170 THE entosioiooist's kecokd. 



with Ejnnephfle tithonu^ in some numbers, together with E. ianira and 

 its nsuall}' twin-spotted relative E. Ii/c(wn, which abounds around the 

 blackberry bushes. Argynms <ujhtui is getting worn, as also is A. niohe. 

 The lane opens out upon a rucky hillside, covered above with a decid- 

 uous growth about two years old. On the rough ground Hipparcliia 

 arethusa swarms. You do not know arethnt<a I Oh yes, you do. It is 

 like Hipparchia se.mele, but rather smaller, rather lighter in tint, and 

 with a yellower band across the wings. This yellow (almost orange) 

 band, is sometimes much brighter than at others, and Staudinger 

 describes a var. dentata as " supra fascia latiore : alis posterioribus subtus 

 venis albis, linea dentata ante marginem," and certainly some of these 

 specimens agree well with this description, whilst others, perhaps, are 

 Rambur's var. hoahdil, which is " supra obscurior, subtus dilutior, 

 venis albis," although Staudinger gives onl}' the Andalusian Mountains 

 as a locality for this latter variety. The habits of H. uretltusa are much 

 tlie same as those of M. semele, and its underside resembles well the 

 stones and rocks on which it rests, being exquisitel}' marbled and re- 

 ticulated with slender lines. It varies, too, in spotting ; most specimens 

 have but one spot in the yellow band, and that placed somewhat towards 

 the apex ; others have an additional spot, the two then occupying the 

 positions in which the spots of H. semele are found ; whilst I have a 

 si:)ecimen with three. Up through the undergrowth we force our way, 

 and then the large black Satyrus drym^, with its purple gloss and two 

 beautiful black ocelli with purple centres on the fore- wings, flies softly 

 and gently about among the grass. Here is a loA'ely male, with a 

 beautiful purplish-blue band on the underside of its hind- wings. Fine 

 great insects the females are, larger than any of our British butterflies, 

 excepting, perhaps, I'apilio machaon, or female Aputnra ins. It be- 

 longs to the " Browns " as we call them. What a misnomer this name 

 " Browns " is ! Have you ever seen an E. ianira or an Erebia aefhiops 

 fresh from the pupa ? Have you ever seen the iridescent hues that 

 flicker and fade, then grow brigliter and brighter, until their brilliancy 

 is marvellous ; little ripples of purple, violet and rose, ever changing, 

 }iever constant ; charming greens and orange tints which tine off into 

 purest gold ? If you want to know the true colour of a Meadow-brown 

 butterfly, you nu;st watch it emerge from the pupa, and then place the 

 new-born creature in the sun-light, and observe the beautiful rainbow 

 tints that play over its wings with every movement ; only then will 

 you know what coLmr a Meadow brown reallj' is, and you will be rather 

 surprised that anyone ever thouglit it •' brown." We describe from 

 dead bodies and miss the life, we gfasp at the shadow and miss the 

 substance. The butterfly in the cabinet may teach us many wonderful 

 lessons, but the beauties of living nature are only to be found in the 

 woods and fields, and by the stream. 



As we force our way through the bushes many strange moths fl}' 

 out, and at last we reach a path, along which we turn. Here Argi/nuis 

 latona greets us again ; and here, too, we meet the magnificent 

 Hipparchia hriseis, its grand white transverse band making it very con- 

 spicuous. A beautiful creature is the large seiiiele-like H. hriseis, 

 requiring, in the hot sun, a sure eye and steady hand to effect its 

 capture. The large female reminds us of the females of Apatnra iris, 

 to which insect this species is, })erhaps, somewhat nearly allied. It 

 settles on the limestone path ; its upper wings are drawn up, and the 

 matchless waves of whites and greys of the underside are most effective 



