124 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



green of the underside harmonising so closely with the green leaves. 

 They seem to be especially attracted to young green leaves on the low 

 branches of birch, and will return to the same spot time after time, 

 darting off to attack another of their kind (or even a specimen of Ema- 

 turga atomaria, should one approach), when they will fly off together, 

 gambolling for some distance, and returning again a minute or two 

 later. They also frequently settle on the flowers of furze, apparently 

 to feed and sun themselves, for, he adds, he has never noticed them egg- 

 laying thereon. Grover observes that, at Guildford, the species flies round 

 the tops of tall bushes of whitethorn and elder in the woods, whilst, in 

 1898, at Sutton Park, Imms said it abounded at the flowers of the 

 holly-trees, and, in May, 1882, Perkins observed it, at Wotton-under-Edge, 

 resting on hazel-bushes, and being thence attracted to the flowers of 

 the common bugle. In May, 1902, at Churchill, in Co. Tyrone, Greer 

 observed it frequenting the birch-trees, around which it flitted, in the 

 sunshine, whilst Kowland-Brown records that, as late as July 26th, 

 190M, between St. Martin Vesubie and Venanson, a few ragged ex- 

 amples were observed on the stonecrop, flowering on the wayside walls. 

 The profusion of this species at Mouans-Sartoux, Auribeau, and Agay, 

 in fact all over theEsterel district, is usually very noticeable, even in a 

 district where it is always extremely abundant. In tbe bogs around 

 Glencar, in Ireland, Kaye saw the species in mid- June, 1902, sw r arming 

 on the lousewort flowers, and, in May, 1901, it was very abundant on 

 elder flowers on Eanmore Common (Oldaker). The difference in the 

 habits of the imagines when freshly-emerged, and a little later, appears 

 to be most marked. When fresh, the sexes fly together, sporting freely 

 round the bushes, settling on the leaves, or feeding at the flowers of 

 hawthorn. Later, the $ s often leave the males, the latter still maintain- 

 ing their habit of flitting from leaf to leaf on the bushes, whilst the 2 s 

 fly low down near the ground, seeking a variety of herbaceous plants, 

 although not disdaining the flowers of buckthorn and dogwood, on which 

 to lay their eggs. When thus engaged, those that choose the low- 

 growing plants become the companions of JS'isoniades taf/es,Aricia astrar- 

 che, and so on, but, as soon as the work is over, they return to the bushes, 

 and usually choose a place thereon to sleep. On the Riffelberg, at 

 some 8500 feet elevation, Jordan noticed the imagines in early July, 

 1878, frequenting the flowers of Rhododendron ferrugineum. Le Grice 

 says that the imagines occur freely in Folkestone Warren, flying 

 generally over the brambles which abound here, but not despising the 

 elder, mealy guelder-rose, whitethorn, and other bushes .... 

 The specimens flying over brambles w T ere found, by examination of 

 many examples, to be all $ s, the ? s Hying low down on the grassy 

 slope, seeking plants of Helianthemum vulgare for the purpose of ovi- 

 position. Wright observes that, in early May, 1890, the species was 

 very abundant on Cannock Chase, and here, towards evening, it settled 

 down on the heather, where it rested for the night, whilst Johnson 

 also observes that, it occurs at Churchill, on a heathy bog, where, 

 too, it also chooses heather as a resting-place. McLean mentions 

 (in lift.) that, at Alford, in Aberdeenshire, the butterfly is fond of settling 

 on stunted birch-trees on the hillsides, and, late in the afternoon may 

 be beaten therefrom in hundreds ; in this locality it lays its eggs on 

 the cranberry. Watkins says that, in Gloucestershire, it is much more 

 abundant in some years than others, <'.//., on Painswick Hill, in 1868, and 



