Chapter VI (2)

This is one of those butterflies in which Nature, departing from her accustomed plan, has reserved the chief adornment of the wings for the _under_ surface, leaving the upper comparatively plain and unattractive.

In both sexes the wings, above, are of a deep sepia brown, surrounded by a greyish white fringe, and bearing several black spots in paler rings, which rings are {104} much _less distinct_ in the _male_ than in the female, the sex figured in the plate.

The under surface is of a soft russet ground, adorned with a wreath of the _ringlet_-spots from which the insect takes its common name. These are _black eye-spots_, white-centred and set in a clear ring of pale tawny colour. The most usual form and proportions of these spots are shown in the figure (with closed wings), but there are many varieties met with, the following being the most remarkable that have come under my notice.

One, and not a very uncommon one, has _no light rings_ round the black spots on the under side.

Another has the rings reduced to a range of mere light specks, the _black eye-spots being entirely absent_.

Then again, another has the black _pupils_ exceedingly large and rich, forming a most elegant variety.

The spots on the _upper_ side in the _male_ are sometimes quite imperceptible.

The ground colour of the _upper_ side is occasionally of a pale drab or fawn colour.

The _caterpillar_ of this species is very like that of the last in colouring, and feeds on the same grasses.

The _butterfly_, which is out in June and July, is a common and widely distributed species, frequenting woods, shady corners of hedge-rows, &c.

* * * * *

{105}

THE SCOTCH ARGUS BUTTERFLY. (_Erebia Blandina._)

(Plate VI. fig. 4, Female.)

The genus _Erebia_, to which this species belongs, is composed of a group of mountain butterflies, very numerous in the Alpine regions of the Continent, seventeen species being described as inhabiting the Alps; and, though only two have yet been discovered in this country (unless we admit _Ligea_, formerly taken in the Isle of Arran[10]), it is not at all improbable that others may be waiting for us in some of the mountain districts, if we will but look them up. Both tourists and, more especially, residents in those localities should be encouraged by the hope of adding a new species to our list to explore thoroughly the hill-sides and summits at various seasons of the year, as many of the species, besides being extremely local in their range, are only on the wing during a very short period of the year.

The Scotch Argus is a pretty, though not brightly-coloured butterfly.

The colour above is a deep rich brown, with a coppery or orange-red band on each wing, and each band has several (three or four usually) black eye-spots thereon.

{106}

On the under side, the front wings are nearly the same as on the upper side, showing the red patch and eyes plainly; but the hind wings are without the red patch, and are divided into broad bands of brownish tints, very variable, having sometimes a tendency to chocolate colour, sometimes to an olive or russet brown: but the stripe which is shown as lightest in the engraving of the under side is almost always greyer than the rest, having occasionally a purplish ash colour. On this band are some minute specks, occupying the places of the upper surface eyes.

The number of eye-spots is very variable on both surfaces.

The female, which is the sex figured, is both larger than the male and has the reddish band of a brighter colour.

The _caterpillar_, whose food plant is unknown, is stated by Duncan to be "light green, with brown and white longitudinal stripes; head reddish."

The _butterfly_ appears in August and September. A few years ago it was esteemed a rare insect, but it has since been found in plenty in some of the following localities, the list of which would doubtless be largely added to by further research in the northern hilly districts, its chosen haunts.

Near Edinburgh; near Minto, in Roxburghshire; Isle of Arran; Bræmar; near Newcastle; Castle Eden Dene; Durham; Craven; Wharfedale. {107}

At Grange, in North Lancashire, this "rarity" is a common garden butterfly, according to Mr. C. S. Gregson.

* * * * *

THE MOUNTAIN RINGLET BUTTERFLY. (_Erebia Cassiope._)

(Plate VI. fig. 5.)

A few years ago this little butterfly was esteemed one of the greatest of British rarities. The first well authenticated specimens were discovered and captured in Westmoreland by that distinguished artist, T. Stothard, R.A.; then for several years no more were taken, and the very existence of the butterfly in Britain was questioned. Since that time, however, its peculiar haunts among the mountains of Cumberland and Westmoreland have been rediscovered, and great numbers have been captured by various collectors. It is only found in very elevated situations, flying about the moist, springy spots that abound on these mountain sides, and in many spots the insect is very plentiful, within a limited range.

Mr. Curtis says, "They only fly when the sun shines, and their flight is neither swift nor continued, for they frequently alight among the grass, and falling down to the roots, their sombre colour perfectly conceals them."

