28 EuRorEAX Butterflies axd Moths. 



curved white streak runs from the latter to the median nervure. The fringes are also spotted 

 with white. Expands from 2^ to 3 inches. Common in Southern Europe and Western Asia, 

 frequenting bare hill-sides. It is also found in many localities in Eastern France and Southern 

 Germany, but it there becomes very local. The larva is brown, with two white lines on the back 

 and a stripe on the sides, which is whitish above and yellowish below. It feeds on grass in May, 

 and hides itself under stones and leaves in the daytime. The transformations are figured at 

 PI. 12, Fig. I, a — c. 



2. H. Hermione (Linn.). — Brown, with a continuous dull white band near the hind margins, 

 on which is placed a black eye with a white pupil towards the tip of the fore-wings, and a smaller 

 one (not ocellated, nor always visible below) nearer the hinder angle. There is also a small eye 

 near the anal angle of the hind-wings. The ground colour is reddish-brown in the female, and the 

 band on the fore-wings is clouded with this colour, instead of with dusky. On the imder side the 

 band is pale yellow on the fore-wings, and white on the hind-wings ; on the latter it is suftused, 

 and not sharply bounded on the outside. Expands from 2\ to over 2\ inches. Its range is 

 similar to that of H. Circe, but, though local, it is much commoner and more widely distributed in 

 Central Europe. It flies in open places in woods, and likes to settle on the trunks of trees, with 

 which the colouring of its under surface assimilates very well. The larva is reddish-grey, with a 

 double brown streak on the back, and a broad streak of ashy-grey, bordered with a black and 

 white line, on each side. The male butterfly is figured at PI. 12, Fig. 2. 



3. H. Alcyone (W. V.). — Smaller than Hermione (expands from 2 to 2\ inches), generally with 

 two eyes on the fore wings (more rarely one near the tip only), and with none at the anal angle of 

 the hind-wings above. The pale band is narrower and darker above ; and that of tlie hind-wings 

 is white, scarcely dusted with brown, and well defined. The dark basal portion of the wing 

 projects into it, almost in a right angle, about the middle, but forms no other prominent 

 projections. Common in Southern and many parts of Central Europe, but absent in the north- 

 west. In the north it frequents sandy pine-forests ; but in the south it prefers the sunny slopes 

 of hills. The larva feeds on Holciis lancstris, &c. 



4. //. Briseis (Linn.). — Brown, the costa yellowish. Fore-wings with a row of rather long 

 white spots near the hind margin, marked with two more or less distinct black eye-spots. Hind- 

 wings with a rather broad whitish band across the centre. Under side of fore-wings whitish, with 

 the margins brown, and one or two black spots on the costa within the eye. Hind-wings dark 

 brown at the ba.se, and paler on the borders ; a yellowish-grey band between, the middle of which 

 sends off a projection towards the base. The under side of the female is much paler, and the 

 markings of the hind-wings are very ill-defined. In the female variety, Pirata (Hiibn.), the pale 

 markings of the upper side are dull yellow ; the under side of the fore-wings has a tawny band 

 towards the hind margin, bordered on both sides with grey, deepening into dark brown towards 

 the inner margin ; base pale yellow, intersected by a black lunule. Hind-wings light brown, 

 varied with grey, nearly as in the typical female. Expands from if to 2^ inches. Common in 

 many parts of Central and Southern Europe and Western Asia in dry grassy places, especially on 

 a limestone soil. Absent in Northern and North-Western Europe, though a specimen was once 

 bred in England from a larva which had probably been accidentally introduced. The variety 

 Pirata is confined to Southern Europe. The larva is yellowish-grey, with dark lines on the back, 

 and a pale grey streak on the sides. The butterfly is figured at PI. 12, Fig. 3. (//. Priairi, 

 Pierr., which some writers consider another variety of Briseis, is found in North Africa and 

 Spain. It has a more broken white band on the fore-wings, and that on the hind-wings is smaller 

 and angular.) 



