty widely distributed, although to a certain extent local,

throughout the southern half of England, but seems to have almost or

quite disappeared from the counties of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and

Essex. Dumfries is the only locality in Scotland from which it has been

reported.

Its distribution abroad is limited to Central Europe, Denmark, Livonia,

Southern Sweden, Central Spain, North Italy, and the Balkans.

Now follow the Skippers (Hesperiidæ), of which kind of butterfly we have

eight species in England. Of these the first two belong to the

Hesperiinæ and the others to the Pamphilinæ.

The Grizzled Skipper (_Hesperia malvæ_).

The wings of the butterfly figured on Plate 122 are blackish, ornamented

with numerous white spots, which are more or less square in shape, on

the fore wings. The fringes are chequered black and white.

The male differs from the female in having the front edge of the fore

wings folded towards the base, and these wings have scattered greyish

scales on the basal area; the central series of spots on the hind wings

are also more in evidence, and not infrequently unite and become

band-like. Variation consists in modification of the markings, chiefly

in a tendency of the spots to run together, culminating in var. _taras_,

Bergstr., in which the white spots of the fore wings are confluent and

form a large blotch. This variety was figured by Petiver in 1717, but

was not named by Bergsträsser until 1780. Haworth described it as

_lavateræ_, and Newman figured it under the same name.

On a small plant of Alpine strawberry, sent by the Rev. Gilbert Raynor,

were three eggs of this butterfly. These were pale green in colour,

ribbed, and delicately netted with cross-lines. On June 26, three

caterpillars were noticed on the upper side of the leaves, each on a

separate leaf, and under cover of a few coarse silken threads. They were

pale steely-grey, with black heads, and plates on the first and last

segments of the body.

As the supply of strawberry foliage was failing, the caterpillars

were given bramble on July 21, and the next day each was found enclosed

in a sort of envelope formed of a bramble leaf. They were then seemingly

in their last skin, whitish-green in colour, and covered with short

whitish hair; a whitish edged dark olive-brown line along the back, and

similar lines on the sides; between the rings the colour was pale

ochreous. The date of pupation was not noted, but on September 9, one of

the spun-together bramble leaves was opened, and a chrysalis found

within. This was pale brown, with dark brown or blackish marks along the

back and sides; the head and back were covered with dense pale

reddish-brown bristles; the wing, leg, and antennæ cases were greenish,

smooth, and shaded with brownish. Between the head and first ring of the

body above there was a deep furrow, with a black-centred white spot on

each side of it (Plate 123).

[Illustration: _Pl._ 120.

=Duke of Burgundy Fritillary.= 1, 2, 4 _male_; 3, 5 _female_.

=Milkweed Butterfly.= 6 _male_.]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 121.

=Duke of Burgundy Fritillary.=

_Egg enlarged; caterpillar and chrysalis._]

Besides the plants adverted to above, the caterpillars will eat

raspberry (_Rubus idæus_) and cinquefoil (_Potentilla fragariastrum_ and

P. _reptans_).

The butterfly is pretty generally distributed in Great Britain, but does

not seem to be common in Ireland, as Kane only mentions two examples,

from Killarney. It is found in May and June on chalk downs and other

hillsides, especially in the hollows and sheltered nooks, also in and

around woods, and in rough fields. On dull days and at night it may be

found sitting, with the wings erect over the back, on various

seed-heads, etc.

The species is double brooded on the Continent, and occasionally a few

butterflies will appear in August, but such emergences depend on a

combination of favourable circumstances. In very forward seasons it has

been seen on the wing during the last week in April.

Its range extends over Europe and into Northern Asia.

* * * * *

As Barrett refers to the capture in Norfolk (May or June, 1860) of

several specimens of the Central and South European species, _H.

alveus_, Hüb., it maybe well to mention it here, if only for the purpose

of quoting his remarks thereon. After detailing the facts connected with

the occurrence, he states, "It seems undesirable now to introduce the

species to a place in the British list, but rather to record the

captures in question as specimens accidentally introduced with plants,

or else the result of a very exceptional act of migration."

The Dingy Skipper (_Thanaos tages_).

The wings are fuscous, with darker fuscous transverse bands on the

middle third of the fore wings; the space between these is sometimes,

and in both sexes, whitish; there are some whitish spots on the outer

band, usually towards the costa, but occasionally on the middle also,

and a series of white points on the outer margin of all the wings. The

hind wings have a whitish discal dot and a band beyond the middle, which

is almost parallel with the outer margin. The male has a well-marked

fold on the costa (Plate 122).

The egg is whitish-green when freshly laid; it afterwards changes in

colour to orange. The caterpillar is yellowish-green with a darker line

along the back and a paler line on each side; the spiracles are red and

edged with whitish. The head is pale brown, striped and marked with

purplish-black. The body, together with the head, is covered with a

short whitish pile. It feeds on bird's-foot trefoil (_Lotus

corniculatus_) from June until August, when it hibernates. I have not

seen the chrysalis, but it has been described as dark green with the

body tinged with rosy red.

The butterfly is on the wing in May and June; in some seasons it has

been seen as early as the end of April. Very occasionally, perhaps,

there is a partial second flight in August. It has been reported as

plentiful at Lyme Regis in August.

I took one or two specimens about the middle of August, 1903, in the

New Forest district, and in the same month of 1905 one of two

caterpillars sent to me by Dr. Chapman pupated in August, and the

butterfly emerged some time in the autumn, as I found it dead in the box

early in October. Both the caterpillars had spun together sprays of the

food-plant as shown in the figure, Plate 123. One was removed for its

portrait to be taken, and it was supposed that the other bundle

contained a caterpillar also, and was not examined.