The following notice of their locality, &c. from {108} personal observation, is quoted from a communication to the _Intelligencer_, by a well-known entomologist, Mr. R. S. Edleston, of Manchester. He says:--

"I and my friend, Mr. Hugh Harrison, in the middle of June made the ascent to Sty Head Tarn; for the first time in my experience, the weather was everything we could desire--calm and sunshine; this, combined with the dry season of last year and the long drought for months during this, enabled us to collect on ground in other years a dangerous morass. The result was, we captured _Cassiope_ in abundance, some of them in superb condition, just emerged from the chrysalis. A very short time on the wing suffices to injure them. They vary considerably in the development of the black spots on the fulvous patch, almost obsolete in some through all gradations to the fullest development; the patch varies in like manner, and also in form; lastly, they vary in size."

The caterpillar is yet _unknown_.

The _butterfly_ has the wings above of a dark brown colour. Each wing bears near its extremity a bar of deep but dull red, divided into sections where the brown veins cross. In each section is usually a black spot, but sometimes these are absent, and a few red spots take the place of the bar. The hind wings are smoothly rounded in their outline, and not toothed or scalloped as in the last species (_Blandina_). The _males_ generally appear towards the end of June, but a few sometimes earlier. The females, however, come later. {109} being found in July, and some even as late as August. The following localities for it are recorded:--Rannoch, Perthshire; Lake District; Sty Head Tarn; Langdale Pikes; Red Skrees Mountains, near Ambleside; Gable Hill. But other stations for it will probably be added to our list in time.

* * * * *

THE MARSH RINGLET, OR SMALL RINGLET BUTTERFLY. (_Coenonympha Davus._)

(Plate VI. fig. 6.)

This species, which is another North-country butterfly, varies so much in its colouring of sober drab or brown, with black eye-spots, that its varieties have been described as distinct species under the names of _C. Polydama_, _Typhon_, and _Iphis_, now, however, all placed together under the name of _Davus_.

These variations appear to depend in great measure upon local differences of elevation, latitude, &c.

From this excessive variability also it is very difficult to give a clear _general_ description of the markings, though the insect may be distinguished from other British species that approach it in appearance by the obscure yellowish-drab tint of the upper surface, marked with indistinct eye-spots, and more especially by having on the under surface of the hind wings an _irregular_ {110} _whitish_ band across the centre, and outside of this a row of about six clearly defined black eye-spots with white centres, situated each in a pale ochreous ring.

The _butterfly_, which appears in June and July, is exclusively met with in the North (including North Wales), and inhabits the moors and marshy heaths, or "mosses," in a great many localities in Scotland and the northern counties. The following are among those recorded:--

SCOTLAND.--Shetland Isles; Isle of Arran; Pentland Hills; Ben Nevis; Ben Lomond, near Oban; Ben More.

ENGLAND.--Lake District of Cumberland; Yorkshire; Beverley; Cottingham; Hatfield Chase; Thorne Moor; White Moss, Trafford Moss, Chat Moss, near Manchester; Chartly Park, near Uttoxeter; Delmere Forest, Cheshire; between Stockport and Ashton; near Cromer, in Norfolk; near Glandford Brigg, Lincolnshire.

IRELAND.--Donegal mountains.

NORTH WALES.--Between Bala and Ffestiniog.

Ashdown Forest, in Sussex, has been given as a locality, on doubtful authority, certainly; but from what I have seen and know of that district and its productions, I think it is not at all impossible that _Davus_ may be really found there. We have there, at any rate, the heath-covered, yet swampy, moorlands that the insect loves, and also in plenty the plants one finds most abundant in the northern moorlands; such {111} as Vacciniums, Cotton-grasses, the three common Heaths, &c. &c. with great variety in the elevation, some of the ground lying very high.

* * * * *

THE SMALL HEATH BUTTERFLY. (_Coenonympha Pamphilus._)

(Plate VI. fig. 7.)

This is the pretty little tawny-coloured butterfly that mixes with the sportive group of "Blues," Meadow Browns, &c. on heaths, downs, and grassy fields.

The general colour of the upper surface is a tawny yellow or buff, shaded with a darker tint of brown at the edges and at the bases of the hind wings. On the under side it may be distinguished from _C. Davus_ by the _absence of the clearly defined black eye-spots_ which the latter has. It is usually much inferior in size to the last.

