288 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



12th, 1904, at Scarborough (Tetley) ; May 25th, 1904, also a very worn 

 specimen June 29th, 1904, at Hazeleigh (Raynor) ; May 29th, 1904, 

 on Aldbury Down (Barraud) ; June 4th, 22nd, 27th, 1904, in the 

 Isle of Purbeck ; June 17th, 1904, at Blandford ; June 24th, 1904, 

 in the Isle of Portland (Bankes) ; June 6th and 8th, 1904, very 

 scarce, at Tin tern and Llandogo (Bird) ; May 17th, 1905, at Reading 

 {Butler); May 19th, 1905, fairly well out at Cuxton (Tutt) ; 

 May 20th- June 3rd, 1905, plentiful at Tintern and Llandogo (Bird); 

 May 23rd, 1905, at Hazeleigh (Raynor) ; May 30th-June 15th, 1905, 

 at Mucking (Burrows) ; June 13th, 1905, at Westwell (Gardner) ; June 

 14th, 1905, at Reigate (Image) ; latest date noted at Ashford, June 18th, 

 1905 (Wood); June 23rd, 1905, in the Isle of Purbeck (Bankes); 

 June 23rd, 1905, worn, at Droitwich (A. H. Clarke) ; May 5th, 1906, 

 at Reigate (Turner) ; May 13th, 1906, first specimen of the year seen 

 at Tintern, fairly common by May 22nd (J. F. Bird) ; May 12th, 1906, 

 at Hazeleigh, well out (Raynor). 



Habits. — The imaginal habits of this species are extremely interest- 

 ing. In the early spring, on the chalk downs at Cuxton, it darts 

 rapidly from one bare place on the chalk to another, resting thereon 

 for a short time with outspread wings, and rarely choosing a flower or 

 grass blade on which to rest, although leaves of low bushes are not infre- 

 quently selected. In late July and early August, when the partial 

 secondbrood is on the wing in southern France and north Italy, it flies 

 rapidly along the roadways or pathways, repeatedly settling on the 

 ground in front of one, lowering its wings, or it chooses a flowery bank, 

 resting on a blossom with outspread wings, the convex margins of 

 which hang over most conspicuously, whilst it swings to and fro 

 in the breeze, its body turned towards the sun. In dull weather, 

 however, it chooses a dead flower-head of plantain, centaurea, scabious, 

 hieracium, etc., on w T hich to rest, and, drawing itself below the 

 capitulum, is not always readily noticed, although Raynor observes 

 that, on cold days, the imago may be easily detected when at rest, 

 especially on the dead flower-heads of knapweed, on a single head 

 of which he has seen three specimens at rest ; it also reposes on 

 the flowers of Plantago minor, and the old seed-heads of J uncus com- 

 munis, and various grasses. He says that, on May 30th, 1905, he 

 observed fourteen specimens, which had just settled down for the 

 night, upon dead flower-heads of knapweed, all in exactly the same 

 position, i.e., with their backs to the sun, which w r as shining brightly, 

 heads uppermost, wings folded down, wrapped over the dead, chequered, 

 brown, weather-worn flower-heads which form a very remarkable 

 similarity to the butterflies, touching which, only made them settle 

 down all the closer; none could be found in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood settled on any other plant. As long ago as 1857, Trimen recorded 

 the peculiar mode that the species had of resting when asleep. He 

 notes (IntelL, ii., p. 101) that, at Dorking, June 5tb, 1857, whilst 

 collecting Cupido minima in a chalk-pit, just at sunset, he saw what 

 appeared to be a small Noctuid, resting on a thick stalk of grass, and, 

 on stooping to examine it, found it to be a specimen of Nisoniades 

 tatjea, apparently fast asleep, as tapping the grass on which it rested, 

 several times, did not cause it to move; the wings were folded so as to 

 form a roof, as in most of the Lachneids and Noctuids, with the upper- 



