DUKE OF BURGUNDY AND THE SKIPPERS 197 



Family HESPERIID.E THE SKIPPERS 



This family contains eight small species, none of which are 

 remarkable for brilliancy of colour. They are, nevertheless, very 

 interesting creatures, for they exhibit peculiarities of structure and 

 habit that render them singular among the butterflies, and seem to 

 show a sort of cousin relationship with the moths. They have 

 thick bodies that remind us somewhat of the NoctucE. Their heads 

 are broad, so that the antennae, which are slightly hooked at the 

 tips, are rather wide apart at the bases. When at rest, they 

 neither press their wings together over their back like the other 

 butterflies, nor do they set them horizontally after the manner of 

 the moths, but seem to lay claim to an intermediate position in the 

 scale of Lepidopterous insects by holding them in a half-elevated 

 position. Their flight, too, is not graceful like that of most other 

 butterflies, nor even so steady as that of the little flitting blues, but 

 brisk and erratic, and resembling the fitful motions of moths dis- 

 turbed from their slumberings at unwonted hours. Thus they have 

 earned their popular title of skippers from their habit of skipping 

 rather than flying from flower to flower. All the three pairs of legs 

 of these butterflies are fully developed for walking. 



The caterpillars have rather large heads, and their bodies taper 

 from the middle toward both extremities. Like the larvse of many 

 moths, they hide themselves in leaves which they have rolled and 

 secured with silken threads ; arid when about to change to the 

 chrysalis state, they also spin silken cocoons for their further 

 protection. 



The Grizzled Skipper (Syriclitlius Malvce) 



The ground colour of this species is a very dark brown, relieved 

 by a number of squarish white spots arranged as shown in fig. 11 

 of Plate VII. The fringe is wide, and barred with the same two 

 colours, arranged alternately. The pattern of the under side is 

 similar, but the dark brown of the upper surface is replaced by a 

 lighter olive tint. 



The butterfly may be looked for in May in the open spaces of 

 woods, particularly in damp places. It is common all over England, 

 and is found also in the south of Scotland. 



The caterpillar is either green or brownish, with a darker dorsal 

 stripe of the same colour, and two white lines on each side. It 

 feeds on the raspberry (Rubus idceus], the bramble (R.fruticosus), 