The _caterpillar_, which feeds on the common grasses, is of a bright apple-green colour, with three darker green stripes bordered with a whitish tint, the largest stripe being that on the back.

The _butterfly_ abounds all over the country, from June till September.

* * * * *

{112}

THE WHITE ADMIRAL. (_Limenitis Sybilla._)

(Plate VII. fig. 1.)

This elegant butterfly is one of those in which the choicest ornamentation is bestowed upon the _under_ surface, to the comparative neglect of the upper. Above, a dark sepia-brown tint, banded and spotted with white, is all that greets the eye; but beneath there is a piece of the most exquisitely harmonious colouring, though the hues that compose it are still of a subdued and secondary nature;--silvery blue, and golden brown blended with a cooler brown and black, are placed in vivacious contrast with bands and spots of pure silvery white.

The _caterpillar_ (Plate I. fig. 4), which feeds on the Honeysuckle, is a pretty and singular looking creature; general colour bright green, with reddish branched spines, and white and brown side-stripes.

The _chrysalis_ (Plate I. fig. 21) is also a very beautiful and curious object, very knobby and angular, of dark green general colour, and ornamented with _bright silver_ spots and stripes.

The _butterfly_ is found from the end of June till the end of July; its favourite resorts being oak-woods in the southern counties. {113}

Localities:--Colchester; Epping; Hartley Wood, near St. Osyth, Essex; near Rye, and in other parts of Sussex; at several places in Kent; near Winchester; and in Black Park, where Dr. Allchin informs me he took a large number in one day.

The superlatively graceful motions of this butterfly on the wing, as it comes floating and sailing through the wood openings, have long been celebrated; and the story has been often quoted from Haworth, of the old fly-fancier, who, long after he had become too feeble and stiff-jointed to pursue or net a butterfly, used to go and sit on a stile which commanded a well-known resort of his favourite _Sybilla_, and there, for hours together, would he feast his eyes on the sight of her inimitably elegant evolutions.

* * * * *

THE PURPLE EMPEROR. (_Apatura Iris._)

(Plate VII. fig. 2.)

By universal suffrage, the place of highest rank among the butterflies of Britain has been accorded to this splendid insect, who merits his imperial title by reason of his robe of royal purple, the lofty throne he assumes, and the boldness and elevation of his flight.

A glimpse of this august personage on the wing is enough to fire the collector with enthusiastic ambition {114} for his capture; sometimes a matter of the easiest accomplishment, sometimes just as hopelessly impossible, according to his majesty's humour of the moment.

Cowardice is not one of his attributes, and if he has formed a preference for any especial spot, he will risk loss of liberty and life rather than forsake it.

The old mode of capturing this prize was by a ring net fixed at the end of a pole some twenty or thirty feet long, and so sweeping him off as he sat on his leafy throne, or in one of his evolutions when he quitted his seat for a turn in the air.

This method still is practised, and succeeds occasionally, but the weapon is an unwieldy one, both in use, and for carriage to the place of action; and science has now placed in our power another plan, by means of which I believe that by far the greater number of recent captures have been made.

The plan alluded to, is to take advantage of the creature's royal taste for game--for in that light I take his predilection for decomposing animal matter, now a matter of notoriety; and so potent is the attraction of the _haut-goût_ for the royal palate, that if any animal, or part of one, not too recently slaughtered, be suspended near the known haunts of the insect, ten to one but its savour will bring him down to earth to taste the luxurious morsel, and so engrossed does he become when thus engaged, that he may be swept off by the net without difficulty. In the space of two or three days large numbers of Emperors have been caught by means {115} of this novel and singular trap, and the seemingly coarse and unbutterfly-like taste that leads them to it.

The wings of the male only have that splendid glow of changing purple that gives him his name and honours, the empress having in its place a sober garb of brown; she, however, considerably exceeds her lord in dimensions and expanse of wing. From her stay-at-home habits, sitting all day in her oak-leaf bower, she is comparatively seldom seen or captured. I believe collectors generally take about ten males to one female.

On the under side the colouring of both sexes is similar, and affords a striking contrast to the dark upper surface, having the white markings arranged as on the upper side, but rather broader; and, instead of the dark brown or purple, a lively pattern of orange-brown, greyish brown, and black. On the front wing is a purple-centred eye-spot, and a smaller one is seen near the lower angle of the hind wing.

