CALLOPHRYS RUBI. 123 



viz., on July 9th, 1906, at Landogo, flying round a bramble-bush 

 (J. F. Bird). 



Habits. — This is a most interesting little species, one of the 

 earliest of our newly-emerged butterflies to appear in the spring. It 

 abounds in some seasons in its favourite haunts, whilst in other 

 seasons it is comparatively rare. It prefers, as a rule, in the sunshine, 

 to fly fairly high about trees and bushes, and to rest upon green leaves, 

 but still often deserts these to seek the nectar of its favourite flowers. 

 It flits with considerable swiftness from one place to another, and 

 quickly gets out of reach if disturbed. Blachier says, that it is very 

 common around Geneva and on Mt. Saleve, flying about the bushes 

 with a short, rapid, and zigzag flight, settling repeatedly on the 

 leaves, particularly on those of oak- bushes, which have not yet lost 

 their leaves, although, when the season is more advanced, they are 

 freely attracted by bramble- blossom. Eowland-Brown notes that, on 

 the Buckingham chalkhills, its chief flight coincides with the early 

 green of the hawthorn, on which it rests, almost invisible, but is easily 

 disturbed by shaking the branches ; when settling, it folds its wings so 

 that the green alone is visible, and lies sideways on the spray, so that 

 it is practically indistinguishable. Like Bithys quercus, this species is 

 fond of soaring, sometimes to a considerable height, and battling in 

 the air. He further adds that, in June, 1899, at Digne, it 

 appeared in countless thousands, especially affecting the broom, 

 which was then going out of flower, and, in early April, 

 1898, it was very abundant at Costebelle, resting on the broom 

 flowers, and persistently attacking the $ s of Thestor ballus, whilst, 

 at Digne, in April, 1897, we noted it as the most abundant species 

 observed, swarming about the Primus flowers, flying everywhere 

 swiftly over the genistas, on which the eggs are frequently laid, whilst 

 we have seen it abundant also on the blossom of the hawthorn- 

 bushes growing on the chalk slopes between Cuxton and Hailing; 

 in 1893, the imagines were observed swiftly flying round the beeches 

 in this latter locality, and resting on the leaves where they were excel- 

 lently protected, thus contrasting markedly with Barrett's statement that 

 when resting on the leaves of Vaccinium myrtillus on Cannock Chase, the 

 species is particularly conspicuous. Bignell observes that, near Plymouth, 

 on a sheltered undercliff, on June 17th, 1865, hundreds of this species 

 were skipping about and alighting on the fronds of the common 

 bracken, the beautiful green of their undersides so like the colour of 

 the fronds, that it was only with difficulty that the one could be dis- 

 cerned on the other, and Tetley says that, on the moors near Scarborough, 

 its resemblance to the whortleberry leaf, on which it prefers to rest, is 

 very striking. Esper believes thatLinne's reference to Fatbits aculeata, 

 does not mean that he knew this to be the foodplant of the species, 

 but that it flew amongst and rested thereon, a habit noted by Blachier, 

 Le Grice, and others. Head observes (in litt.) that the butterflies only 

 fly in the bright sunshine, except on very warm days, when they fly a 

 little if there be no wind, even if the sky be overcast. Their favourite 

 position on which to alight is, on the heaths near Scarborough, upon the 

 young leaves of birch and bilberry, and the moment they alight they turn 

 sideways to the sun, with their wings closed, and lie over so that one side 

 of their wings perfectly faces the sun, and so secures the full force of the 

 sun's rays ; in this position they are most difficult to see, the bright 



