4<X> THE NATURAL HISTORY 



often sportively associating with the active little 

 blues, of which we have met with three species, the 

 Azure Blue (Polyommatiis Argiolus) in the Forty 

 Acres Lane, Holkham Lane, and the skirts of the up- 

 land copses ; the Bedford Blue (Polyommatiis Alsus], 

 and the Common Blue (Polyommatus Alexis], the 

 latter as common as the blue bells among the herbage 

 by the roadsides, in the parks, on the downs, and in 

 the lowland meadows. 



The Grizzled Skipper (Thymele Alveolus}, the 

 Dingy Skipper (Thanaos Tages\ the Small Skipper 

 (Pamphila lined], and the Large Skipper (Pamphila 

 sylvanus), complete our list of butterflies, the local 

 occurrence of which we have noticed. 



The next division of insects in this order includes 

 the largest, the most full bodied, and the swiftest 

 fliers, and when on the wing by twilight they are not 

 unfrequently mistaken by casual observers for bats. 

 The caterpillars are remarkable for their great size as 

 well as the perfect insects, and from the position they 

 assume when in repose, with the anterior extremity 

 elevated and motionless, they are imagined to present 

 a general resemblance to the fabled Egyptian Sphinx, 

 from which peculiarity the perfect insects are called 

 sphinges. They are also quite as often termed Hawk 

 Moths, from the vigour and swiftness of their flight, 

 during which the vibration of their wings is so incon- 

 ceivably rapid that they produce a humming sound, 

 and this again has suggested for them the further alias 

 of Humming bird Moths. 



Among the few species we have met with here, 

 taking them in the order followed by Newman in his 

 " British Moths," we begin with the Eyed Hawk Moth 

 (Smerinthus ocellatus}. We have never taken the 

 perfect insect, but we have bred several specimens 

 from the caterpillar, many of which we have found 

 in an orchard in the village. The skin of the latter is 



