LYCiENID.E. — THECLA. 75 



respective genera to which they belong; ;iiul ;ilth<)ii<;h many ot 

 them are distinguished by resplendent liues, the superior brilliancy 

 of some of the exotic species surpasses that of almost any other 

 object of the creation : their flight is feeble ami slow. 



Three genera alone inhabit Britain, which may be thus dis- 

 criminated: — 



{„ I, I I 1 ^ ,. ( pubcsccntcs : . 10. Thecla. 



capitulo liiiud compresso : Ociih{' ,. n i , 



* I mull: . . 17- IvYc^NA. 



capitulo compresso: .... lit. Polyommati'^. 



Genus XVI. — Thecla, Fahric'ms. 



I'liljii rather longer than the head, tliree-jointed ; the basal Khort, bent ; the 

 second elongate; the third short, scaly, rather acute: the two basal joints 

 scaly, with a few hairs beneath: autciina; short, thickening gradually IVom 

 the base to the apex, which is a little attenuated ; the club elongate, eylindric- 

 oval: eyes pubescent: legs alike in both sexes, anterior rather short; all 

 furnished with very minute simple claws, nearly concealed by the foot- 

 cushions, which are large : wings, antcriur triangular, entire, jMstcrior with 

 short tails, or denticulated. 



The genus Thecla may be distinguished by its sombre tints above, 

 and the pale streaks M'ith which the wings are adornetl below ; by 

 the pubescence of the eyes, the abbreviated triangidar anterior 

 wings, and the ovate-triangular posterior ones, which are usually 

 furnished near the anal angle with one or more short linear tails, 

 or are strongly denticulated on that part. The larvw feed upon 

 trees and shrubs, and the perfect insects usually frequent hedges 

 and flowers, fly but little at a time, and then generally among the 

 foliage. 



Sp. 1. Bctula?. Alis svjirii fuscis, suhtiis lutcis fascial fulvd alho rnarginatit, ciliis 

 alhis. (Exp. alar. 1 unc. 4 — 7 lin.) 



Pa. BetulsE. Linne.—Lewin, pi 42. Th. Betulie. Sd-ph. Catal. 



Wings above fuscous, or dark-brown : tlie anterior with a transverse black 

 streak at the apex of the basal areolet, beyond whidi, in the male, is a slight 

 fulvous cloud, and in the female a large kidney-shaped orange spot, tending 

 towards the hinder margin; the posterior are similar in both sexes, and have 

 a tawny spot on the iimer angle, and a streak of the same colour on the tail : 

 beneath, the sexes resemble each other, but the colours arc more vivid in the 

 female; all the wings are orange- tawny, with a bright orange margin: the 

 primary have a central transverse dusky spot, corresponding with the black 

 one on the upper surface, edged with white ; between which and the hinder 

 margin on the costa is a deep orange acute-angled triangular spot, edged with 

 dusky internally and white externally; the posterior wings have an obUque 



