THE LARGE HEATH. 135 



tinge of reddish or pink, and the caudal fork is tipped with 

 pink." 



The chrysalis is bright green, with brown streaks on the 

 edges and centre of the wing-covers, and at the tip of the tail, 

 turning dark brown just before the butterfly emerges. (Figure 

 and description after Buckler.) 



The eggs are laid in July on blades of grass, and the cater- 

 pillars hatch out in that month and August. The food of the 

 caterpillars is said to be the beaked-rush {Rhynchospora alba) ; 

 those that I had from Witherslack eggs fed well upon ordinary 

 grass until October, but they died during the winter. After 

 hibernation they recommence feeding, and are full grown in 

 May and June, when they pupate, and the butterflies appear at 

 the end of June and in July. 



Barrett, writing of the butterfly in all its forms, says, " Its 

 most southern known locality in England is Chartley Park, 

 Derbyshire, and it is common in all ' mosses' of Lancashire 

 and Cheshire— all moors about Grange, and in Chat Moss, 

 Risley Moss, Rixton Moss, Simondswood, Lindon Moss, and 

 Carrington Moss, as well as at Delamere Forest. In Yorkshire 

 abundant in Thorne Waste, not scarce in Wensleydale, and 

 found on Cottingham Moor, Hatfield Moors, and elsewhere. 

 Northward it is found in all suitable mosses and moors in 

 Durham, Westmoreland, and Cumberland, but seems to have 

 been exterminated in Northumberland." 



In Scotland it appears to be pretty generally distributed, and 

 occurs up to an elevation of some 2000 feet. Kane states that 

 in Ireland it is widely spread throughout, on the bogs and 

 mountains. It is stated to have occurred in North Wales a 

 long time ago, but there are no recent records from that 

 country. Abroad it is found in Central and Northern Europe, 

 extending to Lapland, and through Northern Asia to Amurland. 

 In North America it is represented by two forms, which are not 

 quite like any of those occurring elsewhere. 



