IIESPERID.E. 
263 
(such as G. Mercatus, (Fab.), Aledor, Feld., &c.), and are still more 
developed in the West- African Hesjperia Bixce, (L), and Chalyhe, Westw. ; 
and submetallic similar hues adorn Abantis Zanibcsinct and paradisca^ 
of Tropical and Extra-Tropical Southern Africa. 
The JSTew World is the metropolis of this family, about two-thirds 
of the recorded species and a majority of the genera being peculiar 
to it. Even jSTorth America (Extra-Tropical), which is poor in butter- 
flies generally, has yielded over 1 00 species — mostly belonging, how- 
ever, to the two genera Pamphila and Nisoniaclcs. Tropical America 
has produced nearly three-fifths of the known species. The Palsearctic 
region is exceedingly poor in Hesperidce, the researches of very many 
collectors and of lepidopterists having resulted in a series of 46 
species only, of which 28 belong to Europe proper. JSText to but 
far behind the overwhelmingly rich ISTeo-Tropical region comes the 
Oriental, which appears to have produced considerably over 200 
species; while under half this number are noted as inhabiting the 
Australian region. Africa and its islands do not hitherto seem to 
have yielded more than about 1 60 species, the majority of wdiich are 
only known to me by Plotz's brief descriptions. The South- African 
list embraces 64, thus distributed among the following genera, viz. : — 
Cydojpides 9, Pyrgus 14, Thymelicus 7, Pampkila 12, Ancyloxypha 3, 
Abantis (including Leucochitonea, Wallengren) 5, Caprona 2, Ptcrygo- 
spidea 7, and Hesperia ( = Ismene, Swainson) 5 . None of these genera 
are peculiar to the Ethiopian region except Abantis and Caprona, but 
these two do not appear to be represented north of the Equator. 
Thirty of the sixty-four South- African species at present seem to be 
peculiar to the Extra-Tropical area, but this number will probably be 
reduced when the South-Tropical belt is better explored by collectors. 
The flight of the Hesperidw is very peculiar ; though always swift, 
and usually of great velocity, it is exceedingly short, being continually 
arrested by the abrupt settling of the insect. This curious action on 
the wing has gained for the few species inhabiting England the common 
name of " Skipper." When resting, these butterflies exhibit various 
modes of holding the wings, some — such as Cyclop)idcs, Hcsperia^ and 
Pamphila — having their wings either quite erect in the ordinary 
manner, or with the hind- wings partly open ; others {Caprona, Ptcry- 
gospidea, &c.), keeping all the wings fully expanded ; and Tamyris, 
according to Swainson,-^ sitting with wings lowered, but (as in some 
species of Papilio) so that the fore-wings overlap and almost conceal 
the hind- wings. As mentioned above (vol. i. p. 30), the European 
Nisoniades Pages, when completely in repose, holds its wings deflected 
HI the attitude of a Bonibycide or ISTocturide moth ; and Speyer men- 
tions^ that Zeller had noticed this as long ago as 1847, not only in 
TageSj but also in newly-emerged Pyrgus Malvarum ( = Alcca3, Esp.). 
Ihose Hesperidm that keep the wings fully expanded have the habit of 
^ Zool Illustr., i. pi. 33 (1820-21). 2 g^ctt. Ent. Zed., 1878, p. 168. 
