89 



Castle, near Weymouth, which appears to be somewhat intermediate, the 

 hindwings and the basal portions of the forewings being quite a pale brown, 

 almost drab. A very curious variety is in the collection of Mr. Bond : the 

 forewings are of the usual type, but have an extra small eyed spot close to the 

 top. The hindwings are semi-transparent, with eyed spots on a fulvous 

 band and slight fulvous marks nearer the base. Mr. Stephens, in his 

 " Illustrations/' describes a variety with the wings nearly transparent, the 

 scales being sparingly distributed over the surface, but all the usual markings 

 visible. Occasionally the characteristic dark band of the male is wider than 

 usual, making the specimens look very dark ; and I possess a specimen in 

 which paler portions of the wings are almost white. Examples with more than 

 three eyed spots on the hindwings are not uncommon. The underside has 

 generally six or seven, but there are seldom more than four on the upperside. 

 Sometimes the eye is bipupilled. The variety Lyssa, Boisd., from South- 

 eastern Europe and Asia Minor, has the hindwings of a grey colour on the 

 underside, somewhat like my specimen from Weymouth; and the variety 

 Tigelius, Bon., from Corsica and Sardinia, is smaller and darker fulvous than 

 the typical Megara. 



The egg, which is deposited singly on blades of grass, is of a pale green 

 colour at first, then whitish, at last dull greenish-white, with some dark pur- 

 plish spots on the top. In shape it is somewhat truncated and conical, with 

 rather a round top. 



The caterpillar is of a dull green, with a darker dorsal and a lighter spir- 

 acular line, and covered with minute warts, each of which emits a short hair. 

 It feeds on Daciylis glomerata, and other kinds of grasses. 



The chrysalis is suspended by the tail, and has two varieties of coloration, 

 green and a very dark brown. It has a short, stout, flattened, oval spike, 

 the tip of which is thickly set with pale, curled spines. 



The butterfly appears in May, in which month or early in June, the eggs 

 are laid singly on grass stems. The caterpillar is full-fed by the middle or 

 end of July, and the species remains a month — sometimes less — in the chry- 

 salis state, the second brood appearing in August, and continuing to fly 

 almost to October. The eggs are generally laid in August, and hatch in a 

 few days, the caterpillars feeding during the autumn, and hibernating, enter 

 the chrysalid state at the end of March or middle of April. About the end 

 of March, 1881, the Eev. J. Hellins captured two caterpillars on grass; 

 about the middle of April these became chrysalides, and the butterflies 

 appeared on May 13th and 21st, these had come from eggs laid in the pre* 

 ceding July or August, and had hibernated as caterpillars. (See Buckler's 

 Larvae, appendix by Rev. J. Hellins). 



