HESPERIID^E. 3 



quenlly pull up suddenly with a jerk, and settle on leaves, 

 more especially the under side, on flowers, or on the ground. 

 Different species hold their wings in different positions when 

 at rest, the wings being open, closed, or with the hind- 

 wings partly overlapping the fore-wings. The Hesperiidce 

 differ very much from all the other Butterflies, and are com- 

 monly regarded as a l^k between the Butterflies and Moths. 

 There are no very close intermediate forms connecting them 

 with other Butterflies, though certain genera of Moths, such as 

 Euschemon and Synemon, Doubleday, and Acentrocneme^ 

 Scudder, approach them very closely. My own opinion is 

 that, if the distinction between Butterflies and Moths is worth 

 preserving at all, the line should be drawn in front of the 

 Hesperiidtz rather than behind them, and that they have a 

 better claim to be regarded as the first Family of Moths than 

 as the last Family of Butterflies. Nevertheless, the Hesperiidtz 

 have been classed with the Butterflies by almost all entomo- 

 logists, and are therefore treated as such in the present work ; 

 it is in reality only an unimportant question of terms. 



Classification. Many eminent entomologists have lately been 

 working at this Family ; but the latest and most complete 

 systematic arrangement is that published by Captain Watson 

 in the " Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London," for 

 1893. It is based on the publications of previous authors, 

 especially Scudder and Mabille, and on the collection of the 

 British Museum. I shall follow Watson's system in the 

 present work, but the space at my disposal will not allow me 

 to do more than notice the British and other species which 

 are here figured, and a few additional foreign species of special 

 interest. I shall therefore deal with the general appearance 

 of the insects, rather than with minute generic details. It has 

 been thought best to quote Captain Watson's characters for 

 the principal sections in full. 



B 2 



