248 



THE OPEN COUNTRY 



distribution, though it does not occur in South America. Swarms of this species 

 have occasionally been observed so numerous as to take from eight to ten hours in 

 passing a given spot. 



The elegant little blue butterflies, as well as the copper butterflies, are repre- 

 sented in the open country of Europe by several species, among them the rare 

 Clifden blue (Lyccena adonis), the caterpillar of which lives on clover, lupin, 

 hawkweed, etc., in limestone-districts, and is green in colour with black hairs ; the 

 male butterfly being of a brilliant sky-blue, with a black border and black and 



CLIFDF.X BLUE BUTTERFLY. 



Moths. 



white fringe, while the female is brown, with orange spots on the edges of 

 the hind-wings. 



Passing on to moths, the largest of the European hawk-moths 

 is the well-known death's head (Acheroutta atropos), whose caterpillar 

 generally feeds on potatoes and other solanaceous plants, although it is sometimes 

 taken on jasmine and buckthorn. The moth, which is distributed almost all over 

 Europe as far north as Sweden, is always solitary, and utters, when caught or 

 touched, a peculiar sound, probably caused by the passage of air through its pro- 

 boscis. 



The caterpillar of the six -spotted bumet-moth (Zygcena JUipendvZce) frequents 

 places similar to those in which lives that of the death's head. Similar to it in 

 appearance is the caterpillar of the five-spotted bumet-moth (Z. lonicerce), which 



