Butterflies and Moths (British)Furneaux, William S.
Science
Butterflies and Moths (British)
Furneaux, William S.
Butterflies -- Great Britain; Moths -- Great Britain
The caterpillars have rather large heads, and their bodies taper from
the middle toward both extremities. Like the larvae of many moths, they
hide themselves in leaves which they have rolled and secured with silken
threads; and when about to change to the chrysalis state, they also spin
silken cocoons for their further protection.
_The Grizzled Skipper_ (_Syrichthus Malvae_)
The ground color of this species is a very dark brown, relieved by a
number of square white spots arranged as shown in fig. 11 of Plate VII.
The fringe is wide, and barred with the same two colours, arranged
alternately. The pattern of the under side is similar, but the dark
brown of the upper surface is replaced by a lighter olive tint.
The butterfly may be looked for in May in the open spaces of woods,
particularly in damp places. It is common all over England, and is found
also in the south of Scotland.
The caterpillar is either green or brownish, with a darker dorsal stripe
of the same color, and two white lines on each side. It feeds on the
raspberry (_Rubus idaeus_), the bramble (_R. fruticosus_), and the
strawberry-leaved cinquefoil (_Potentilla Fragariastrum_), and is full
fed about the end of June.
The chrysalis is greyish, spotted with black. It is rather elongated,
and without angles, but has a short and sharp projection extending
backwards from the 'tail.'
_The Dingy Skipper_ (_Nisoniades Tages_)
Colour--a dingy brown, indistinctly barred and spotted with a darker
tint, and having a row of small white spots just inside the fringe of
the hind margins. Under side--a paler brown, with rows of small white
spots.
This butterfly is common in all parts of England, and is found in a few
localities in Scotland and Ireland. It frequents dry banks, and is
particularly partial to the chalky districts of the south-eastern
counties. It is on the wing in May, and a second brood appears in lesser
numbers in August.
The caterpillar is pale green, with two yellow stripes on each side, and
a row of black spots above each stripe. It feeds on the bird's-foot
trefoil (_Lotus corniculatus_), and may be found in June, and again in
September.
The chrysalis (Plate VIII, fig. 12) is shaped something like that of the
last species, and is coloured green on the front segments, and a rose
red on the abdomen.
The perfect insect is represented in fig. 12 of Plate VII.
_The Small Skipper_ (_Hesperia Thaumas_)
In briefly describing the various British butterflies no mention has
been made, except in a few cases, of the shape of the wings, this matter
having been left to the reader's own observations of our illustrations.
We will, however, call attention to the somewhat square-cut form of the
wings of _Thaumas_ and the following species.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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