26 



LLOVDS NATURAL HISTORY. 



The larva is dull green, varied with red, with rows of black 

 dots on the back and sides ; the head is black, and the collar 

 \\ hite ; it feeds on Coro?iiIla varia, Lotus corniatlaius, &c., in 

 June and July, and the Butterfly appears in August. 



Generally speaking, this is one of the most abundant species 

 of the Family throughout Europe and Northern and AVestern 

 Asia, frequenting meadows and hill-sides. In England it is a 

 local insect, but abundant in many places in the southern 

 counties, especially preferring dry chalky districts, where the 

 grass is short. In the Midland and Northern counties it is 

 still more local, and its reported occurrence in Scotland has not 

 been confirmed by recent observers. 



GENUS HYLEPHILA. 

 Hylephila, Billberg, Enum. Ins. p. loi (1820); Scudder, But- 

 terflies East U. S. p. 1625 (1889); Watson, Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 Lond. 1893, p. 10 1. 

 Euthymus, Scudder, Rep. Peabody Acad. iv. p. 77 (1872). 

 The type of this genus is 



THE GREAT-HEADED SKIPrER. HYLEPHILA PHYL.^US, 



Fapilio phylcEus, Drury, 111. Exot. Ent. i. pi. 13, figs. 4, 5 



(1773). 

 Papliio colon, Fabricius, Syst. Ent. p. 541, no. 376 (1775). 

 Hesperia phylccus, Latreille, Enc. Meth. ix. p. 723 (1823) ; Bois- 



duval «&: Leconte, Lepid. Amer. Sept. pi. 78 (1833). 

 ramphila bucephalus, Stephens, 111. Brit. Ent. Haust. i. p. 102 



note; pi. 10, figs, i, 2 (1828). 

 Hylephila phyhcus, Scudder, Butterflies East U. S. p. 1630 



(1889). 



This is a very common species in both North and South 

 Ameiica, and it is mentioned here because two specimens are 



