1 86 THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE BRITISH ISLES, 



in the British list, but rather to record the captures in question 

 as specimens accidentally introduced with plants, or else the 

 result of a very exceptional act of migration." 



|V y+ The Dingy Skipper {Thanaos tages). ^X*x 



The wings are fuscous, with darker fuscous transverse bands ^d 

 on the middle third of the fore wings ; the space between these %o 5* 

 is sometimes, and in both sexes, whitish ; there are some 

 whitish spots on the outer band, usually towards the costa, but 

 occasionally on the middle also, and a series of white points on 

 the outer margin of all the wings. The hind wings have a 

 whitish discal dot and a band beyond the middle, which is 

 almost parallel with the outer margin. The male has a well- 

 marked fold on the costa (Plate 122). 



The egg is whitish-green when freshly laid ; it afterwards 

 changes in colour to orange. The caterpillar is yellowish- 

 green with a darker line along the back and a paler line on 

 each side ; the spiracles are red and edged with whitish. The 

 head is pale brown, striped and marked with purplish-black. 

 The body, together with the head, is covered with a short 

 whitish pile. It feeds on bird's-foot trefoil {Lotus corniculatus) 

 from June until August, when it hibernates. I have not seen 

 the chrysalis, but it has been described as dark green with the 

 body tinged with rosy red. 



The butterfly is on the wing in May and June ; in some 

 seasons it has been seen as early as the end of April. Very 

 occasionally, perhaps, there is a partial second flight in August. 

 It has been reported as plentiful at Lyme Regis in August. 



I took one or two specimens about the middle of August, 

 1903, in the New Forest district, and in the same month of 1905 

 one of two caterpillars sent to me by Dr. Chapman pupated in 

 August, and the butterfly emerged some time in the autumn, 

 as I found it dead in the box early in October. Both the 



