INTRODUCTION 39 



of body and wing; second, the listing of the butterfly to- 

 ward the sun tends to reduce the shadow and to hide it be- 

 neath the wings. There is no doubt that when a Grayhng 

 butterfly lights upon the ground in strong sunshine the 

 shadow it casts is more conspicuous than the insect itself 

 and the hiding of this might be of distinct advantage in 

 helping it to escape observation. It is significant that in 

 England the butterflies observed appear to lean over more 

 frequently in sunshine than in shade. An observation of 

 Mr. E. G. Waddilove, reported by Colonel Longstaff, is 

 insteresting in this connection: 



*' A Grayling settled on a patch of bare black peat earth, 

 shut up its wings vertically, and crawled at once some two 

 yards to the edge of the patch to where some fir-needles, a 

 cone or two, and a few brittle twigs were lying, and then be- 

 coming stationary threw itself over at an angle of some 

 forty-five degrees square to the sun. It thus became quite 

 indistinguishable from its surroundings." 



Apparently, some of the Angle-wings may have the same 

 habit, for in Barrett's " Lepidoptera of the British Islands," 

 there is a note in regard to Grapta C-album to the effect 

 that it is fond of sunning itself in roads, on warm walls, or 

 on the ground upon dead leaves in sheltered valleys. 

 "Here, if the sun becomes overclouded, it will sometimes 

 close its wings and almost lie down, in such a manner that 

 to distinguish its brown and green marbled under side from 

 the dead leaves is almost impossible." 



Here is a most fascinating opportunity for American 

 observers to determine definitely the facts in regard to our 

 numerous species of butterflies that may show this habit. 

 An observer with a reflex type of camera might easily be 

 able to get pictures that would be of great value in helping 



