192 THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



of the Purbeck Hills, at a distance of four or five miles from the 

 sea. He also states that the species is only single brooded, 

 that the best time for it is from the beginning of July to the 

 middle of August, and that the food-plant of the caterpillar is 

 Brachypodium pinnatum. 



The blossoms of rest-harrow {Ononis arvensis) are said to 

 be the particular vanity of the butterfly, and it is seldom found 

 visiting any other flower. Abroad the species is not especially 

 attached to the sea-coast, but occurs inland throughout Central 

 and Southern Europe, its range extending to Asia Minor and 

 Syria, and also to North-West Africa. 



The Large Skipper (Augiades sylvanus). 



The male has the discal area of the fore wings bright fulvous, 

 and the outer area broadly brown ; the sexual mark is black ; 

 the hind wings are tinged with fulvous on the disc, and have 

 brighter fulvous spots. The female is brown with a fulvous 

 discal wedge on the fore wings, and an angulate series of fulvous 

 spots beyond ; hind wings as in the male, but spots rather more 

 defined. In some examples of this sex the spots on the fore 

 wings are confluent, and the discal area is then fulvous as in 

 the male (Plate 126). 



The egg is whitish or greenish-white, and is laid on a blade 

 of grass. Hellins states that from eggs laid about July 1 the 

 caterpillars hatched on July 13 ; they chose cocks-foot grass 

 (Dactylis glomeratd) for food, and rested in the middle of a 

 blade, fastening its edges across with five or six distinct little 

 ropes of white silk. 



The young caterpillar figured on Plate 127 was on Septem- 

 ber 11 about half an inch in length, and had been removed 

 from the grass tube, also shown, to be figured ; the head was 

 then pale brown, bordered and lined with purplish brown ; the 

 body was darkish green, paler on the last ring, and with darker 



