T A B . XVIII.
P A P I L I O P R O T E U S .
SW A L L O W -T A IL E D S K IP P E R B U T T E R F L Y .
C L IT O R IA M A R IA N A . L IN N .
L A R G E R E D C L I T O R I A , O R P E A V IN E .
P . P. alis caudatis fufcis macülis fefieftratis, antennis uncinatis.
Papilio Proteus. Lirtn. Syfl. Nat. 794- Fahr. Entom. emend. V. 4. 331. Cram. Pap. A 260. D. E.
T h e caterpillar o f this rare fpecies I difcovered b y feeing th e butterfly lay fome
eggs upon the wild pea-vine, for th e caterpillars o f all th e fpecies o f Skippers fold
the leaves together for fafety (like th e Englifh Admirable, P . Atalanta) which
makes them n o t ea ly to be difcoyered. On th e 2d o f Ju ly it fpun itfelf up in the
leaves, and on th e 4 th changed to a chryfalis covered w ith a bluifh w h ite powder,
as in the Red Underwing. T h e fly appeared Auguft 18. I t breeds in autumn
only. I afterwards difcovered fome o f thefe caterpillars on another p lan t o f the
pea or bean tribe. This butterfly was plentiful in the year 1782, b u t I have not
fince met w ith it.
This being one of the moil variable fpecies in the length of its hind wings, as well as
general colour, is aptly named Proteus by Linnaeus; yet it is not really fo variable as he
thought, fome of his fuppofed varieties being unqueftionably diftindt fpecies.