The British Butterflies Described 



bolder in flight than any other of this group in our 

 country. But you must always remember that butter- 

 flies love the sunshine, and without its cheering presence 

 they are all very dull fellows indeed. Hence it is that 

 a butterfly may appear, and really is, difficult to catch 

 on a bright, warm day ; yet it may fall an easy victim, 

 and give but indifferent sport on a dull one. The 

 Grayling has a strong partiality for living near the sea, 

 and is found all along the west coast of Scotland, 

 whether it be on a rock-bound shore or in a sandy, 

 sheltered bay. During July and August one is pretty 

 sure to encounter the Grayling sporting along just 

 above high-water mark, and, not infrequently, whole 

 colonies of them. The lichen-covered rocks above the 

 shore are his favourite resting-place, and here he can 

 sit and bask in the sun, and once he has closed his 

 wings he may be said to have disappeared, so beautifully 

 does the under side of his wings blend with the colour 

 of the surrounding rocks. He shows a certain amount 

 of wisdom, too, at times, for if you make a stroke at 

 him with a net and miss, he is off to sea, flit-flitting 

 just above the water, and making a wide devour before 

 coming back to land. 



The wings are brown, with an irregular light tawny 

 band, in which, on the fore-wing, are two eye-spots, 

 and on the hind-wing only one. But the finest orna- 

 mentation is on the under side of the hind-wings, which 

 bear a strong resemblance to a granite rock speckled 

 with lichens. 



The caterpillar, I think, feeds mostly at night, as I 

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