THE SKIPPERS. 299 



his own way and living solitary until the time for his 

 change to the pupa state. 



The species, of which the chrysalides are enclosed 

 in a cocoon, form a little group of Butterflies which 

 appear, in some respects, to approach the Moths. 

 They are small Butterflies, with thick bodies and 

 strong wings, which enable them to perform a rapid 

 jerking flight, whence the name of Skippers is given 

 to them by English collectors. One of the commonest 

 species is the Hesperia linea, which measures about an 

 inch in expanse of wing ; the wings are of a bright 

 yellowish-brown colour, with the margins and veins 

 blackish, and the male has a slanting black line on the 

 disc of the anterior wings. The caterpillar feeds upon 

 different species of grasses, and the chrysalis, like those 

 of the allied species, is not only suspended by the 

 tail, and by a band round the middle, but is also en- 

 closed in a slight cocoon, which draws the neigh- 

 bouring leaves together, so as to form a comfortable 

 chamber in which the insect may pass its period of 

 repose, protected from its enemies and the vicissitudes 

 of the weather. The perfect insect appears at the end 

 of July or the beginning of August, and is generally 

 found in the neighbourhood of woods, or in gardens. 



The species of the second great division of the Le- 

 pidoptera are far more numerous than those belong- 

 ing to the first, present a much greater diversity of 

 structure, and, as might be expected, instead of being 

 all included in a single tribe, form a considerable 

 number of groups, which may generally be separated 

 by well-marked characters. They constitute the 

 groups denominated by Latreille and other authors 



