Plate Xiii. Butterflies.

Vanessa polychloros. 2. Vanessa Atalanta, 3. Vanessa cardui. Plakts : — Meadow Crane’s Bill {Geraniu'in praiense). Above, on Bight. Buttercup {Banunculus bulbosus). In Middle.

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she had deposited lier eggs. Tiie branch was then restored to its place in the tree, as nearly as could be done. The Butterfly at once saw and recognised it, proceeded to the same leaf, and deposited more eggs upon it.

The Small Tortoiseshell, or Common Tortoiseshell (Vanessa urticce), is coloured much like the preceding insect, but the hues are rather brighter, and the whole pattern of the wings defined more clearly, and looking more compressed. It is too familiar to need any detailed description. The caterpillar feeds on the common stinging-nettle, and may be found in great numbers upon it, sometimes being so numerous as to blacken it with the caterpillars clustering upon the leaves, which are drawn together with the silken threads spun by the larviE. The pupa is suspended by the tail, and is very angular. Its colour is brown, mottled and spotted with black, and having several patches of a brilliant gold, as if burnished gold leaf had been laid upon it. This beautiful colouring has given to the pupa the name of Chrysalis, this being a Greek word, signifying anything that is gilded. The golden hue is unfortunately very transient, and vanishes as soon as the Butterfly has emerged from the pupal envelope.

The splendid, and fortunately common, insect, the Eed Admiral ^ Vanessa atalanta^^ a figure of ivhich is given on Plate XIII. Fig. 2, comes next in order. This Butterfly can be at once recognised by the broad scarlet band near the upper wings and along the edge of the lower wings, a bold and conspicuous style of colouring possessed by no other British insect. The ground-colour of the wings is velvet-black, diversified with some large white spots on the tips of tlie upper pair of wings, and an oval blue spot on the anal angle of the lower pair. lUs easy enough to describe the markings of the upper surface, but those of the lower surface are almost beyond description. Suffice it to say that the colour of the first pair is much like that of the upper surface, only paler ; while the under surface of the lower wings exhibits a most complicated mottling of brown, grey, blue, green, ochre, and black, arranged in a marvellously artistic manner, and forming a series of definite, but complicated patterns. ’

If this beautiful Butterfly were only rare, it would be the

admiration of all collectors. As it is plentiful, it is only admired by those who value Nature for her own sake, and not for the sake of mere rarity. Being one of the latter kind, I have a most enthusiastic admiration for the Bed Admiral, and am never tired of examining it in the cabinet, or watching it as it flits at liberty in the open air, with the graceful flight that has earned for the insect the name of Atalanta.

The larva of this Butterfly is a nettle-feeder, and is quite common. It is not, however, so often seen as that of the Tortoiseshell Butterfly, as it always feeds in concealment, making a shelter by drawing together with silk the leaves of the plant on which it feeds.

Even when it has ceased eating, and is about to pass into the pupal state, it has the instinct of concealment strong upon it, and ensures a convenient retreat by nibbling the stalk of the nettle nearly asunder, some four or five inches from the top. The severed portion, of course, falls over, and is spun up with silk so as to leave a hollow cavity within which the catei pillar can undergo its changes. Tlie chrysalis, which may be found at the end of summer, is suspended by its tail from the roof of this habitation, and there hangs until the perfect insect makes its escape. This chrysalis, like that of the preceding insect, is adorned with brilliant golden patches on the sides, and its general colour is warm grey, mottled with black.

Mr. Newman mentions that he has captured the Atalanta at night, as it was feeding on the sugar which had been laid purpose of attracting moths. I am not aware that out for the any other Butterfly has been known to depart so greatly from day-flying habits of the group. As in the case with the usual other insects of the same genus, though the Butterflies are in the autumn, the two sexes take no notice of eacli developed other until the following year, but occupy themselves with about from flower to flower, and in sucking their flitting During the winter they hibernate, and at the sweet juices. following summer they seek their mates and beginning of the eggs, from which the future brood is to proceed. lay their

In consequence of this habit, those specimens which appear of summer are never in fine condition as to at the beginning their wings being battered and faded during the their plumage, year. Those, however, which make their appearance previous

in August, are in their full splendour, and, unless the collector prefer rearing them from the caterpillar, he should select the month of August as the time for the capture of specimens for the cabinet.

Although it can fly rapidly when it chooses, it seldom takes the trouble to do so, and appears, indeed, to be so engaged in searching for and taking food that it may be captxu-ed without the least difficulty. Eipe and fallen fruit is always a great attraction for this Butterfly. One of the most magniflcent sights I ever saw was due to this predilection for fruit. An egg-plum tree had been entirely neglected, and its fruit permitted to ripen on the boughs and then fall to the ground. A lot of insects took advantage of such an opportunity, and the tree and its vicinity swarmed with wasps, ants, and other lovers of sweets.

