178 



BEITISH B IJT TERFLIES 



ably lighter, and the land wmgs are beautifullj' marbled with various 



greys and browns. 



This species is not nearly so common as the two preceding, but 



it is very widely distributed, and is exceedingly abundant in some 



parts. On some of the heathery cliffs and downs of the south and 



south-west coasts it is so 

 plentiful that the butterflies 

 are started into the air at 

 almost every step, for it 

 seldom flies except when dis- 

 tm'bed. It is a common 

 insect in Ireland, and also in 

 parts of Scotland. 



The caterpillar is a hy- 

 bernator, and may be found 

 feeding on grasses in the 

 autumn and the spring. It 



changes to the chrysalis in June, and the perfect insect is on the 



wing from June to the beginning of September. 



The colour of the caterpillar is pinkish drab above, and gi'eenish 



drab beneath. A dark brown stripe, edged with a lighter colour, 



passes down the middle of the back, and a dark line on each side. 



It changes to a dark reddish-brown chrysalis on the surface of the 



ground, or, according to some observers, a little beneath the surface. 



Fi((. 79. -The GitAVLixG — Under Side. 



The Meadow Brown. {Epinephele Janira) 



Although this very common butterfly is usually considered to be 

 the dingiest of its family, yet it must be admitted that the colotir of 

 a freshly emerged specimen is really very rich. 



The male is of a dark brown colour, with an indistinct patch of 

 a lighter tawny brown near the outer margin of the fore wings, and 

 a white-centred black eye-spot near the costal angle of the same 

 wings. The female (Plate V, fig. 8) is of a lighter colour, the eye- 

 spot on her ore wings is larger and far more conspicuous, and an 

 irregular patch of light orange brown occupies a lai*ge area of each 

 of the same wings. She is, moreover, larger than her mate, and in 

 every way a more attractive insect. 



The Meadow Brown abounds everywhere, from June to Sep- 

 tember, and may be seen on grass land and waste grounds where 

 other butterflies are seldom found. 



