THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
Vou. XXV.] AU GU SE 1892. [No. 351. 
ON THE EARLIER STAGES OF HESPERIA LINEOLA,* 
By F. W. Hawes. 
AFTER disappointment in the season of 1891, I am now able 
to give a life-history of Hesperia lineola, partly from ova obtained 
from the captured imago, and partly from larve taken by sweep- 
ing and searching in the known haunts of the butterfly. By 
confining several females of the species with two or three kinds of 
coarse grass (T'riticum) in a glass jar placed in the sun, a quantity 
of ova were laid in August, 1890, and some of the larve from these 
lived long enough to complete the first moult. Again, in August, 
1891, a still larger number of ova was obtained from captured 
females, but these all (with two exceptions) failed to emerge, 
owing, as I believe, to a lack of moisture in their surroundings 
just previous to the period of emergence. However, by assiduous 
searching and sweeping, I was able to take three larve of an 
Hesperia on the evening of the 4th June; and again, on the 18th 
June, three others were taken (two by Mr. E. Joy), in all respects 
similar to the first, on the now well-known ground at Leigh, 
Kssex, viz., the sea-wall extending from Leigh in the direction of 
Canvey Island. Judging from the fact that H. lineola is by far 
the most abundant of the two species of the “Skipper” genus 
that have been noticed on this sea-wall, I came to the conclusion 
that the six were larve of H. lineola, which is now sufficiently 
confirmed by the emergence on 18th and 18th July of two perfect 
insects, well-marked male specimens, the first bred by Mr. Joy 
and the second by myself. 
Before proceeding to a description, it may be well to correct 
an error with regard to both H. thawmas and H. lineola, which 
appears to be accepted as fact. Neither species passes the winter 
in the larva state. The eggs are laid at the end of July and 
beginning of August, and remain as such until the following 
* Paper read before a meeting of the South London Entomological and 
Natural History Society, June 23rd, 1892. Revised July 19th. 
ENTOM.—AaAvGusT, 1892, S 