The firm, muscular appearance of the wings, gives promise of great strength in those organs, fully borne out in the powerful and bird-like flight of the creature, who has also a habit of soaring, about midday, to vast heights in the air, and there engaging in contests, sportive or pugnacious, with his brother, or rival, Emperors.

In the _caterpillar_ state also the Purple Emperor is a remarkable creature, of the form shown in Plate I. fig. 5, bright green, striped with yellow on each side, and bearing on his head a pair of horns or tentacles. {116} Though the perfect insect is chiefly found on the oak, the caterpillar feeds generally on the broad-leaved Sallow, though it has been occasionally found on the Poplar.

The _chrysalis_, which may be found on the same trees, suspended to the under side of a leaf, is shown at Fig. 22, Plate I. and is of a light green colour.

The _butterfly_ appears in July, and is found in oak woods in many localities of the South. The following are a few of these:--Near Colchester, extremely abundant, Epping, Great and Little Stour Woods; Kettering, Barnwell Wold, Northamptonshire; Bourne, Lincoln; Leicester; Reading, Newbury, Berks; Herefordshire; Forest of Dean, Monmouthshire; Warwickshire; Suffolk; Monkswood, Hunts; Clapham Park Wood, Beds; Darenth Wood, Chatham, Tenterden; Ticehurst, Balcombe, Tilgate Forest, Arundel, near Brighton; Lyndhurst; Stowmarket; Isle of Wight.

{117} THE PAINTED LADY. (_Cynthia Cardui._)

(Plate VII. fig. 3.)

We now come to a very natural group of butterflies, rich, and often gorgeous, in their colouring, and having, both in their perfect and preparatory states, many characteristics in common, in point of habits, as well as of appearance and construction. The caterpillars are all thorny, and the chrysalides are adorned with brilliant metallic (generally _golden_) spots, from which appearance was derived the name "_chrysalis_,"[11] since applied, but somewhat improperly, to the _pupæ_ of _all_ butterflies. This golden effect is produced by a brilliant white membrane underlying the transparent yellow outer skin of the chrysalis, and it may be imitated, as discovered by Lister many years ago, "by putting a small piece of black gall in a strong decoction of nettles; this produces a scum which, when left on cap-paper, will exquisitely gild it, without the application of the real metal."

The present species is a highly elegant insect, well named the Painted Lady, and in France the "_Belle Dame_."

The colouring of the upper surface is composed of black and very dark brown, with irregular markings of an orange red, tinged partially with a rosy hue. Near the tip of the front wings are several pure white spots.

Beneath, the great beauty lies in the delicate pencilling of the hind wing with pearly greys and browns, and contrasted with this, the warm roseate blush and aurora tint on the upper wing.

The _caterpillar_ is thorny and brown, with yellow stripes down the back and sides. It feeds on various {118} species of thistle, but sometimes also on the nettle and other plants.

The _chrysalis_ is brown and grey, with silver spots.

The butterfly first appears about the end of July, and is seen till the end of September, and occasionally in October. I took a beautiful fresh specimen in _October_, while strolling through a nursery garden at Wandsworth.

Those seen in early spring are _hybernated_ specimens.

The appearance of this butterfly in any given locality is a matter of great uncertainty, though it capriciously visits, and even abounds occasionally in almost every place.

It is a bold insect, and, though agile in its movements, not difficult to catch, for, if disturbed or missed at the first stroke, it returns to the charge quite fearlessly.

* * * * *

THE RED ADMIRAL. (_Vanessa Atalanta._)

(Plate VIII. fig. 1.)

In grand simplicity and vividness of colour, the Red Admiral perhaps surpasses every other British butterfly, and reminds one forcibly of some of the gorgeous denizens of the tropics. Intense black and brilliant scarlet in bands and borders are the two chief elements {119} of this splendour, relieved delightfully by the cool white spots at the outer and upper corners, and by the choice little bits of blue at the inner and lower angles and near the margins. The painting of the under surface entirely beggars description. There is, in addition to the red band, a good deal of blue on the upper wing, and the lower wing is covered by an intricate embroidery of indescribable tints--all manner of browns, and greys, and blacks, with golden and other hues of metals, are here pencilled and blended with magic effect.

The _caterpillar_, which feeds on the common nettle, is thorny, yellowish grey in colour, with light yellow lines on each side and black markings.

The _chrysalis_ is brownish, with gold spots.

The butterfly usually comes out in August, and may be met with till early in October. The hybernated specimens of this are more rarely seen than those of any of the other common _Vanessas_.

