NISONIADES TAGES. 289 



side outwards. He thought, at first, this might be an exceptional instance, 

 but on the 8th, in the same chalk-pit, during a slight shower of rain, he 

 found another in a precisely similar position, and so was induced to 

 believe that it must be a regular practice. The observation was con- 

 firmed by Speyer (Lep. Faun. d. Filrst. Waldeck, 1867, p. 172), who, 

 several times, noted that the butterfly, when really at rest, sleeping, 

 carried its wings folded, roof-like, after the manner of most Noctuids. 

 It was later recorded by Frohawk, who, on June 12th, 1883, found a 

 grasshead, on which there seemed to be a Noctuid at rest. The insect 

 proved to be a specimen of N. tages, the wings held in exactly the 

 same position as a Noctuid when resting; the anterior wings entirely 

 covered the posterior wings, the head lowered so as to touch the grass, 

 and antennae bent back parallel with the costal margin of the wings. 

 The colours of both butterfly and grass-head upon which it rested, were 

 of wonderful similarity, and, coupled with the position taken up on the 

 brown tuft, were a remarkable and perfect disguise. An excellent drawing 

 accompanies Frohawk's note (Ent., xvii., p. 49). Bankes writes (in litt.) 

 that, ' ' on the evening of June 23rd, 1 905 , he noticed, in the Isle of Purbeck, 

 a specimen roosting for the night on the stout brown upright seedhead 

 of a coarse grass (Dactylis glomerata, unless memory is at fault), 

 to which it was clinging, head upwards, with the fore wings, which 

 formed a triangle, nearly concealing the hindwings, and sloping away 

 gently outwards from the line of their approximating dorsal margins, like 

 a rather flat-pitched roof from its ridge. The protective resemblance of 

 the butterfly to the grass seedhead was most remarkable." He observes 

 that "a somewhat similar sleeping-position of N. tages was described and 

 figured in Entom., xvii., p. 49 (1884), but, in that case, the grass-head was 

 almost horizontal, with the butterfly resting along the underside of it, 

 the anterior wings entirely covered the posterior, and the outward slope 

 of the former appears to have been more pronounced." He further 

 adds : "I have noticed that N. tages, when kept in the dark in confine- 

 ment, does not repose with the wings closed over the back like most of 

 our 'skippers,' but holds them nearly horizontally, in almost the same 

 position as when it is basking in the sunshine." Very few observers 

 have recorded the butterfly as resting on blossoms, when actively on 

 the wing in the sun, we only note it flying at flowers of selfheal at 

 Hexham (Nicholson), at flowers, of Thymus serpyllum., at Salzburg 

 (Richter), at flowers of Nepeta glechoma, Lotus corniculatus, Lysimachia 

 nemorum (J. F. Bird), etc. Schmidt reports that it rests and suns itself 

 commonly on the low plants and bushes, and flies blithely round the 

 borders of the Rugensee Woods, in Mecklenburg ; whilst Glaser observes 

 that, in Oberhessen, it loves to run in the sunshine over the ground, or 

 over stones, in fields, and woodland roads, like a fly ; he also notes it 

 as being fond of sitting in damp places. Mann also records its pre- 

 dilection for damp places in roads in Carniola. Gillmer observes that it 

 rests on blossoms of thyme and on the bare ground, spreading out 

 its wings in the sunshine, and remaining for a considerable time 

 in one place if not disturbed ; the flight is rapid, but not often sus- 

 tained for any length of time, the butterfly soon resting again. Bird 

 says that " this species flits about rather close to the ground, seldom 

 flying more than a foot or two above the herbage, except when one is 

 chasing another (possibly a $ pursuing a £ ) ; at this time, the two 

 will circle around each other and mount upwards to a height of some 8ft. 