[Illustration: _Pl._ 122.

=Grizzled Skipper.=

1, 2, 7 _male_; 4, 5, 8 _female_; 3 _var. male_; 6 _do. female_.

=Dingy Skipper.=

9, 10, 12 _male_; 11, 13, 14 _female_.]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 123.

=Dingy Skipper.=

_Eggs, natural size and enlarged; caterpillar and its shelter._

=Grizzled Skipper.=

_Eggs, natural size and enlarged; caterpillar and shelter; chrysalis

in cocoon._]

The butterfly affects open places in, or the edges of, woods in chalky

districts, also the slopes of chalk downs and other hillsides, as well

as railway banks and even rough fields. It evidently delights in

sunshine, and may often be seen basking on a stone or the bare earth.

When at rest at night or on dull days it sits on a dead seed-head or

grass glume, with the wings closed down over its back like a noctuid

moth, and is then difficult to detect until the eye becomes accustomed

to its appearance. It is widely distributed in Great Britain, but it is

more at home on chalk and limestone than elsewhere. In such localities

as the fens of Norfolk and Cambridge it is scarce, and seems to have a

rather limited distribution in Ireland, in which country Galway is its

headquarters, according to Kane.

Abroad, it is found throughout Europe, and its range extends to Western

Asia.

The Small Skipper (_Adopæa thaumas_).

All the wings are brownish-orange, with the veins darker and becoming

black towards the outer margins, especially on the fore wings. The male

has a black sexual mark (Plate 125).

Except that the colour varies in the direction of a pale golden tint

there is little in the way of aberration in this butterfly. At least one

gynandrous specimen has been recorded.

The following descriptions of the early stages (Plate 124), as well as

the figures of the caterpillar and the chrysalis, are from Buckler's

"Larvæ of British Butterflies":--

The egg "is of a long oval figure, half as long again as wide, the

shell glistening, devoid of ribs or reticulation; at first white, then

turning dull yellowish, and at last paler again, with the dark head of

the caterpillar showing through. The young caterpillar eats part of the

empty egg-shell."

The full-grown caterpillar is of a delicate light green, the stripe

along the back is rather bluish-green, with paler green central and side

lines; the spiracles are flesh-coloured, and below these there is a

somewhat creamy-white stripe. The head is deeper green than the body,

and roughened with minute points. It feeds in June on _Holcus lanatus_,

_Brachypodium sylvaticum_, and probably other kinds of soft grasses, and

its assimilation, both in colour and texture, with the blades of grass

is remarkable. Before changing to the chrysalis it encloses itself

within two or sometimes three leaves of the grass, joined together

longitudinally by lacing or spinning with white silk, the edges more or

less close to each other, and becomes completely hidden.

The chrysalis is secured in the silken chamber, head upward, by an

oblique cincture behind the thorax, and the anal tip fastened by a

fan-like spread of fine hooks at the extremity fixed in the silk. The

colour is similar to that of the caterpillar, and the lines are fairly

in evidence. Caterpillars that spun up on June 18 to 23 produced

butterflies on July 15 and 16.

Hellins states that eggs were laid in a row in a folded blade of grass

about July 29, and that the caterpillars hatched out on August 12.

According to Hawes, the caterpillar of this species does not hatch from

the egg until the following spring.

Although it does not seem to be very plentiful in fenlands, this

butterfly certainly has a partiality for damp places, whether in the

rides, or on the sides of woods, on hill slopes, or waste ground.

Wherever there is a fairly large growth of the taller soft grasses that

the caterpillars feed upon, there the butterfly may be found in July and

August throughout the greater part of England and Wales. Reported from

the Edinburgh district in Scotland; and in Ireland from Powerscourt and

near Cork.

[Illustration: _Pl._ 124.

=Small Skipper.=

_Caterpillar and chrysalis._

=Essex Skipper.=

_Eggs, natural size and enlarged; caterpillar._

=Lulworth Skipper.=

_Eggs enlarged; caterpillar and chrysalis._]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 125.

=Small Skipper.= 1, 3 _male_; 2, 4 _female_.

=Essex Skipper.= 5, 7 _male_; 6, 8 _female_.

=Lulworth Skipper.= 9, 11 _male_; 10, 12 _female_.]

The Essex Skipper (_Adopæa lineola_).

This butterfly is very like the Small Skipper, but may be separated from

it, in both sexes, by the black under sides of the knobs of the antennæ.

The black sexual mark in the male is finer, shorter, and much less

oblique (Plate 125).

The egg (Plate 124) is pale greenish-yellow, oval in shape, flattened

above and below; the top is slightly depressed. The eggs are deposited

in July or August, in dried grass seed-heads and inside the sheath of a

leaf, and the caterpillars, according to Hawes, do not hatch until

April.

The caterpillar is green, with the incisions between the rings

yellowish; there is a darker green stripe on the back, and the lines on

the sides are yellow. The head is pale brown and striped with darker

brown. It feeds from April to June on coarse grasses, such as _Triticum

repens_. When full grown "it spins together the stems of the grass low

down, with a network of white silk for pupation" (Hawes). The chrysalis

is described as being long, yellowish-green in colour, and retaining the

dark dorsal stripe seen in the caterpillar.

