174 THE BOOK OF BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



and hind margins of the fore-wings nearly straight and 

 the hind-wings slightly scalloped. These latter bear at the 

 anal angle a blunt protuberance, and at the end of the 

 nervure next to it a short tail. The fringe is white \ 

 the upper surface (Fig. 192) is deep sepia-brown, with a 

 slight purple blush suffusing the whole of the male. In 

 the female the purple is confined to one part only of the 

 fore-wings, near the base and inner margin, but there it is 

 very deep and rich. The under-surface (Fig. 193) is ashen 

 grey. Stretching nearly across the fore-wings is a straight 

 white line backed with brown, and there is an irregular 

 one of the same nature across the hind-wings. Outside 

 this, on the fore-wings, is an interrupted brown streak, 

 with a light edge externally, and fading towards the 

 costal margin. On the hind-wings this streak is paler 

 and has a lighter margin on each side. Near the anal 

 angle are two orange spots, one being black-centred. 

 There is a very fine dark line inside the fringe, and an 

 equally fine white one inside that. 



T. rubi, Linn. (Green Hairstreak, or the Thecla of 

 the Bramble) (Figs. 194 to 196), is the smallest species of 

 the genus, and since it possesses no streak (but a series 

 of dots) on the under-surface, and has a very slightly- 

 developed tail, might easily on first thought be left out 

 of the present genus. It is fairly well distributed through- 

 out England, and is not uncommon in Scotland. 



The caterpillar feeds on the buds and leaves of the 

 Bramble (Rubus fruticosus), on the Broom (Cytisus 

 scoparius}) and on Dyer's Weed (Genista tinctorid). 

 T. rubi is on the wing in May and June, the larva is 

 found in June and July, and the winter is passed in the 

 pupal stage. 



Like the rest of the genus the larva (Fig. 194) is wood- 

 louse-shaped and has a small retractile head. The body 