But the most striking point was the host of Atalanta Butterflies which surrounded the tree. They were approaching in every direction ; the branches were crowded with them, and the fallen fruit upon the ground was so covered with them that neither fruit nor ground could be seen for the Butterflies, as they waved their black and scarlet wings gently up and down. So completely occupied were they with their rich banqxxet that they took no notice of me as I stood by them, and even permitted me to pick them up with my fingers. The sun was shining brightly on this wonderful assemblage, and brought oxxt the grandly contrasted colours until they shone with tropical splendour. I never saw such a sight before, and am not likely to see such a one again.

On Plate XIII. Fig. 3 is shown the pretty Butterfly called, on account of the variegated colouring of the under sxxrface, the Painted Lady. Its scientific title is Vanessa cardul The shape and position of the markings can be seen by reference to the illustration. The coloxir of the xxpper wings IS deep black. The five spots near the tip are pure white, and the pale markings on the disc of the wings are warm chestnut. There is a slight white scalloping along the edge of the wxng. The lower pair of wings are coloxired in much the ^me way, but the only white portion is the scalloped edging. The bases of the wings are thickly D D covered with scales of a

gulden lustre. I would here take the opportunity of advising any of my readers who possess a microscope, to examine carefully the scales of every lepidopterous insect that they capture, taking a few from both surfaces of the wings. If care be taken, these lovely objects can be removed without damaging the beauty of the wings. The under surface of the lower wings is beautifully mottled with various shades of brown and yellow, and near the edges are four rounded spots in a row, the two exterior spots being twice as large as the others. Each of the large spots is composed of a glittering green centre, surrounded by warm brown. Eound the brown is a stripe of yellow, and the whole is surrounded with a bold black line. The two smaller spots have no black outline.

In its larval state, the Painted Lady feeds on the thistle {Carduus arvensis), from which the insect derives its specific name of Gardni. It prefers the young and tender leaves of the plant, and draws their edges together, so as partially to enclose itself in the leaf. When it changes into a pupa, it suspends itself by the tail, and there remains until it emerges in its perfect form, somewhere about August.

In its habits, the Painted Lady much resembles the preceding insects, becoming developed in the autumn of one year, but not pairing until the spring of the next year. It is fond of flitting about in search of honey-bearing flowers, and especially frequents the teazle, on which flower the Red Admiral, the Great Tortoiseshell, and the Peacock Butterfly often bear it company. I have taken all those insects plentifully on teazles in Bagley Wood, near Oxford.

As in the case with other Butterflies, the Painted Lady is wonderfully intermittent in its appearance, sometimes being absent or extremely scarce for several years, and then appearing in swarms for a year or two in succession. I well remember the year in which I first saw this beautiful insect in any number. I had in my cabinet one solitary, battered specimen, 1 the only one that I had ever seen since I had begun to collect. One autumnal day I went to Bagley Wood, and near the road saw a Painted Lady fly into a gravel-pit. I went aftei it at best speed, jumped into the pit, and found it absolutely full of Painted Ladies. The Butterflies had taken some strange fancy to the place, and were flying through it almost in streams.

They were all in splendid condition, and in a very short time

I had captured a sufficient number to fill my box.

We must not complete our notice of this genus without a brief mention of the beautiful Peacock Butterelt ( Vanessa Id), so conspicuous on account of the ‘ eyes ’ or circular marks on both pairs of wings. The under surface of the insect is brown-black, mottled in a most cmious but almost indescribable manner. Whether the sombre colouring be intended for defence 1 cannot say, but there is no doubt that the insect often owes its life to the contrast between the upper and under surface. When a Peacock Butterfly is chased, it has a way of flying round a tree trunk, and settling on it, closing its wings at the same time, and bringing them together over its back. In this attitude it looks wonderfully like a dead leaf, and the change from a large, active, beautifully- coloured butterfly, to a thin, black, shrivelled leaf, is so great and so rapid that scarcely any eye but that of an entomologist would detect the insect.

The larva is one of the nettle-feeders, and is mostly very common, in some places quite as plentiful as that of the Tortoiseshell, while in others it has to be searched for carefully before it can be found. The general colour of the caterpillar is black, and the body is covered with a great number of long spines, which may, perhaps, defend it from the poisonous spikes of the plant on which it feeds. The chrysalis is green in colour, brighter when the change is first made, and darker when the future Butterfly is nearly developed.

On Woodcut XLII. Fig. 3, is shown one of our handsomest Butterflies, the celebrated Purple Emperor, or Emperor of Morocco {Ajpatura Ins). This genus differs from Vanessa in having the club of the antennae long instead of knobbed, as is shown at Fig. b, and the club nearly straight. The eyes are without hairs, the hind wings scalloped, and the first pair of legs are not used for walking. At Fig. a is shoivn one of these partially developed limbs. Those legs that are seen at Fig 3 are the eecond pair, the first pair being tucked up under the lont ot the thorax. Only one species inhabits England.

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