RURALIDES (THECLIDES). 81 



Superfamily II : KURALIDES (THECLIDES). 

 Family : Ruralid je. 

 Subfamily : Ruralin^e (Theclin^e). 



This subfamily, popularly known as the " hairstreaks," comprises 

 within its limits some of the most attractive, as well as some of the 

 most dingy, of the whole of the family Ruralidae. The "hairstreaks" 

 have obtained their popular name from the delicate, transverse, striped 

 markings, found on the underside of the wings. The forewings, usually, 

 are remarkably square at the apex, and the hindwings are often provided 

 with one, or even two, fine thread-like tails, whence the name Armati 

 that . Hiibner gave them ; the anal angle of the hindwings also is 

 frequently lobed. Like the rest of the Ruralids, they have, generally, 

 marked sexual characters exhibited in their colour or pattern, e.g., 

 Ruralis betulae, Bithys querciis, etc., whilst other groups, e.g., Strymon 

 ui-album and its allies, exhibit, in the $■ , a small, dull, oval spot near 

 the middle of the costa of the forewing, which is filled with androconia, 

 and frequently disturbs the regularity of the nervures at this point. 

 Scudder remarks that the front of the face of the $ bears a kind of 

 beard, a bristling tuft of hair-like scales, wanting or very thin in 

 the ? . 



The Ruralines are delicate little butterflies, exceedingly active in 

 their habits, and the freshness of their beauty is readily injured. Gosse 

 says : " They are frisky little creatures, very fond of chasing each 

 other through the air, and tumbling about with surprising quickness 

 of evolution .... After a flight, they often return to the same 

 spot from whence they departed, a projecting twig or the topmost leaf 

 of a bush " ; whilst Wallace, writing of the South American forms, 

 says that " they all fly very quickly, and settle upon leaves and flowers 

 with the wings erect ; they have a very peculiar habit of moving the two 

 lower wings over each other in opposite directions, giving the appearance 

 of revolving discs." This latter habit is common to all the Ruralid tribes, 

 some of the " blues " being particularly noted for this peculiarity. 

 Many of the "hairstreaks" are also very fond of flowers, and the privet 

 hushes in Fontainebleau Forest, covered with active greedy hordes of 

 Strymon ilicis and S. w-album, are a sight worth seeing. S. pruni has the 

 same habit in Barnwell Wold, whilst, on the saxifrage, umbellifer, and 

 thyme flowers, in the alps of central Europe, S. spini is sometimes to be 

 seen in dozens. We have also seen Ruralis betulae on the flowers of 

 the great Umbellifers, at the foot of the Grand Saleve, in the Visp 

 Valley, and elsewhere. The habit of moving the hindwings alter- 

 nately has been noted in Europe as well as America. Gosse, speaking 

 of the Theclids in general, and Strymon (Thecla) calanus in particular, 

 says (Lett. Alab., p. 37) that, when at rest, they often rub the surfaces 

 of the hindwings upon each other, up and down alternately. 



The eggs of the Ruralines, as will be seen by reference to our 

 plate ii, are of distinct Ruralid, and yet of quite specialised, character. 