Like others of its genus, the Red Admiral is familiar, and even saucy, in its manners, seeming to prefer the haunts of men to the solitudes that other insects love, flaunting boldly before our face in gardens and highways, where most we meet it.

It is found commonly all over the country.

* * * * *

{120}

THE PEACOCK BUTTERFLY. (_Vanessa Io._)

(Plate VIII. fig. 2.)

The form and markings of this species, so distinct from every other of our butterflies, will be seen by reference to the plate; and as to its colouring, I will not do it the injustice to attempt a description of its rich perfection, more especially as almost every reader may hope to add the insect to his collection during his first year's hunting, and then he can study its beauties for himself.

The under side, however, presents a remarkable contrast to the splendour of the reverse, being covered with shades and streaks of funereal blacks and browns. This affords a strange effect when the insect, sitting on a flower head, alternately opens and shuts the wings with a fanning motion, according to its custom.

The _caterpillar_ (Plate I. fig. 6), which feeds gregariously upon the nettle, is black, dotted with white, and thorny.

The _chrysalis_ is greenish, with gold spots.

The _butterfly_, which is common in nearly every part of England, comes out in August and September, the individuals met with not unfrequently in the spring having hybernated.

Mr. Doubleday writes thus to the _Zoologist_ regarding the winter retreats of butterflies of this genus:--"Last {121} winter some large stacks of beech faggots, which had been loosely stacked up in our forest (_Epping_) the preceding spring, with the dead leaves adhering to them, were taken down and carted away, and among these were many scores of _Io_, _Urticæ_, and _Polychloros_."

In Scotland this is generally a very rare butterfly, but has latterly been abundant in Dumfriesshire and Kirkcudbrightshire.

* * * * *

THE CAMBERWELL BEAUTY. (_Vanessa Antiopa._)

(Plate VIII. fig. 3.)

Many years ago, when Camberwell was a real village, luxuriating in its willows, the entomologists of the day were delighted by the apparition, in that suburb, of this well-named "Beauty," whose name since then has always been associated with Camberwell--certainly not a promising place in the present day for a butterfly hunt, for, though it has its "beauties" still, they are not of the lepidopterous order, nor game for any net that the entomologist usually carries. Since then it has been found at intervals, and in very variable abundance, in a wide range of localities.

The arrangement of colours in this butterfly is most remarkable and unusual, by reason of the sudden contrast between the pale whitish border and the velvet depth of the colours it encloses. {122}

The inmost portion of all the wings is a deep rich chocolate brown, then comes a band of black, including a row of large blue spots, and succeeded by an outer border of pale yellow tint, partially dappled with black specks.

The _caterpillar_ feeds on the _willow_ (which accounts for its former appearance in Camberwell). It is thorny, black, with white dots, and a row of large red spots down the back.

The _chrysalis_ is very angular, and blackish with tawny spots.

The butterfly comes out of the chrysalis late in the autumn, and is seen from August till October; but a great proportion of those observed in this country have survived the winter, and have been seen abroad again in the spring. It has been frequently seen feasting on over-ripe or rotten fruit, and at such times may be often surprised and captured with ease.

No spot can be pointed out where one can _expect_ to meet with this fine insect; but it has appeared singly at intervals in the following localities among others:--Scotland, Ayrshire; Durham; Scarborough; York; Darlington; Sheffield; Manchester; Lake District; Appleby; Coventry; Peterborough; Oxford; Burton-on-Trent; Norfolk; Lincolnshire; Suffolk; Bristol; Ely; Shrewsbury; Plymouth; Teignmouth; Kent; Ashford; Bromley; Tenterden; Ramsgate; various places in neighbourhood of London; Epping; Hampshire; Isle of Wight; Lewes; Worthing. {123}

On the Continent this is a common butterfly, in many places being the most abundant of all the _Vanessas_.

* * * * *

THE LARGE TORTOISESHELL BUTTERFLY. (_Vanessa Polychloros._)

(Plate IX. fig. 1.)

The beginner often has a slight difficulty in finding a good and permanent distinction between this species and the next (_V. Urticæ_). At the first blush, the superior size of this seems to be a sufficient mark, and then the orange of the wings has usually a much browner, or more tawny hue, than that of _Urticæ_; but as I have seen specimens of _Polychloros absolutely smaller_ than some very large _Urticæ's_, and as the colour of both occasionally varies, so that they approach each other in this respect also, it is evident we must look for some better mark of distinction; and here _is_ one. In _Polychloros_, _all_ the light markings between the black spots on the upper edge of the front wing are _yellow_, whereas in _Urticæ_ the _outer one next the blue and black border is pure pearly_ WHITE. The two other marks on the front edge are yellow. _Polychloros_ has also, near the _lower corner of the front wing, an extra black spot_, not found in _Urticæ_.