No doubt this butterfly has been with us all the time, but it appears

to have escaped detection until the year 1888, when Mr. Hawes, in July

of that year, met with it in Essex. He, however, did not then consider

the three specimens that he had taken with _A. thaumas_ anything more

than queer varieties of that species, and it was not until January,

1890, that the fact of _A. lineola_ being British was published. Since

that time this Skipper has been found in a great many parts of Essex,

but chiefly along the coast, and in such localities as Benfleet, Canvey,

Dovercourt, Shoeburyness, Southend, etc. At Hadleigh it is often very

abundant. Other localities are Sheerness, Cliffe, and Gravesend, in

Kent. It has also been reported from near Sudbury, and from Harwich, and

Chappel in Suffolk; from Ashton Wold in Northamptonshire. In 1898 five

specimens, identified by the Rev. Gilbert Raynor, were taken near

Bedford. Barrett, who mentions Wicken Fen and Burwell among other

localities, says that it has a "partiality for the embankments which

protect the cultivated land from the inroad of the high tides which

flood the salt marshes. Here it flits about, or sits on the coarse

seaside grasses or on blossoms of thistle, or _Lotus corniculatus_,

indicating rather sluggish habits, yet flying swiftly when disturbed.

Further inland it seems to frequent chalky hillsides and marshes." It is

on the wing in July and August.

The species is found in all parts of the Palæarctic Region except the

most northern and the Canary Isles.

The Lulworth Skipper (_Adopæa actæon_).

Compared with the other two species on Plate 125, the coloration of this

butterfly is somewhat dingy; it is, however, enlivened, especially in

the female, by a short dash and a curved series of orange spots in the

upper half of the fore wings. The male has a black sexual mark which is

very similar to that of the Small Skipper. There seems to be very little

to note in variation, except that the orange markings referred to are

subject to modification, and in the male may be altogether absent. An

example taken at Swanage, in 1903, had the wings on the left side male,

and those on the right side female.

The egg, figured, from a photograph, on Plate 124, is whitish, faintly

tinged with yellowish.

The mature caterpillar is pale greyish, or yellowish, green, with the

dorsal vessel darker, and edged with a slender pale yellow line on

either side, and enclosing a pale longitudinal line along its middle. A

narrow yellowish line runs above on the side and a broader one below.

The two dorsal lines are prolonged as far as the middle of the head, and

run to the end of the flat anal shield, which is narrowly edged with

pale yellow. The head is greenish with two yellowish lines. The two

snow-white patches on the under side of the ninth and tenth rings of the

body are conspicuous as in _lineola_, _sylvanus_, and _comma_. This

white substance is spread out at the tail end of the caterpillar of

_actæon_, when it has formed its chrysalis case (Zeller).

Buckler, referring to four caterpillars found on _Brachypodium

sylvaticum_, June 11, states that they completed their growth on a diet

of _Triticum repens_. They ate out wedge-shaped portions from the sides

of the grass blades, and when they had finished their repast, they

crawled down to the middle of the blade, and there spun a coating of

white silk from one side to the other, causing the two edges of the

blade to draw together a little, and then in the silk-lined hollow they

rested until hunger obliged them to ascend the blade again for another

meal. About June 23 they had ceased to feed, and were beginning to

fasten themselves within more closely constructed retreats, formed where

two blades of grass obliquely crossed each other. The colour of the

chrysalis is similar to that of the caterpillar, and the lines are

faintly traceable. The butterflies appeared July 14 to 18, emerging at

night, and ready for flight in the morning.

This insect received its English name in 1832, when it was first

discovered in this country at Lulworth Cove, in Dorsetshire. It has

since been found to occur at Durdle Cove, and the Burning Cliff,

Weymouth, and the latter locality appears to be its most eastern limit.

Its range extends westward along the coast of Dorsetshire and Devonshire

to Sidmouth, Seaton, and Torquay; and there are records of its having

been observed in Cornwall. According to Mr. E.R. Bankes, as quoted by

Barrett, this butterfly is not confined to the coast line in Dorset, but

is to be found in two or three spots along the chalk range of the

Purbeck Hills, at a distance of four or five miles from the sea. He also

states that the species is only single brooded, that the best time for

it is from the beginning of July to the middle of August, and that the

food-plant of the caterpillar is _Brachypodium pinnatum_.

The blossoms of rest-harrow (_Ononis arvensis_) are said to be the

particular vanity of the butterfly, and it is seldom found visiting any

other flower. Abroad the species is not especially attached to the

sea-coast, but occurs inland throughout Central and Southern Europe, its

range extending to Asia Minor and Syria, and also to North-West Africa.

The Large Skipper (_Augiades sylvanus_).

The male has the discal area of the fore wings bright fulvous, and the

outer area broadly brown; the sexual mark is black; the hind wings are

tinged with fulvous on the disc, and have brighter fulvous spots. The

female is brown with a fulvous discal wedge on the fore wings, and an

angulate series of fulvous spots beyond; hind wings as in the male, but

spots rather more defined. In some examples of this sex the spots on the

fore wings are confluent, and the discal area is then fulvous as in the

male (Plate 126).

The egg is whitish or greenish-white, and is laid on a blade of grass.

Hellins states that from eggs laid about July 1 the caterpillars hatched

on July 13; they chose cocks-foot grass (_Dactylis glomerata_) for food,

and rested in the middle of a blade, fastening its edges across with

five or six distinct little ropes of white silk.

The young caterpillar figured on Plate 127 was on September 11 about

half an inch in length, and had been removed from the grass tube, also

shown, to be figured; the head was then pale brown, bordered and lined

with purplish brown; the body was darkish green, paler on the last ring,

and with darker lines on the back and sides. After hibernation (the

figure of this stage of the caterpillar is from Buckler), in May, the

caterpillar is about one inch long, pale green in colour; the skin is

thickly covered with very short dark brown bristles, "the head dirty

white with a dark brown stripe down the outer edge of each lobe, the

neck whitish-green" (Hellins).

