68 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES 
SPECIES 1.—HIPPARCHIA SEMELE. THE GRAYLING. 
Plate xviii. fig. 6—10. 
Synonymes.— Papilio Semele, Linneus. Lewin Papil. pl. 17. Dono- 
van Brit. Ins. pl. 259. Haworth. Harris Aurelian, pl. 44, fig. d, e. Satyrus Semele, Latreille, Boisduval, Duponchel. 
Hipparchia Semele, Ochsenheimer, Leach, Stephens, Duncan, Eumenis Semele, Hiibner. 
Brit. Butt. pl. 22, fig. 1, 2. | 
This is the largest of our common British Hipparchiz, measuring from 2+ to more than 2! inches in expanse. 
The fore wings on the upper side are of a dull brown colour, with a broad interrupted bar of various size near 
the extremity, in which are two black eyes ; the hind wings are brown at the base with a brighter coloured bar 
near the margin, having a single black eye with a white centre near the anal angle; on the under side, the fore 
wings are darker at the base, with the extremity yellowish or pale buff, terminated by a narrow dusky margin 
The two ocelli are here distinct, the anterior one being largest ; the under wings on this side are marked with 
very numerous short, slender, transverse, white, brown, and black streaks ; the basal half is darkest, and is 
terminated by a very irregular broad paler bar ; near the anal angle is a nearly obsolete eyelet. 
The markings vary greatly in size as well as in the intensity of their colours ; and the females have the marks 
and eyes larger, but paler. 
The caterpillar is green or grey, with the belly and legs brownish ; it is rather more than an inch long ; its 
body is thick, hard, and conical, with five blackish longitudinal lines, the dorsal one being the darkest. It forms 
acocoon in the earth, according to M. Marloy. The butterfly, which appears in July, is rarer than the 
preceding, owing to its preferring certain localities, such as heaths (Newmarket, Gamlingay, and Salisbury 
Plain, for example) ; and rocky places, such as Arthur's Seat, near Edinburgh; and stony places, near Durham 
and Castle Eden Dene. Mr. Wailes also observed it frequently on the sea-coast, near South Shields, where the 
magnesian limestone occurs, although not found on the opposite side of the Tyne, where there is no limestone. 
Papo Prxpra of Linneeus appears to have been introduced by Turton as a British species without 
sufficient authority. It has all the wings on the upper side of a deep uniform brown, the fore ones with two 
large ocelli, and the hinder ones with a single minute one near the anal angle. It measures 2> inches in the 
expanse of its wings. 
Paritio Atcyonn of Esper has also been erroneously given as a native of Scotland, by Stewart, who mistook 
Blandina for it. It has the wings brown with a whitish bar, the anterior having two ocelli on each side, and 
the posterior beneath marbled, with a white angular bar and a single ocellus. 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XIX. 
Insects.—Fig. 1. Hipparchia Briscis, female. 2. Showing the under side. 
CS Fig. 3. Hipparchia Tithonus (the large Heath Butterfly), male. 4. The female. 5, Showing the under side. 6. The Caterpillar. 
7. The Chrysalis. 
Prants.—Fig, 8. Poa pratensis (Common Meadow Grass). 
The Hipparchia Briseis figured on this plate seems to have a fair claim to be considered British, as it was raised from the caterpillar found in 
the neighbourhood of London ; of which I much regret not being able to give a drawing. It will be seen, on comparison with the figure in the 
previous plate, that the insect is closely allied to the common H. Semele. H. N. H. 
