THE CHEQUERED SKIPPER. 195 



warts, each emitting a tiny amber-coloured spine with a cleft 

 knobbed apex. The head is blackish marked with ochreous 

 lines. It still resides in a tube of grass spun closely together, 

 and feeds on any other kind of grass that happens to be inter- 

 woven with the Aira. Just before pupation the caterpillar often 

 crawls restlessly about, but in some instances it does not leave 

 its place of feeding, and spins a strong, coarse network cocoon 

 among the grass close to the ground, weaving the gnawed loose 

 pieces of grass with the fine stems and blades, and therein 

 pupates during the latter part of July. 



The chrysalis is secured in the cocoon by hooks at the tail 

 and by hooked bristles on the head ; the head and thorax are 

 pale olive mottled with blackish ; the body olive, spotted with 

 dark olive, and inclining to yellow on the ventral surface ; 

 below each spiracle is a short longitudinal mark ; the spiracles 

 are amber-brown. 



The butterfly is to be found in August on most of our 

 chalk hills, but has not been recorded from either Scotland or 

 Ireland. 



It is a very quick flyer and difficult to capture when on the 

 wing, but it is fond of sitting on low-growing thistles, and is 

 then sometimes easy to take. Abroad it occurs throughout 

 Europe and Northern Asia to China and Japan. 



The Chequered Skipper (Carterocephahis palcemon). 



The well-defined yellow or orange spots on the blackish- 

 brown ground colour distinguish this butterfly from all other 

 British Skippers. 



The variation is only of a minor kind, and chiefly in the 

 direction of an increase or a decrease in the number and the 

 size of the spots. Occasionally those on the central area of 

 the fore wings are much enlarged and more or less confluent ; 



