THE SATYR ID /. 
85 
The fine Purple Emperor, Apatura iris, whose caterpillars live 
on the oak trees, is one of the gems of all collections. Its 
magnificence is greater than its gentility, for Mr. Stainton accuses 
this monarch of the Lcpidoptera of having a penchant for home- 
made gooseberry wine, and for leaving his realms in the air in 
order to seek the “ shades ” of a gooseberry bush. M. Pierret 
says it condescends to still lower tastes, and the only satisfac- 
tion is that they lead it to destruction. All these species of 
the old genus Nymphalis prefer sucking very nasty things or 
the sweeter sap and gum of plants and trees to enjoying the 
nectar of flowers. 
The Satyridi are world-wide butterflies. In Europe they 
are to be found on open plains, arid downs, the road side, 
forests, and even on the mountains amidst the everlasting snow. 
From spring to autumn the tawny, grey, and brown butterflies 
are constantly flying here and there, but for short distances, 
wherever there is the rankest and commonest vegetation. Their 
caterpillars live on the different kinds of grasses, and although 
they must be very common they are very rarely seen except 
by those who can look for them scientifically. They do not feed 
upon the slender grass leaves at all during the day, but hide 
themselves up at the bottom of the plant, with whose colours their 
tints harmonise. At night-time, however, they move for short 
distances and eat. This is an interesting habit, and contrasts 
with that of the majority of their fellow caterpillars. The larvae 
of the Satyridi are all shaped alike. The body is rather hairy, 
narrowed at each end, and the last segment is furnished with 
two hooks. The pupae are short and well set, and do not exhibit 
any of the strange-shaped projections which are common in the 
chrysalides of the Nymphalidi . 
A pretty butterfly ( Arge galathea ), the Marbled White, is 
rather common in the middle of summer in the whole of central 
and northern Europe, and it is our commonest representative of 
the Satyridi. The caterpillar lives upon some of the simplest 
grasses, and frequents the Timothy grass in England. The but- 
terfly has the very delicate antennae hardly swollen at their ends. 
The black and white ornamentation of the perfect insect is very 
distinctive, and the accompanying plate shows the fusiform cater- 