The chrysalis was formed in the grass cocoon shown with it. The general

colour was brown with the wing-cases darker, and a darker suffusion on

the back.

The egg-laying of this butterfly has been observed by Mr. Ullyett, who

states that the female, having selected a suitable grass-stem, deposits

eggs in a line in a sheath formed by the leaf round the stem. The

caterpillars hibernate in tubes of grass, and feed up in the spring.

This butterfly has been supposed to be double brooded, but there does

not seem to be any direct evidence that this is so. It is on the wing in

grassy places on the slopes of downs and other hillsides, also in rides,

and on the margins of woods, from early June until well into July, and

sometimes even later in the year. It is found in most of our English

counties, and also in Scotland, south of the Forth. In Ireland it is not

uncommon in a meadow in Lord Kenmare's demesne, Killarney, and has been

recorded from the Morrough of Wicklow.

Abroad its distribution extends through Europe and Northern Asia to

China and Japan, and also to North Africa.

The Silver-spotted Skipper (_Augiades comma_).

This butterfly is very similar on the upper side to the Large Skipper,

but the spots, especially those nearest the front edge of the fore

wings, are yellower. On the under side the greenish tinge of the ground

colour, and the silvery spots, make the identification quite easy. The

black sex mark in the male is very similar to that of the last species

(Plate 126).

The males vary a little in the width of the marginal border, and in some

females there is almost as much fulvous on the discal area of the wings

as in the male; in the darkest females the spots always appear paler

than in fulvous specimens. On the under side the ground colour is

sometimes olive-brown rather than green.

The following account of the life-history of this butterfly is adapted

from Mr. Frohawk's article on the subject published in the

_Entomologist_ for 1901:--

In August, whilst watching some of the butterflies on the wing over a

patch of chalky ground covered with a short dense growth of various

grasses, etc., he noted a female hovering close over the plants.

Presently it settled on a tuft of hair grass (_Aira cæspitosa_), and

after walking over and among it a little time, she curved her abdomen

down, and deposited a single egg on one of the fine hair-like blades,

or, rather, spines, and close by, within an inch, another egg was found.

Afterwards some plants of this grass were potted up, and some females

placed on them. These deposited a large number of eggs upon the

grass-stems and blades.

The egg when newly laid is pearl white with the slightest

yellowish-green tinge, which very gradually turns deeper in colour,

assuming a pale straw-yellow on the sixth day, and so it remains until

January, when it becomes paler.

The caterpillar hatches out at the end of March or early in April. It

does not eat the empty egg-shell, but directly after leaving the egg it

starts spinning the fine grass together into a somewhat dense cluster an

inch or two above the ground. In this compact shelter the larva lives

and feeds upon the grass surrounding it, remaining almost always

completely hidden. Sometimes as many as three or four live together.

When full grown and about one hundred days old, the caterpillar is of a

dull olive-green colour, with a black collar on the first ring, and the

entire surface densely sprinkled with minute shining black warts, each

emitting a tiny amber-coloured spine with a cleft knobbed apex. The head

is blackish marked with ochreous lines. It still resides in a tube of

grass spun closely together, and feeds on any other kind of grass that

happens to be interwoven with the _Aira_. Just before pupation the

caterpillar often crawls restlessly about, but in some instances it does

not leave its place of feeding, and spins a strong, coarse network

cocoon among the grass close to the ground, weaving the gnawed loose

pieces of grass with the fine stems and blades, and therein pupates

during the latter part of July.

[Illustration: _Pl._ 126.

=Large Skipper.= 1, 3, _male_; 2, 4 _female_.

=Silver-Spotted Skipper.= 5, 7 _male_; 6, 8 _female_.

=Chequered Skipper.= 9, 10 _male_; 11 _female_.]

[Illustration: _Pl._ 127.

=Large Skipper.=

_Egg, natural size and enlarged; caterpillars, chrysalis and cocoon._

=Silver-spotted Skipper.=

_Egg, natural size and enlarged; caterpillar._

=Chequered Skipper.=

_Egg enlarged and caterpillar._]

The chrysalis is secured in the cocoon by hooks at the tail and by

hooked bristles on the head; the head and thorax are pale olive mottled

with blackish; the body olive, spotted with dark olive, and inclining to

yellow on the ventral surface; below each spiracle is a short

longitudinal mark; the spiracles are amber-brown.

The butterfly is to be found in August on most of our chalk hills, but

has not been recorded from either Scotland or Ireland.

It is a very quick flyer and difficult to capture when on the wing, but

it is fond of sitting on low-growing thistles, and is then sometimes

easy to take. Abroad it occurs throughout Europe and Northern Asia to

China and Japan.

The Chequered Skipper (_Carterocephalus palæmon_).

The well-defined yellow or orange spots on the blackish-brown ground

colour distinguish this butterfly from all other British Skippers.

The variation is only of a minor kind, and chiefly in the direction of

an increase or a decrease in the number and the size of the spots.

Occasionally those on the central area of the fore wings are much

enlarged and more or less confluent; and the spots on the outer margin

of the hind wings are sometimes very small or entirely absent.

The following particulars of the early stages are abstracted from Mr.

