CHAPTER IV. 



LYC/EN I D/E. 



Thecla, Fabr. (The Hairstreaks). 



DISTINCT group of five small or middle- 

 sized butterflies comprises the genus Thecla 

 7! betuke, T. W-album, T. pritni, T. 

 quercus, and T. rubi. In shape, the perfect 

 insects bear a considerable resemblance to 

 one another. All the species have, near the anal angle 

 of the hind-wings, a more or less developed tail, 

 though not pronounced in the case of T. rubi, and all 

 except the same butterfly are marked on the under-surface 

 with whitish streaks, whence the genus obtains its English 

 name. Both sexes of the imago possess six perfect legs 

 adapted for walking. The larvae are all onisciform (or 

 woodlouse-shaped) ; the head can be entirely withdrawn 

 into the second segment, and the body is so much spread 

 out at the sides that the legs and claspers are quite con- 

 cealed. The stout, rounded pupa is, normally, attached 

 by the tail, and girt. The food-plant is some bush or 

 forest tree, to whose twigs the eggs are attached in the 

 autumn, there to remain intact till the following spring. 