The blue spots on the border are in this species almost confined to the hind wings. {124}

The _caterpillar_ generally feeds on the elm, whence the butterfly is occasionally called the "Elm Butterfly," but it has also been found on the willow, and on the white beam-tree. Mr. Boscher of Twickenham informs me that the specimens he has bred from caterpillars fed on the _willow_ have been all far below the average size. The caterpillar is thorny, and of a tawny colour, broadly striped with black along each side.

The _chrysalis_ is of a dull flesh colour, with golden spots.

The _butterfly_ makes its appearance in July and August, _hybernated_ specimens being also frequently seen in the spring, from March till May.

In some places and seasons it is not rare, but is very uncertain in its appearance, abounding most in the southern districts, and being almost unknown in Scotland. It is fond of gardens and other frequented places.

* * * * *

THE SMALL TORTOISESHELL BUTTERFLY. (_Vanessa Urticæ._)

(Plate IX. fig. 2.)

This pretty species is much commoner than the last, being, in fact, the most plentiful of all the _genus_, and found everywhere, in gardens, by weedy road-sides and waste grounds, &c.

Its markings are very similar to those of the last, but the colouring is much more gay and brilliant. {125}

The distinguishing mark of this species--the possession of a pure _white_ spot near the upper corner of the front wing--has been already pointed out under _V. Polychloros_.

The blue crescent-spots of the border are much more marked than in the last, and extend along the edge of the front wing. The orange colour also approaches a _scarlet_, and the yellow spots have a brighter hue than in _Polychloros_.

The _caterpillar_, which is found feeding in large companies on the nettle, is of greyish colour, with a black line on the back, and brown and yellow stripes on the sides. Thorny, like rest of the genus.

The _chrysalis_ is generally of a brown hue, spotted with gold, but I have seen it gilded all over, making a very splendid appearance.

Hybernated individuals of this butterfly are seen during the spring months, but the first emergence from the chrysalis takes place in June, and the insect is seen on the wing constantly from that time till October.

The following interesting notice of the capture of a swarm of these butterflies in _mid-winter_, is quoted, from the _Zoologist_, p. 5000. The writer is a Mr. Banning, resident near Ballacraine, in the Isle of Man:--

"Whilst standing in my farm-yard on the day following Christmas-day (1855), it being unusually fine and warm, I was suddenly astonished by the fall of {126} more than a hundred of the accompanying butterflies (_V. Urticæ_). I commenced at once collecting them, and succeeded in securing more than sixty. These I have fed on sugar spread over cabbage-leaves and bran until now, and, to all appearances, those which still survive (more than forty in number) are thriving well, and in good condition."

* * * * *

THE COMMA BUTTERFLY. (_Grapta C. Album._)

(Plate IX. fig. 3.)

The singularly jagged outline of this butterfly at once distinguishes it from every other native species, though, did we not know it as a distinct species, it might have been taken for one of the two previous species very much stunted, deformed, and torn, so similar is it in colour and the plan of its markings.

The upper surface is deep fulvous, or rusty orange, and marked with black and dark brown. In different individuals, the under side varies greatly in its tints and markings, especially near the border of the wings, which are sometimes of a deep rich olive brown, sometimes pale tawny. They all agree, however, in bearing in the centre of the hind wings the character from which the insect takes its specific name, viz. a white mark in form of the letter C, which has also been likened with less justice to a , whence its English name of "Comma." {127}

The female is of a paler tint than the male, and the edges of the wings are less deeply scalloped and cut. The figure is that of a male.

The _caterpillar_ is tawny-coloured; but the back, for about the hinder half its length, is whitish; head black. The body is armed with short spines, and there are two ear-like tubercles projecting from the side of the head. It has been found feeding on the elm, willow, sloe, currant, nettle, and hop.

The _chrysalis_ is of the curious shape shown at fig. 24, Plate I.; of a brownish tint, with gold spots.

The _butterfly_ appears in July and August, and hybernated individuals in the spring, up till May. Its range seems to be nearly confined to the Midland and Western districts. It was formerly found near London, and in other places, whence it has now disappeared.

