﻿382 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  either 
  side 
  of 
  head 
  ; 
  the 
  undeveloped 
  winglets 
  about 
  lo 
  c 
  apart. 
  After 
  

   about 
  a 
  minute 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  were 
  pulled 
  together, 
  and 
  the 
  tips 
  

   curled 
  outwards 
  ; 
  the 
  hindwings 
  quite 
  separate, 
  much 
  behind 
  the 
  fore- 
  

   wings. 
  The 
  forewings 
  then 
  began 
  to 
  expand 
  ; 
  the 
  two 
  points 
  now 
  only 
  

   curved, 
  the 
  two 
  lobes 
  very 
  distinct 
  ; 
  the 
  hindwings 
  grow 
  up 
  to, 
  and 
  

   become 
  level 
  with, 
  forewings 
  ; 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  forewings 
  now 
  only 
  slightly 
  

   curled 
  ; 
  tip 
  of 
  1st 
  feather 
  of 
  hindwing 
  curled, 
  others 
  straightened 
  out 
  ; 
  all 
  

   the 
  wings 
  have 
  finished 
  growth 
  now. 
  hanging 
  down 
  quite 
  vertically, 
  

   being 
  parallel 
  and 
  close 
  together 
  ; 
  antenn* 
  thrown 
  back 
  ; 
  fringes 
  (at 
  first 
  

   solid-looking) 
  now 
  getting 
  quite 
  distinct; 
  wings 
  absolutely 
  closed, 
  back 
  

   to 
  back, 
  touching 
  throughout, 
  except 
  just 
  at 
  base 
  ; 
  the 
  third 
  plumule 
  

   of 
  hindwing 
  hangs 
  just 
  separate, 
  the 
  other 
  plumules 
  of 
  hindwing 
  

   directly 
  behind 
  the 
  forewing, 
  the 
  clefts 
  fitting 
  each 
  other. 
  Complete 
  

   expansion 
  occupied 
  only 
  about 
  four 
  minutes. 
  Twelve 
  minutes 
  afterwards 
  

   the 
  wings 
  were 
  put 
  down 
  horizontally, 
  the 
  lowest 
  plumule 
  of 
  hindwing 
  

   still 
  separate 
  ; 
  the 
  hindlegs 
  stuck 
  out 
  directly 
  under 
  the 
  wings, 
  form- 
  

   ing, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  a 
  rest 
  for 
  them, 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  hindlegs 
  standing 
  out 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  : 
  this 
  appearance 
  of 
  wings 
  resting 
  on 
  

   legs 
  is 
  very 
  peculiar 
  and 
  striking. 
  Thirty 
  minutes 
  after 
  this, 
  its 
  hind- 
  

   legs 
  had 
  been 
  put 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  legs 
  

   touching 
  but 
  not 
  crossed, 
  the 
  wings 
  still 
  horizontal 
  and 
  about 
  60° 
  apart. 
  

   Ten 
  minutes 
  later 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  legs 
  were 
  crossed 
  (Tutt, 
  June 
  29th, 
  

   1904). 
  [Bankes 
  observed 
  an 
  imago, 
  just 
  emerged, 
  drying 
  its 
  wings 
  

   behind 
  its 
  back 
  at 
  7 
  a.m.] 
  On 
  the 
  move, 
  the 
  moth 
  runs 
  quickly, 
  coming 
  to 
  

   rest 
  somewhat 
  suddenly, 
  and. 
  in 
  nature, 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  conspicuous, 
  as 
  it 
  

   rests 
  on 
  a 
  grass 
  culm, 
  or 
  similar 
  object, 
  although, 
  when 
  disturbed, 
  it 
  is 
  

   seen 
  readily 
  enough. 
  Its 
  natural 
  time 
  of 
  flight 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  

   evening, 
  just 
  before, 
  and 
  at, 
  dusk, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  easily 
  disturbed 
  as 
  

   one 
  walks 
  through 
  the 
  rough 
  herbage 
  ainong 
  which 
  it 
  hides, 
  and 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  sometimes 
  seen 
  on 
  a 
  still 
  day 
  flitting 
  about 
  naturally 
  in 
  the 
  

   afternoon 
  sunshine. 
  Bankes 
  says 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  taken 
  the 
  imago 
  on 
  the 
  

   wing, 
  towards 
  dusk, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  easily 
  disturbed 
  from 
  amongst 
  its 
  

   foodplant 
  during 
  the 
  evening. 
  We 
  have 
  also 
  seen 
  it 
  at 
  light, 
  after 
  dusk, 
  

   and 
  Studd 
  notes 
  that 
  it 
  comes 
  freely 
  to 
  the 
  light 
  trap 
  at 
  Oxton, 
  Devon. 
  

   Bower 
  notes 
  it 
  as 
  flying 
  among 
  Veronica 
  chamaedrys 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon, 
  

   at 
  Lee 
  and 
  Sidcup, 
  and 
  Gregson 
  says 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  easily 
  disturbed 
  therefrom 
  

   at 
  Witherslack. 
  Commonly 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  seen 
  this 
  species, 
  we 
  have 
  

   never 
  noticed 
  it 
  so 
  abundantly 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  pasture-meadows 
  at 
  Megeve, 
  

   in 
  Haute-Savoie 
  ; 
  here, 
  on 
  several 
  still 
  afternoons, 
  in 
  early 
  August, 
  

   1902. 
  as 
  one 
  walked 
  along 
  the 
  pathway 
  through 
  the 
  fields, 
  the 
  species 
  

   swung 
  from 
  stem 
  to 
  stem 
  of 
  tne 
  tall 
  coarse 
  herbage, 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  in 
  

   great 
  numbers. 
  Still 
  it 
  is 
  sometimes 
  exceedingly 
  common 
  in 
  Britain, 
  

   and 
  we 
  have 
  seen 
  it 
  in 
  abundance 
  at 
  Cuxton, 
  Folkestone, 
  and 
  other 
  

   places, 
  always 
  flitting 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  lazy 
  fashion, 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   afternoon, 
  becoming 
  most 
  active 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  sun 
  slants 
  off 
  the 
  chalk 
  

   banks, 
  which 
  they 
  love 
  there 
  so 
  well. 
  

  

  Habitat. 
  — 
  One 
  may 
  expect 
  to 
  find 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  almost 
  any 
  place 
  

   where 
  Veronica 
  chamaedrys 
  grows 
  in 
  Britain 
  — 
  roadside 
  banks, 
  hedge- 
  

   sides, 
  edges 
  of 
  woods, 
  ridings 
  in 
  woods, 
  rough 
  overgrown 
  fields, 
  edges 
  

   of 
  cultivated 
  fields, 
  chalk-hills, 
  sand-hills, 
  on 
  old 
  landslips 
  and 
  cliffs 
  

   near 
  the 
  sea, 
  ground 
  at 
  the 
  sea-level, 
  and 
  moors 
  and 
  mosses 
  at 
  high 
  

   elevations; 
  whilst 
  abroad, 
  from 
  the 
  sunny 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  

   to 
  the 
  bleak 
  wastes 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  the 
  Arctic 
  circle, 
  this 
  species 
  finds 
  

  

  