Frohawk's life-history of the species (_Entomologist_, 1892):--

Living females received in June were placed on a growing plant of brome

grass (_Bromus asper_), and a few eggs were deposited, some upon the

blades of grass, others upon the gauze-covered glass jar in which the

plant was placed; they were laid singly, firmly adhering to whatever

laid upon. The first lot of eggs were deposited on June 14. The egg has

a pearly appearance, being whitish or yellowish-white in colour. Ten

days after the egg is deposited the young caterpillar emerges by eating

away the crown. Soon after hatching out the young caterpillar makes a

little tubular dwelling, drawing together the edges of the grass-blade

by spinning about three or four stout cords of silk, which quickly

contract, causing the edges to draw together, and sometimes to overlap,

forming a compact short tube; generally before spinning it nibbles off

the extreme edge of the blade where the silk is afterwards attached. It

feeds upon the blade both above and below its abode, devouring so much

that frequently only the midrib of the blade remains, and the tube only

just long enough to conceal it; it then shifts its quarters, and

prepares a new home.

On October 3, when one hundred and one days old, the caterpillar was

pale primrose-yellow, and the stripes of a slightly darker hue, the

white lateral line showing clearly, and spiracles brownish; the head

pale buff with a faint lilac tinge, with a black patch above the mouth

and brownish at the sides. In the previous stage the caterpillar was

whitish-green with a rather dark green line along the middle of the

back, this line bordered on each side by an almost white, very fine

line, followed by alternate darker and lighter lines, the lightest being

extremely fine; "then a subdorsal darker green line, bordered laterally

by a conspicuous whitish line, which is again bordered below by a paler

and indistinct green line, and a very faint spiracular whitish stripe,

on which the spiracles are placed; they are white, outlined by a dark

but indistinct ring; the under surface is whitish-green."

About the middle of October the hibernaculum was formed by spinning two

blades of grass together at the edges, so making a tube, in which the

caterpillar remained during the winter. On March 21 it left its retreat,

but did not seem to feed, and generally remained quiet, lying along a

grass-blade. On April 3 "it had drawn together with silk six blades of

grass at the ends, forming a tent-like structure, and along the surface

of one of the broadest a little carpet of silk was spun, upon which it

rested with its head uppermost; a silk cord also encircled its body

round the fourth segment." It assumed the chrysalis state on April 8,

and had then passed two hundred and eighty-nine days in the caterpillar

condition. The chrysalis measures five-eighths of an inch in length, is

fairly cylindrical, but tapering to the tail. "Dorsal view: the head is

pointed in front in the form of a short conical beak; the eyes are

rather prominent; the thorax is swollen in the middle, the widest part,

and then gradually tapers towards the last segment, which is elongated

and flattened. Lateral view: the beak is slightly upturned, the thorax

convexed, and the segment next to the thorax is rather swollen in the

middle, so forming a rather decided depression at the base of the

thorax, where the silken cord passes round; the body gradually tapering

to the last segment, which terminates in a long compressed curved

process furnished with long hooks; the wing-cases extend down two-thirds

its length, and only very little, if at all, swollen; the antennæ and

legs are but feebly modelled; the tongue is well defined, it is dusky at

the base, blending into black at the apex; the colour is of a very pale

primrose-yellow, shading into pearly grey, and semi-transparent on the

head, wings, and flap; a dark medio-dorsal line commences at the base of

the beak, and passes down the entire length, gradually fading off in the

anal extremity; it is blackest on the head and first abdominal segment,

and palest on the thorax, where it is light brown; there are two

rust-red subdorsal lines, which run parallel from the base of the

antennæ to the last segment; another similar line, united along the

inner margin of the wing, passes over two spiracles, and then runs

parallel with the subdorsal lines.... The antennæ and wings are faintly

outlined with dusky brown. In general appearance and colouring the pupa

closely resembles a piece of dead withered grass."

A female butterfly emerged on May 20, the transformation from egg to

perfect insect thus occupying about eleven months. This local butterfly

is on the wing in June; sometimes it is seen in the latter part of May,

and, more rarely perhaps, in July.

This species appears to have been first noticed as an inhabitant of

Britain in 1798, in which year specimens were taken in Clapham Park

Wood, Bedfordshire, by Dr. Abbott, who, four years later, also reported

the butterfly from White Wood, Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire. In 1823 it was

found to occur at Castor Hanglands, near Peterborough; and in 1841

Doubleday met with it, in large numbers, in Monk's Wood,

Huntingdonshire. Among other localities from which it has been reported

are Ropsley Wood, near Grantham, Notts, and Wychwood Forest,

Oxfordshire.

In its special localities, which, at the present time, are chiefly the

larger woods in Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Buckinghamshire, it

frequents the flowers of ground ivy (_Nepeta glechoma_) and of the bugle

(_Ajuga reptans_).

Abroad it is locally common in various parts of Central Europe; also

occurs in Finland, Central and Northern Russia, Dalmatia, Piedmont, and

in Labrador, and other parts of North America.

