68 EEV. C. M. PERKINS — BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



The second is the very opposite in habit, and you may see it in 

 advanced spring, and again in autumn, sunning itself upon a 

 scorching wall, or flying deftly along any warm bank skirting 

 a dusty road. Its colour is tawny fulvous, pencilled over with 

 dark brown wavy bands. Hipparchia Semele, the grayling, is my 

 next, a rather larger insect, somewhat similar in colour to the 

 last, but not so bright, and the markings difPerent enough to 

 distinguish at the first glance, though not so easy briefly to 

 describe. This insect loves the sides of high, steep hills where 

 loose stones abound, which makes its pursuit extremely difficult. 

 I am told it may be taken on the Harpenden road, near Childwick. 

 I have not seen it there myself, but I have found it in August 

 in most places Avhere I have been on high, rough slopes of hills. 

 Its congener, Hipparchia Janira, the meadow brown, I shall dismiss 

 at once, only saying it is that rather dull brown butterfly which 

 swarms over every hayfield. Hipparchia Tithomis, the gatekeeper, 

 is likewise a common insect, somewhat smaller and a good deal 

 brighter than the last, yet bearing a great family resemblance. 

 It may be seen in August along every dusty roadside, skipping up 

 and down over the brambles, and evidently thinking the taller the 

 hedge the more delightful it is. Hipparchia Hyperanthus, the 

 ringlet, a very dark brown, approaching black, with underside of 

 lighter shade, on which may be seen some exceedingly .pretty 

 white-centred black spots in yellow rings round the hind margin, 

 is not uncommon in woods at midsummer, and may be obtained in 

 this neighbourhood. Then we come to some northern insects, 

 Erflia Blandina, the northern brown, and Erehia Cassiope, the 

 small ringlet, which we are not likely to meet with here, so I shall 

 only say that whoever wants to catch them with his own hands 

 should not forget, if he visits the Lake District between the end of 

 June and beginning of August, to take his net and look for 

 them half way up the hills there, and he will most likely secure 

 them both. The next on my list, Canonympha Bams, the 

 marsh ringlet, is also a northern species, which frequents mossy 

 bogs, plentiful generally wherever it occurs, and may be taken in 

 the Lake District about the same time as the last-mentioned 

 insects. The colour is buff" in the females, but the males are 

 darker and very similar to, though larger than, my next, C(sno- 

 nympha Pamphilus, which is common on every heath, and may be 

 caught plentifully upon the green near Bricket Wood station all 

 through the summer months. 



AVe now come to some glorious insects, larger in size and 

 brighter in colour than those lately noticed, every one of which 

 the collector is eager to catch, as they make a great show in his 

 cabinet. Limenitis Syhilla, the white admiral, said to be the 

 most graceful in flight of all, is found in many woods in the south, 

 feeding in the larva state upon honeysuckle. Many a mile have 

 I walked with the hope of catching this on the wing, and many 

 a honeysuckle have I searched iu woods where I think it ought 

 to be, for the green caterpillar with rust-coloured spines, but in 



