46 Lloyd's natural history. 



and ending in a single claw, always with a row of short spines 

 beneath. Occasionally, however, the front legs are fully de- 

 veloped, even in the males. 



Range. — This Family has numerous representatives in all 

 parts of the world, and several genera are both very numerous 

 in closely-allied species, and have a very wide range, though 

 there are also an unusual number of well-marked smaller 

 genera, including only one or two species, and of very limited 

 range. In Europe and North America the Family is numer- 

 ously represented by the three well-marked and almost cos- 

 mopolitan genera, Thccla^ Lyccefia^ and Polyommatus^ and one 

 or two smaller, but allied, genera. In the tropics of the Old 

 World the Family reaches its greatest development, both in 

 size and in the number of well-marked generic forms, includ- 

 ing nearly all those in which the hind-wing is produced into a 

 very long tail. Africa is very rich in Lyccenidce, producing many 

 species of genera common to other parts of the world, while 

 others, including almost the whole of the Sub-family Lip- 

 tenincE, are peculiar to the Ethiopian Region. In Tropical 

 America we find an immense number of species (in fact, 

 several hundreds) closely aUied to Thecla, and usually placed 

 under that genus, as they have not yet been satisfactorily 

 sub-divided. There are also a few very distinct and well- 

 marked genera, peculiar to Tropical America, of which the 

 most notable is Eumceus, Hiibner. 



Habits. — The smaller species, the larvae of which feed on 

 low plants, flutter about flowers in meadows, and are fre- 

 quently very pugnacious, attacking and driving away Butterflies 

 much larger than themselves. Some of the larger species, 

 however, are capable of very strong and sustained flight. 

 Those which feed on trees fly about their food-plants, and 

 settle on the leaves in the manner of the Lemoniidce. Different 

 species fly at different times of the day, and some, probably, 



