CYCLOPIDES PALiEMON. 211 



May and first week of June, 1905, a few 2 s remaining on the wing 

 later, in the woods of Northampton and Rutland (Rothschild). 



Habits. — In its first known British locality, Clapbam Park Wood, 

 in Bedfordshire, Abbot noted it as " occurring in May and June, flying 

 freely in the morning, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., very often playing in pairs 

 just after sunrise, or as soon as the morning fog has evaporated, its flight 

 being extremely short and very near the ground ; it delights to settle 

 on the blades of very long grasses, or Carices, and is far from being a 

 timid insect." This is strange, for Raynor writes that, in his experience, 

 the species begins to fly about 10 a.m., never, so far as he has observed, 

 earlier, although he has been in its haunts by 9.30 a.m. The Lincoln- 

 shire woods, where he knew the insect for five years, situated about 

 halfway between Lincoln and Wragby, constitute a considerable range 

 of apparently primeval woodland, and are very similar in character to 

 Monk's Wood, in Huntingdonshire, and other well-known large woods 

 in the midlands. Through these woods are cut, in several parts, rough 

 roads, some twenty feet in breadth. These are covered with herbage 

 and various wild flowers, forming a favourite resort for butterflies. 

 Here, towards the end of May, and on till about the third week in 

 June, this species may be found in varying quantities, according to the 

 season. It is a most beautiful object as it flashes along like a living 

 jewel, taking short flights from one flower to another, generally select- 

 ing the blue bugle, but occasionally the wild forget-me-not. Towards 

 midday its flights are longer and more rapid, and, when chased, it 

 occasionally deserts the ridings altogether, and either settles on the 

 leaves of a bush some ten or twelve feet from the ground, or disappears 

 altogether over the top of the wood. It may be seen flying as late as 

 5 o'clock in the afternoon, after which time it is frequently found 

 at rest, either singly or in pairs, on long grass blades, and occasionally 

 on Ajuga reptans. When settled and engaged in sucking nectar from 

 the flowers during sunshine, it closes its wings over its back, but when 

 merely resting, opens them at intervals when the sun shines. Pairing 

 takes place in the early afternoon (Raynor). Muschamp says that 

 "the flight of this species is more rapid than that of its near relations, 

 but it never appears to rise to fly, skimming along, almost touching 

 the ground ; it flies pretty well straight ahead, in somewhat 

 un-skipper-like fashion ; " yet Scudder says that " it is a feeble 

 flier for a Hesperian, keeping only two or three inches above 

 the ground in the roadways, much like Thanaos icelus. At rest, the 

 wings are held erect and almost attingent, the antennae in a plane with 

 the body, divaricate at an angle of 135°, the curved tip in the same 

 plane with the rest ; the trunk is raised at a slight angle with the surface 

 of rest." It loves to rest on birch bushes, around which it flies, in the 

 low open woods near Oberursel (Fuchs). In the duchy of Anhalt 

 the males appear freely some ten days before the females (Gillmer). 

 It is said to be extending its range in certain parts of Germany, e.g., 

 Sommer records that it was first observed in Upper Lusatia at the end 

 of May, 1880, at Lichtenau-Lauban, but, in 1890, it was very common 

 there, as well as in the neighbourhood and surrounding district of 

 Gorlitz, as well as other places, and, by 1895, was common near 

 Siegersdorf. Slater says that it has, in our own woods, a habit of 

 dodging about in the hazel bushes and undergrowth, and soon gets out 

 of condition, especially in windy weather. Rothschild observes that it 