The following localities are given for it:--Carlisle and the Lake district, York, Green Hammerton (Yorkshire), Doncaster, Broomsgrove (Worcestershire), Warwickshire, Peterborough, Scarborough, Barnwell Wold (Northamptonshire), Bristol, Gloucester, Dorchester. I found it very plentiful on the banks of the Wye, in 1858; and in the following May I took one in South Wales, at Pont-y-Pridd. In Scotland, Fifeshire has been mentioned as a locality.

This is a rapid flyer, and not very easily caught when fresh on the wing.

* * * * *

{128}

THE SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY (_Argynnis Paphia._)

(Plate IX. fig. 4, Male; 4 _a_, Female.)

The beautiful genus to which this butterfly belongs is distinguished by the adornment of silvery spots and streaks with which the under side of the hind wings is bedight; while the upper surface is chequered with black, upon a rich golden-brown ground, the device reminding one of those old-fashioned chequered flowers called "fritillaries," whence the common name of these butterflies.

Of all the British Fritillaries, this is, perhaps, the loveliest, from the exquisite softness and harmony of the silvery pencillings on the iridescent green of the under side; though some of the others with bright silver _spots_ are gayer and more sparkling.

The two sexes differ considerably on the upper surface; the _male_ being marked with black (as in the engraving) upon a bright orange-brown ground, while the _female_ is without the broad black borders to the veins of the front wings, and the ground colour is suffused with an olive-brown tint, inclining sometimes to green. The black spots are also larger. Beneath, however, both sexes are marked nearly alike with _washy streaks of silver_, and not with defined spots. {129}

The _caterpillar_ (fig. 7, Plate I.), as with all the Fritillaries, is thorny, with two spines behind the head longer than the rest; black, with yellow lines along the back and sides. It feeds on violet leaves, also on the wild raspberry and nettle.

The _chrysalis_ (fig. 16, Plate I.) is greyish, with the tubercles silvered or gilt.

The _butterfly_ is out in July and August, and is not rare in the woods of the South and Midland districts, but it also extends its range into Scotland. On the banks of Wye, about Tintern and Monmouth, I found it extremely abundant. It has been seen swarming in a teasel-field, near Selby, Yorkshire.

Its predilection for settling on bramble sprays has been alluded to on page 47.

* * * * *

THE DARK-GREEN FRITILLARY. (_Argynnis Aglaia._)

(Plate X. fig. 1, Male.)

This is a handsomely-marked insect--orange-brown, chequered with black, above. Beneath, the _front wing_ is coloured nearly as above, _but bears near the tip several silvery spots_. The hind wing is splendidly studded with rounded spots of silver, on a ground partly tawny, partly olive-green and brown. The _male_ is the sex {130} represented, the female being darker above, both as to the ground colour and markings.

The _caterpillar_, which feeds on the dog-violet, is very similar to that of the last; as also is the _chrysalis_.

The _butterfly_ is out in July and part of August, and may be seen in a variety of situations, from the breezy tops of heathy downs, to close-grown forest-lands in the valleys; and it seems to be distributed over the whole of the country, occurring in widely distant localities, from the south coast to Scotland.

* * * * *

THE HIGH-BROWN FRITILLARY. (_Argynnis Adippe._)

(Plate X. fig. 2.)

On the upper surface, this insect so closely resembles the last, that it is difficult in a description to discriminate between them; but _beneath_, the two are distinguished by the _absence in Adippe of the silvery spots near the tip of the front wing_; and though there is some similarity in the arrangement of the silver spots on the hind wing, and in its general colouring, _Adippe_ is distinguished by a row of rust-red spots, with small silvery centres, between the silver border spots and the next row inwards. By comparing the figures of the under sides of _Adippe_ and _Aglaia_, these will be readily made out. {131}

The _caterpillar_ is thorny, greyish, with black spots on the back, intersected by a white line. Feeds on the violet.

The _chrysalis_ is reddish, spotted with silver.

The _butterfly_ appears in July, in many open places, in woods, and on heaths, in various parts of England, but most plentifully in the south. Like the last species, it is an active and wary insect on the wing, and requires considerable agility and dexterity for its capture.

* * * * *

THE QUEEN OF SPAIN FRITILLARY. (_Argynnis Lathonia._)

(Plate X. fig. 3.)

