THE DINGY SKIPPER 
353 
with minute pale ochreous spots and is covered with tiny 
pale ochreous bristles. The thoracic spiracle forms a pro¬ 
jecting, prominent, ear-like knob, consisting of a very dense 
cluster tuft of black bristles rising from a black glazed surface. 
The cremaster and hooks are amber-coloured. The pupal 
stage occupies thirty to thirty-six days. 
Imago. The average expanse of the wings is 29 mm. 
The sexual difference is distinct in wing structure. The male 
has the basal half of the costal margin folded back. The ground 
colour is fuscous-brown, the fore wing having a more or less de¬ 
fined grey transverse median band bordered on each side by 
brown-black blotches, forming two irregular bands, the outer 
one edged with white serrations and enclosing from one to three 
white spots near the costa. The outer margins of both fore 
and hind wings are outlined with dark brown and inwardly 
bordered with a row of white dots. The hind wing has a 
pale linear mark in the discoidal cell, and an angulated series 
of white spots beyond the middle. The fringes are grey, 
flecked with fuscous. Over the eye is a curved tuft of black 
hairs. 
On the under side the ground colour is a golden-brown 
speckled with cream-coloured markings similar to those on 
the upper surface. 
The female is similar in general colouring and pattern, but 
is without the costal fold on the fore wing. 
Life of Imago. The life of this active little butterfly is 
probably about twenty days. 
Aberration. This butterfly is liable to considerable aberra¬ 
tion in both the ground colour and markings. Some are dis¬ 
tinctly variegated with light grey and deeply spotted with 
dark brown. 
Examples of the occasional second brood are as a rule 
very distinct from the normal spring specimens, being very 
much lighter in colour and strikingly checkered in appear¬ 
ance ; the under surface is remarkably light in colour, being 
a pale ochreous-cream, instead of the golden-brown of the 
spring butterflies. 
B.B. 
Z 
