PURPLE HAIR-STREAK. 145 



THE PUBPLE HAIR-STREAK 

 (Thecla Qiicrcus.) (Plate XII. fig. 4, Male ; 4 a, Female ) 



AT once the commonest and the handsomest of the 

 Hair-streaks, being found in almost every part of Eng- 

 land where there is an oak wood, and looking like a 

 small Purple Emperor, with its rich gloss of the im- 

 perial colour. 



The male has all the wings, in certain lights, of a dark 

 brown colour, but with a change of position they be- 

 come illuminated with a deep rich purple tint, extend- 

 ing over the whole surface excepting a narrow border, 

 which then appears black. The female has the purple 

 mucli more vivid, but confined to a small patch extend- 

 ing from the root to the centre of the front wing. 

 Beneath, the wings are shaded with greyish tints, 

 crossed by a white line on each wing, and having two 

 yrarqe spots at the inner corner of the hind wing. 



The caterpillar (Plate I. fig. 9), which feeds on the 

 oak, is reddish brown, marked with black. 



The chrysalis, which is sometimes attached to the 

 leaves of the oak, and at others is found under tht, 

 surface of the earth at the foot of the tree, is a brownish 

 object, of the lumpy shape shown in Plate I. fig. 28 (a 

 fgmi shared by the chrysalides of all the Hair-streaks) 

 fi 