A CLASSIFIED LIST OF THE BRITISH BUTTERFLIES

=Papilionidæ.=

PAPILIONINÆ

Papilio machaon

PIERINÆ

Aporia cratægi

Pieris brassicæ

" rapæ

" napi

" daplidice

_Pontia daplidice_

Euchloë cardamines

Leucophasia sinapis

_Leptidia sinapis_

Colias hyale

_Eurymus kirbyi_

Colias edusa

_Eurymus hyale_

Gonepteryx rhamni

_Colias rhamni_

=Nymphalidæ.=

APATURINÆ

Apatura iris

NYMPHALINÆ

Limenitis sibylla

_Limenitis camilla_

Polygonia c-album

_Grapta c-album_

Vanessa polychloros

_Eugonia polychloros_

Vanessa urticæ

_Aglais urticæ_

Vanessa io

" antiopa

_Euvanessa antiopa_

Pyrameis cardui

" atalanta

Argynnis paphia

" adippe

" aglaia

" lathonia

" euphrosyne

_Brenthis euphrosyne_

Argynnis selene

_Brenthis selene_

Melitæa athalia

" cinxia

" aurinia

DANAINÆ

Anosia plexippus

SATYRINÆ

Melanargia galatea

Erebia epiphron

_Melampias epiphron_

Erebia æthiops

Satyrus semele

_Hipparchia semele_

Pararge egeria

" megæra

_Satyrus megæra_

Epinephele ianira

_Epinephele jurtina_

Epinephele tithonus

Aphantopus hyperanthus

_Hipparchia hyperanthus_

_Enodia hyperanthus_

Coenonympha typhon

_Coenonympha tiphon_

Coenonympha pamphilus

=Lycænidæ.=

LYCÆNINÆ

Zephyrus betulæ

_Thecla betulæ_

Zephyrus quercus

_Thecla quercus_

Thecla pruni

" w-album

Callophrys rubi

_Thecla rubi_

Chrysophanus dispar

_Polyommatus dispar_

_Lycæna dispar_

Chrysophanus phlæas

_Polyommatus phlæas_

_Lycæna phlæas_

Lampides boeticus

_Lycæna boeticus_

Cupido argiades

_Lycæna argiades_

Lycæna argus

_Lycæna ægon_

_Plebeius argus_

Lycæna astrarche

_Lycæna agestis_

Lycæna icarus

_Plebeius alexis_

_Polyommatus icarus_

Lycæna corydon

_Polyommatus corydon_

Lycæna bellargus

_Lycæna adonis_

_Polyommatus thetis_

Cyaniris argiolus

Zizera minima

_Lycæna minima_

Nomiades semiargus

_Lycæna acis_

_ " semiargus_

Nomiades arion

_Polyommatus arion_

_Lycæna arion_

=Lemoniidæ.=

NEMEOBIINÆ

Nemeobius lucina

=Hesperiidæ.=

HESPERIINÆ

Hesperia malvæ

Thanaos tages

_Nisoniades tages_

PAMPHILINÆ

Adopæa thaumas

" lineola

" actæon

Augiades comma

_Erynnis comma_

Augiades sylvanus

Carterocephalus palæmon

_Pamphila palæmon_

INDEX.

* Species so marked in this Index are _reputed_ British.

Adonis Blue, 170. _Plates_ 110, 111, 119

_Adopæa actæon_, 190, _Plates_ 124, 125;

_lineola_, 189, _Plates_ 124, 125;

_thaumas_, 187, _Plates_ 124, 125

Ammonia jar, 19

Androconia, 14

Angles of wings, 12. Fig. 9

_Anosia menippe_, 106;

_plexippus_, 106, _Plates_ 72, 120

Antennæ, 4, 9

_Apatura iris_, 56, _Plates_ 28, 29, 31;

var. _iole_, 57, _Plate_ 31

_Aphantopus hyperanthus_, 130, _Plates_ 88, 89;

var. _arete_, 131;

var. _cæca_, 131, _Plate_ 89;

var. _lanceolata_, 131;

var. _obsoleta_, 131

_Aporia cratægi_, 32. _Plates_ 4, 5

_Argynnis adippe_, 87, _Plates_ 53, 54, 57;

var. _cleodoxa_, 88;

var. _locuples_, 89;

_aglaia_, 89, _Plates_ 55, 59, 61;

var. _charlotta_, 90;

_euphrosyne_, 94, _Plates_ 56, 64, 65;

_lathonia_, 91, _Plates_, 58, 63;

_niobe_,* 88; _paphia_, 84, _Plates_ 50, 51, 52, 57;

var. _valesina_, 84, Plates 52, 57;

_selene_, 96, _Plates_ 56, 62, 66

Armature, 2

"Arran Brown," 117

_Augiades comma_, 193, _Plates_ 126, 127;

_sylvanus_, 192, _Plates_ 126, 127

Bath White, 41. _Plates_ 12, 14

Benzine, 28

Black Hairstreak, 143. _Plates_ 96, 97

Black-veined White, 32. _Plates_ 3, 4

Bloxworth Blue, 156, _Plates_ 102, 103

Board for Flat-setting, 22. Figs. 15-17

Brace and Band Modes of Setting, 24. Fig. 20

Brimstone, 54. _Plates_ 25, 26

Brown Argus, 161. _Plates_ 104, 105

" Hairstreak, 138. _Plates_ 94, 95

_Callophrys rubi_, 147. _Plates_ 96, 97

Camberwell Beauty, 73. _Plates_ 41, 42, 43

_Carterocephalus palæmon_, 195. _Plates_ 126, 127

Caterpillar stage, 2

Chalk Hill Blue, 127. _Plates_ 108, 109, 117

Chequered Skipper, 195. _Plates_ 126, 127

Chloroform Bottle, 19

Chorion, 1

Chrysalis, 6

_Chrysophanus dispar_, 148, _Plates_ 98, 99;

var. _rutilus_, 149;

_circe_,* 152;

_dorilis_,* 152;

_gordius_,* 152;

_hippothoë_,* 152;

_phlæas_, 152, _Plates_ 100, 101, 119;

var. _eleus_, 152;

var. _schmidtii_, 152, _Plate_ 101;

var. _hypophlæus_, 154;

_virgaureæ_,* 152

Classification, x

Clouded Yellow, 51. _Plates_ 22, 23, 24

Clubs of Antennæ, 9. Fig. 7

_Cænonympha pamphilus_, 136, _Plates_ 92, 93, var. _lyllus_, 136;

var. _ocellata_, 137, Plate 92;

_typhon_, 132, _Plates_ 90, 91, 92;

var. _davus_, 133;

var. _laidion_, 133;

var. _philoxenus_, 133;

var. _rothliebii_, 133;

var. _scotica_, 133

_Colias edusa_, 51, _Plates_ 22, 23, 24;

var. _helice_, 52, _Plate_ 24;

_hyale_, 48, _Plates_ 20, 21

Collecting, 16

Comma, the, 62. _Plates_ 32, 35

Common Blue, 163. _Plates_ 106, 107, 118, 119

Compound Eye, 9

Cremaster, 6. Fig. 5.

