BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



describing the place, because I arn persuaded 

 that the connexion between entomology, 

 geology, and botany especially the two 

 former has not been sufficiently attended to ; 

 and, from my own short experience, I think a 

 pretty good idea may be formed of the insects 

 likely to be found in any district if its geo- 

 logical features are taken into careful consi- 

 deration " Georye Wailes, in " Entomological 

 Magazine," vol. i., p. 61. When at Castle 

 Eden Dene, in 1841, this insect was very 

 abundant. I found them settling on the blos- 

 soms of the marjoram (Origanum vulga/re). 

 There is no heath in the neighbourhood, and 

 I think this may account for the Castle Eden 

 Dene specimens differing from the Scotch 

 ones J. G. Dale in " Entomologist," vol. i., 

 p. 191. Still plentiful at Castle Eden Dene 

 in 1869 William Mallng. 



Cumberland. I have only seen one speci- 

 men taken at Coldbeck, Seberghum J. B. 

 Hodgkinson. 



Lancashire. Abundmt in the county at 

 Grange, Arnside, and Silverdale J. B. Hody- 

 kinson. 



Westmoreland. Abundant at Witherslack 

 J. B. Hodgkinson. 



Yorkshire. Colne Edwin Birch/nil. Com- 

 mon at Grassington, above Settle T. H.Allis. 



23. Speckled Wood (Pyrarga Egeria). 



23. SPECKLED WOOD. The wings are 

 rounded, but the hind margin of all the 

 wings, more particularly of the hind wings, is 

 scalloped : the colour is smoky brown, the 

 fore wings having eight or nine differently- 

 shaped pale brown spots, the position of 

 which will be more clearly understood by a 

 reference to the figure than from any de- 

 finition of mine ; tht largest of these spots is 



situated near the tip, and is divided into three 

 compartments by the wing-rays, which are 

 dark ; the middle compartment encloses a 

 nearly circular black spot wliich has a snow- 

 wliite pupil : the hind wings have six or 

 seven pale spots, the four largest of which 

 constitute a band parallel with the hind 

 margin ; three of these generally contain a 

 black spot with a white pupil ; the middle 

 spot of these three is the large&t and most dis- 

 tinct ; and the fourth, that nearest the apical 

 angle, is almost invariably without the wliite- 

 pupilled spot. The under side of the fore 

 wings very much resembles the upper side, 

 but that of the hind wings is suffused, 

 clouded, and marbled with different shades of 

 fulvous brown, the ocellated spots of the 

 upper side being discernible, but very in- 

 distinct. The eyes of this species are hairy. 



Obs. The character of hairy eyes is com- 

 mon to this and the following species : they 

 are very properly associated as the genus 

 Pyrarga on account of this peculiarity. 



LIFE HISTORY. The EGGS are laid singly 

 on the stalks or leaves of several species of 

 grass, and are almost spherical in figure, 

 the entire surface being reticulated with 

 minute rMges, which divide it into hex- 

 ag nal cells, and give it the appearance of 

 being honeycombed : the young CATERPILLARS 

 emerge in eight or ten days, and feed on the 

 leaves of grasses : at first they are of a dingy 

 brown colour, except the head, which is 

 black, and exhibit but little indication of 

 stripes ; after the first moult they lose their 

 black heads and assume green ones; they hyber- 

 nate early, and are full fed by the end of the 

 following March, when they rest in a perfectly 

 straight position on a blade of grass. The 

 head is subglobose, wider than the second 

 segment, and scabrous, the raised points 

 which cause the scabrosity emitting small but 

 rigid bristles : the body is slightly shuttle- 

 shaped, the attenuation being more manifest 

 towards the anal extremity ; the incisions of 

 the segments are deeply and conspicuously 

 marked ; the segments are again transversely 

 wrinkled or divided into narrow sections ; 

 the entire surface is slightly scabrous, and 



