DESCRIPTIVE NOTICES OF CONSPICUOUS SPECIES 113 



with distinct oblique white lines ; it feeds at the end of 

 June and beginning of July on sloe. 



The perfect insect makes its appearance in August ; 

 it delights to settle on the topmost twig of a hedge, and 

 to battle with every butterfly that comes near it ; hence 

 specimens that have been long on the wing get to have 

 a very tattered appearance. 



The two allied species, the Dark Hair-streak and Black 

 Hair-streak (Thecla pruni and T. W-album), have the 

 upper side of the wings darker, no markings on the fore- 

 wings, but a few orange spots at thei anal angle of the 

 hind-wings (only one such spot in T. W-album); on 

 the underside of the hind-wings is one central, slender, 

 white streak; in T. pruni this has a bluish tinge, and is 

 simply waved near the anal angle ; in T. W-album it is 

 whiter and forms the letter W near the anal angle. 

 T. pruni only occurs in a few woods in Huntingdonshire. 

 T. W-album is commoner, and occurs at Epping, Peter- 

 borough, Bristol, and York. 



FAMILY IV. LYC^NID^E. 



THECLA QUERCUS. THE PURPLE HAIR- 

 STREAK BUTTERFLY. 



This species is common, and generally distributed in 

 the south of England ; it also occurs near York, and in 

 the Cumberland Lake district ; likewise in Ireland. 



The expansion of the wings is from lj to 1|- inches. 

 The wings are of a blackish-brown, tinged with a rich 

 purplish-blue. The female has a large purplish blotch 

 on the upper surface of the fore-wings. The undersides 

 of the wings are ashy-grey, with two orange spots near 

 the anal angle of the hind- wings. 



I 