_Cupido argiades_, 156, _Plates_ 102, 103;

var. _comyntas_, 158;

var. _polysperchon_, 158

Cyanide Bottle, 19

_Cyaniris argiolus_, 172. _Plates_ 112, 113

Dark Green Fritillary, 89. _Plates_ 55, 59, 61

Dehiscence, 7

Dimorphism, viii

Dingy Skipper, 186. _Plates_ 122, 123

Drying House, 26

Duke of Burgundy, 182. _Plates_ 120, 121

Ecdysis, 5

Egg-stage, 1

Emergence of a Butterfly, 7

_Epinephele ianira_, 125, _Plates_ 84, 85;

_jurtina_, 125;

_tithonus_, 127, _Plates_ 86, 87, 119;

var. _albida_, 128, _Plate_ 119;

var. _mincki_, 128

_Erebia æthiops_, 113, _Plates_ 76, 77;

var. _obsoleta_, 114;

var. _ochracea_, 114;

_blandina_, 113;

_epiphron_, 111;

var. _cassiope_, 111, _Plates_ 76, 77;

var. _obsoleta_, 112; _ligea_,* 117

Essex Skipper, 189. _Plates_ 124, 125

_Euchloë cardamines_, 43, _Plates_ 15, 17;

var. _hesperidis_, 44

Eyes or Ocelli, 4

False legs of caterpillar, 4. Fig. 2A

Feelers, 4, 9

Feet, 3

Gatekeeper, 127. _Plates_ 86, 87, 119

Glanville Fritillary, 101. _Plates_ 65, 69, 71

_Gonepteryx rhamni_, 54. _Plates_ 25-27

Grayling, 117. _Plates_ 78, 79

Green Hairstreak, 147. _Plates_ 96, 97

Green-veined White, 38. _Plates_ 10, 13, 14

Grizzled Skipper, 184. _Plates_ 122, 123

Gynandromorphism, viii

Head of Butterfly, 8, Fig. 6;

of Caterpillar, 4, Fig. 3

Heath Fritillary, 98. _Plates_ 67, 68

Hermaphrodite, viii

_Hesperia alveus_, 185;

_malvæ_, 184, _Plates_ 122, 123;

var. _lavateræ_, 184;

var. _taras_, 184

Heterocera, vii

High Brown Fritillary, 87. _Plates_ 53, 54, 57

Holly Blue, 172. _Plates_ 112, 113

Horns, 9

Instar, 5

Killing, 18

Kite net, 7. Fig. 13

Labium, 4

Labrum, 4

_Lampides boeticus_, 154. _Plates_ 102, 103

Large Blue, 179. _Plates_ 116, 117

" Copper, 148. _Plates_ 98, 99

" Heath, 132. _Plates_ 90, 91, 92

" Skipper, 192. _Plates_ 126, 127

Large Tortoiseshell, 65. _Plates_ 34, 36

" White, 34. _Plates_ 5, 6, 9

_Leucophasia sinapis_, 46, _Plates_ 16, 18, 19;

var. _diniensis_, 46;

var. _erysimi_, 46;

var. _lathyri_, 46

_Limenitis sibylla_, 59, _Plates_ 30, 31, 33;

var. _nigrina_, 59, _Plate_ 31

Lingua, 4

Long-tailed Blue, 154. _Plates_ 102, 103

Lulworth Skipper, 190. _Plates_ 124, 125

_Lycæna adonis_, 170;

_ægon_, 158;

_argus_, 158, _Plates_, 104, 105;

_astrarche_, 161, _Plates_ 104, 105;

var. _artaxerxes_, 161;

var. _salmacis_, 161;

var. _quadripuncta_, 162;

_bellargus_, 170, _Plates_ 110, 111, 119;

var. _ceronus_, 170;

_corydon_, 167, _Plates_ 108, 109, 117, 118;

var. _fowleri_, 168;

var. _lucretia_, 168;

var. _syngrapha_, 168, _Plate_ 118;

_icarus_, 163, _Plates_ 106, 107, 118, 119;

var. _arcua_, 164;

var. _coerulea_, 164;

var. _icarinus_, 164;

var. _melanotoxa_, 164

Mandibles, 4, 10

Marbled White, 109. _Plates_ 74, 75

Margins of Wings, 12. Fig. 9

Marsh Fritillary, 103. _Plates_ 65, 70, 73

Marsh Ringlet, 132

Maxillæ, 4, 10

Mazarine Blue, 177. _Plate_ 115

Meadow Brown, 125. _Plates_ 84, 85

_Melanargia galatea_, 109. _Plates_ 74, 75

_Melitæa athalia_, 98; _Plates_ 67, 68;

var. _corythalia_, 98;

var. _eos_, 99;

var. _navarina_, 98;

var. _niphon_, 100;

var. _obsoleta_, 98;

var. _pyronia_, 99;

var. _tessellata_, 99;

_aurinia_, 103; _Plates_, 65, 70, 73;

var. _præclara_, 104;

var. _scotica_, 104;

