THE CHECKERED SKIPPER 
357 
brown. At the base of the antenna is a long, curved tuft of 
black hairs projecting over each eye. Also at the base of 
the tibia on the hind leg is a large expanding tuft of long 
black hairs, in the male. 
Female. The female has no costal fold to the fore wing 
and no tibial tuft. The ground colour is deeper black and 
only slightly greenish-grey at the base of the wings. The 
white spots are usually smaller, especially those of the hind 
wing. The under surface is generally more fulvous in tint. 
Life of Imago. This very brisk little butterfly has but a short 
life, extending to about fifteen days. 
Aberration. This species varies considerably in the extent 
of the white markings. A constant and not very uncommon 
aberration occurs with the spots greatly enlarged and con¬ 
fluent, forming a broad median band on the fore wing, and 
sometimes the hind wings are banded. These extreme forms 
are known as ab. taras, Meigen. Occasionally specimens 
having the spots greatly reduced in size are met with, and 
in others the hind wings are spotless. The under side varies 
from pale ochreous-grey to deep fulvous. 
Genus CARTEROCEPHALUS, Lederer, 1852 
THE CHECKERED SKIPPER 
Carterocephalus palaemon (Pall., 1771). 
(Plate XXXI, facing page 340) 
This little butterfly was first recorded as a British species 
in 1798, when specimens were captured by Dr. Abbot in 
Clapham Park Wood, Bedfordshire. He found it again in 1802 
in White Wood, near Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire. Later on it 
was recorded from other localities. 
Haunts and Distribution. The Checkered Skipper is essen¬ 
tially a woodland butterfly, frequenting the openings, rides 
