The caterpillar is dull green, orange-striped on back and sides. It feeds on Trefoils, etc. This species is local, but common all over the British Isles, except in the extreme North. It is one of our early species, appearing in May and June.
The Large Blue (Lycæna Arion), [Plate XIII.], Fig. 5.—This is the largest of our “Blues” and the rarest of our really resident species, and although it appears to be able to hold its own and maintain its numbers fairly well, I would strongly urge collectors to at least let all the “fair” and worn specimens retain their liberty. Again and again I have seen specimens set up and sent out in exchange that should never have been taken. Of a dark blue colour, black-bordered, Arion can always be recognized by the row of black spots across the middle of the fore-wing; they are sometimes very large in size. There is occasionally a row of black spots round both wings, just inside the margin. The under side ([Plate XV.], Fig. 10) is a pale grey, gradually shading into a bright blue-green next the body, profusedly spotted with black in white rings.
The caterpillar, which feeds on Wild Thyme in the spring, is dark rust-coloured. The butterfly is out in July, and is found mostly in the extreme south-west counties.
The Duke of Burgundy Fritillary (Nemeobius Lucina), [Plate XIII.], Fig. 6.—Very like a diminutive member of the Fritillary family, but it has no real connection with it, and better still, it has a whole family (Erycinidæ) and genus to itself, being the only one of its kind found in Europe. The upper surface is a tawny orange, with dark brown checkerings, while a row of marginal black spots runs round the outer margins. The under side of the hind-wings has a double row of pale, almost white, spots across the centre, and black spots, similar to those on the upper side, round the edge.
The caterpillar is short and tapering, pale brown with a darker line on the back, and a lighter one on the sides. It feeds on Primrose. This species is said to be double-brooded in the South, out in June and again in August as far north as Carlisle and the Lake District. Note: the female has six perfect walking legs, the male only four, the front pair being rudimentary, as with many of the larger butterflies.
The Grizzled Skipper (Syrichthus Malvæ), [Plate XIII.], Fig. 7. —The Skippers, of which there are eight species in this country, are often referred to as the connecting-link between the butterflies and moths, and not without some justification. The antennæ are somewhat short, club-shaped, and hooked at the extremity. The head is large, and the antennæ spring from just above the eyes; their base is thus wide apart. Compare a Skipper with a Blue in which the roots of the antennæ almost touch. The body of the Skipper is stout and mothlike, and the wings not so ample, and more angular than in the average butterfly. The caterpillars live in a rolled leaf or several leaves spun together, and pupate in a slight cocoon.
The Grizzled Skipper is a small butterfly measuring just over 3/4 of an inch in expanse. The ground colour is nearly black, checkered with white square spots, as is also the fringe. The under side is lighter.
The caterpillar is a rusty brown, with lighter lines on the back and sides. The species is doubled-brooded, appearing in May and August, and is generally distributed over the country as far north as the South-West of Scotland.
The Dingy Skipper (Nisoniades Tages), [Plate XIII.], Fig. 8. —This is dull grey-brown, and very Quaker-like in its sombre garb, with a lighter and a darker band across the wings. The under side is a pale drab, with a few faint light spots. And truly one may be excused if at times it is mistaken for a night-flying moth.
The caterpillar feeds on trefoil, and is green, with four yellow lines and some black dots; it is very stout in the middle, tapering to either end. This Skipper is also doubled-brooded, appearing in May and August, generally on dry soils such as the chalk, or limestone, or, as in Scotland, on the sand-dunes of Ayrshire, where it is locally common.