_cinxia_, 101, _Plates_ 65, 69, 71

Micropyles, 1

Milkweed Butterfly, 106. _Plates_ 72, 120

Monarch Butterfly, 107

Mould and Mites, 28

Moulting, 5

Naphthaline, 27, 28

_Nemeobius lucina_, 182. _Plates_ 120, 121

Nervures and Nervules, 13

Nets, 16

Nomenclature, x

_Nomiades arion_, 179, _Plates_ 116, 117;

_semiargus_, 177, _Plate_ 115

Ocelli, 4

Orange-tip, 43. _Plates_ 15, 17

Painted Lady, 78. _Plates_ 44, 45, 49

Pale Clouded Yellow, 48. _Plates_ 20, 21

Palpi, 5, 10

_Papilio machaon_, 29. _Plates_ 1, 2

_Pararge egeria_, 120;

var. _egerides_, 120, _Plates_ 80, 81;

_megæra_, 122, _Plates_ 82, 83

Peacock, 70. _Plates_ 39, 40, 41

Pearl-bordered Fritillary, 94. _Plates_ 60, 64, 65

_Pieris brassicæ_, 34, _Plates_ 5, 6, 9;

var. _chariclea_, 34, _Plate_ 6;

_daplidice_, 41, _Plates_ 12, 14;

_napi_, 38; _Plates_ 10, 13, 14;

var. _bryoniæ_, 40;

var. _flava_, 39;

var. _napææ_, 40;

var. _orientis_, 41;

var. _sabellicæ_, 39;

var. _rapæ_, 36, _Plates_ 7, 8, 11;

var. _metra_, 37;

var. _novangliæ_, 37

Pinning, 20;

Pinning stage, 21, Fig. 14

Pins, 21

Plumules, 14

_Polygonia c-album_, 62, _Plates_ 32, 35;

var. _hutchinsoni_, 63, _Plate_ 35

Proboscis, 4, 9

Prolegs, 2

Purple Emperor, 56. _Plates_ 28, 29, 31

Purple Hairstreak, 141. _Plates_ 96, 97

_Pyrameis atalanta_, 81, _Plates_ 46-49;

var. _klemensiewiczi_, 82;

_cardui_, 78, _Plates_ 44, 45, 49;

_huntera_,* 81;

_virginiensis_,* 81

Queen of Spain, 91. _Plates_ 58, 63

Rearing from the Egg, 28

Red Admiral, 81. _Plates_ 46-49

Rhopalocera, vii

Ringlet, 130. _Plates_ 88, 89

Saddles, 24. Fig. 18

_Satyrus semele_, 117. _Plates_ 78, 79

Scales, 13. Fig. 10

Scotch Argus, 113. _Plates_ 76, 77

Seasonable Dimorphism, viii

Segments, 2

Setting, Methods of, 22-24

Sexual Dimorphism, viii

Silver-studded Blue, 158. _Plates_ 104, 105

Silver-washed Fritillary, 84, _Plates_ 50, 51

Small Blue, 176. _Plates_ 114, 115

" Copper, 152. _Plates_ 100, 101, 119

" Heath, 136. _Plates_ 92, 93

" Mountain Ringlet, 111. _Plates_ 76, 77

" Pearl-bordered Fritillary, 96. _Plates_ 56, 62, 66

" Skipper, 187. _Plates_ 124, 125

" Tortoiseshell, 68. _Plates_ 37, 38

" White, 36. _Plates_ 7, 8, 11

Speckled Wood, 120. _Plates_ 80, 81

Spinnerets, 4

Spiracle, 3

Stadium, 5

Subsegments, 3

Swallow-tail, 29. _Plates_ 1, 2

Thanaos tages, 186. _Plates_ 122, 123

_Thecla ilicis, spini_,* 147;

_pruni_, 143, _Plates_ 96, 97;

_w-album_, 144, _Plates_ 94, 95;

var. _butlerowi_, 145

Thoracic legs, 2

Tracheæ, 3

Tubercles, 2

Vanessa _antiopa_, 73, _Plates_ 41, 42, 43;

var. _hygiæa_, 73;

var. _lintneri_, 73;

_io_, 70, _Plates_ 39, 40, 41;

var. _belisaria_, 71, _Plate_, 41;

var. _cyanosticta_, 71;

_polychloros_, 65, _Plates_ 34, 36;

var. _testudo_, 66;

_urticæ_, 68, _Plates_ 37, 38;

var. _ladakensis_, 69;

var. _polaris_, 69

Venation, 12. Fig. 9

Wall, The, 122. _Plates_ 82, 83

White Admiral, 59. _Plates_ 30, 31, 33

White-letter Hairstreak, 144. _Plates_ 94, 95

Wings, 11. Fig. 9

Wood White, 46. _Plates_ 16, 18, 19

_Zephyrus betulæ_, 138. _Plates_ 94, 95;

var. _pallida_, 139;

var. _spinosa_, 139;

_quercus_, 141, _Plates_ 96, 97;

var. _bella_, 141

_Zizera minima_, 176. _Plates_ 114, 115

THE END.

* * * * *

+--------------------------------------------------------------+

| Transcriber's notes: |

| |

| Fixed various punctuation. |

| P. 71. 'wing' changed to 'wings'. |

| P. 137. 'emergencies' changed to 'emergences'. |

| P. 168. 'localties' changed to 'localities'. |

| P. 197. 'next to the thorax'. Added 'to'. |

| Emphasis Notation: _Italic_ and =Bold=; |

| Mathematical Notation: Whole and Fractional Part: 3-5/8. |

+--------------------------------------------------------------+