BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



the food-plant, which is the common couch 

 grass (Triticum rep&ns), a favourite food of 

 the genus ; but when annoyed it falls to the 

 ground, assuming a crescentic posture ; the 

 head is subglobose, exserted, manifestly wider 

 than the second segment, thickly covered with 

 scabrous points, each of which emits a minute 

 bristle ; the body is somewhat shuttle-shaped, 

 the diminution towards the head being rather 

 less than towards the anal extremity; the 

 divisions of the segments are clearly defined, 

 and each segment is transversely wrinkled or 

 divided into sections, which are usually, but 

 not invariably, six in number ; each of these 

 sections is beset with scabrous points, and each 

 point emits a short and slender, but stiff 

 bristle ; the thirteenth segment terminates in 

 two scabrous conical points parallel to each 

 other, and directed backwards ; the colour of 

 the head is pale pinkish brown ; of the body 

 either glaucous green or olive green, or, in 

 some specimens, pale dingy brown ; in either 

 case it has five nearly equidistant longitudinal 

 stripes; a narrow and dark medio-dorsal stripe 

 extends from behind the head to the sinus 

 between the caudal points ; on each side, 

 half-way between this and the spiracles, is a 

 pale stripe, bordered above with a dark ground 

 colour, which makes it appear more con- 

 spicuous ; and below this, on a line with the 

 spiracles, is a more distinct and whiter stripe ; 

 this also is bordered above with a dark ground 

 colour ; the feet and claspers are concolorous 

 with the body. When about to change, the 

 caterpillar attaches itself by the anal claspers 

 to a blade of grass, and in two days is trans- 

 formed into a CHRYSALIS, suspended by minute 

 anal hooks from a delicate silken carpeting, 

 with which the caterpillar had previously and 

 designedly covered a small space on the grass. 

 The chrysalis is short and obese ; its head is 

 dilated, and flattened in front, the flattened 

 portion being produced on the sides in to obtuse 

 ears, with a slightly -hollo wed space between 

 them ; the thorax has a sharp medio-dorsal 

 keel; the body ia dorsally somewhat verrucose, 

 having four longitudinal dorsal series of ex- 

 tremely depressed and scarcely perceptible 

 wart; the colour is almost white, sometimes 



slightly tinged with green, and ornamented 

 with numerous black markings, of which the 

 undermentioned are the most conspicuous : 

 a narrow dorsal line on the thorax, divided 

 just behind the head, and again united ; two 

 dorsal stripes commencing very near the back 

 of the head, passing on each side of the 

 thoracic dorsal line, then dilating and broken 

 up into subquadrate and rather paler blotches ; 

 on each side exterior to these is another some- 

 what similar marking, commencing on the 

 thorax as a stripe, but interrupted and vague 

 towards the anal extremity ; and again, 

 exterior to this is a broad bl ick linear patch 

 adjoining the wing-cases ; the wing-cases are 

 dashed with black longitudinally; the cases 

 of the antennae are most delicately marked 

 with black, each joint having two round black 

 dots ; the cases of the middle and hind legs 

 are almost entirely black. The last skin of 

 the caterpillar is not shed, but, being gradually 

 pushed downwards by a wriggling movement 

 of the chrysalis during its metamorphosis, 

 encompasses the anal segment only, and re- 

 mains in this position even after the butterfly 

 has made its escape. Newman. 



TIME OP APPEARANCE. The caterpillar 

 may be found by sweeping the grass on hedge 

 banks in June, and the CHRYSALIS at the end 

 of the sime month ; the butterfly is on the 

 wing during the whole of July. I have never 

 seen the slightest indication of a second brood. 



LOCALITIES. Mr. Birchall gays it occurs in 

 the Irish county of Wick low and near Cork, 

 thus implying that its distribution is not 

 general in Ireland. It has not been observed 

 in the Isle of Man. Dr. Buchanan White 

 does not mention it as occurring in Scotland ; 

 but at p. 17 of the fourth volume of the 

 " Entomologist," Mr. W. D. Robinson informs 

 us that he has met with it commonly in 

 Kircudbrigh tshire. 



In the following English counties it is 

 reported to be common : Bedford, Berks, 

 Bucks, Cambridge, Cornwall, Devon, Glou- 

 cester, Durham, Essex, Hants, Hereford, 

 Hertford, Huntingdon, Kent, Middlesex, 

 Mon mouth, Somerset, Stafford, Suffolk, Sur- 

 rey, Sussex, Wilts, and Worcester. 



