A much rarer species in England now than formerly.
The Skippers, the last family of butterflies, are comparatively stout-bodied insects, with the antennæ widely apart at the base, and sometimes forked at the tip. They are not numerous in Europe; the prettiest of the British species is perhaps the Pearl-skipper, which measures rather more than an inch across its brown and tawny wings; the under surface of the hind wings is green, and marked with several clear white spots.
Moths.
Moths are much more numerous than butterflies, and there are about 2,000 different kinds found in the British Islands alone. Consequently we are able to notice only a few.
The Hawk-moths have long, pointed wings, thick, tapering bodies, and the antennæ thickest in the middle. The pink, greenish-striped Elephant Hawk-moth (see page [718]) is a comparatively small species. The specimens measure about 2½ inches across the wings. Some species are much larger. The Death's-head Hawk-moth, whose caterpillar feeds on potato-leaves, is 5 or 6 inches in expanse; and some of the South American species measure as much as 9 inches. The caterpillars of the hawk-moths are generally green, often with oblique lines of a different colour on the sides. They are not hairy, though the skin is sometimes rough, and there is a fleshy appendage, called a "horn," on the back, just before the extremity of the body. The brown pupæ are found in cells in the ground.
Photo by E. C. Atkinson.
ORANGE-TIP.
Showing three different positions when wings are folded, and partly or entirely concealing upper wing.
The Chinese Mulberry-silkworm, which produces most of the silk of commerce, is a smooth, whitish caterpillar, about 2 inches long, with a horn. It is often reared in England on lettuce. The moth is a sluggish, stout-bodied insect. It is whitish, with two dusky stripes on the fore wings. The pupa is enclosed in an oval whitish or yellow cocoon of pure silk.