This splendid little species is one of the prize-flies of the collector--that is, if the specimen be an undoubted native; for while a "Queen of Spain" taken within our shores will command a considerable sum of money in the market, another, precisely similar, but brought over from the opposite French coast, may be bought for a very few pence; but the mode of carriage, you see, makes all the difference, and the value of the insect depends entirely upon whether its own wings or a steam-boat have brought it over the Channel. So much for "the fancy."

When figured side by side with the other Fritillaries, this species looks distinct enough from any of them; {132} but it has been several times confounded with small specimens of _Adippe_ and with _Euphrosyne_, and its capture has thereupon been erroneously published; but this must have been the effect of a description imperfectly written or read. It will be observed that the form of the front wings differs in this from the rest of the Fritillaries, the outer margin being _concave_ in its outline. The inner corner of the hind wings also is more sharply angular.

Above, the colouring of the wings is similar to that of the others of the genus, tawny-brown and black. Beneath, the front wing has a group of silver spots near the tip, the ground colour of the hind wing is yellowish, and the silver spots are proportionately larger than in the other species; _near the margin of the hind wing_, and parallel with its edge, are _seven dark-brown spots with silver centres_.

The _caterpillar_ is brown, striped with white, and yellowish tint; head, legs, and thorns, tawny coloured. It feeds on the wild heartsease, also on sainfoin and borage.

The _chrysalis_ is tinted with dull-green and brown, and spotted with gold.

The _butterfly_ is said to be double-brooded--one brood appearing in June, the other in September. The most likely places in which to look for it are clover fields in the south of England, and more especially on the south-east coast. Though still classed among the rarest of British butterflies, it has been found in a great many localities. It has been taken at Brighton; Shoreham; Eastbourne; Dover; Margate; Ashford; Chatham; Exeter; Bristol; Harleston, near Norwich; Colchester; Lavenham; Peterborough.

{133}

THE PEARL-BORDERED FRITILLARY. (_Argynnis Euphrosyne._)

(Plate X. fig. 4.)

This very common insect is considerably smaller than any of the preceding species, though small specimens of the last sometimes do not much exceed it in size. The upper surface is lively orange-brown, with black markings. Beneath, the _hind wing_ is mapped out with black lines into various irregular spaces, _all_ of which are filled with tints of dull yellow, ochreous, or reddish orange; excepting a row of silver spots on the border, _one silver spot in the centre of the wing_, and _one_ triangular one close to the root of the wing.

The _caterpillar_ is black, with white lines; and the pro-legs red. It feeds on various species of _viola_.

The _butterfly_ appears first in May, and there is another brood in autumn, about August. It frequents woods and hedgerows, being met with most profusely in the south; but its range is extended into Scotland. In Ireland I believe it is unknown.

* * * * *

{134}

THE SMALL PEARL-BORDERED FRITILLARY. (_Argynnis Selene._)

(Plate XI. fig. 1.)

This butterfly, which is very nearly related to the last, often so closely resembles it in the marking of the upper surface, that even practised eyes are sometimes at a loss to distinguish the two, without a reference to the under side; for on this side do the real distinctive marks lie, and chiefly on the hind wing. In addition to the silver border and central spots of _Euphrosyne_, this species has several other silvery or pearly patches distributed over the hind wing; and the reddish-orange colour adjoining the silver border in _Euphrosyne_ is exchanged for dark chestnut-brown in _Selene_. In average size the two insects differ very slightly, though the name of this expresses an inferior size.

The _caterpillar_ much resembles that of the last, and feeds on violet-leaves.

The _chrysalis_ is greyish.

The _butterfly_ is double-brooded, appearing first in May and again in August. It is not so common an insect as _Euphrosyne_, but is met with in similar situations, and has a range nearly co-extensive with that of the latter.

* * * * *

{135}

THE GLANVILLE FRITILLARY. (_Melitæa Cinxia._)

(Plate XI. fig. 2.)

Though usually rather abundant where it occurs at all, this insect is one of the most local of all our butterflies, and I can only find recorded about a dozen places for it in the country. Of these, the Isle of Wight is the great metropolis of the insect, and there, in many places round the coast, numerous colonies have been established.

This butterfly is distinguished from the next (_M. Athalia_), which it very much resembles, principally by the characters on the under surface.

The hind wing (beneath) is covered with alternate bands of bright straw-colour and orange-brown, divided by black lines; and possesses in _the marginal straw-coloured band a row of clear_ BLACK SPOTS. Another row of black spots crosses the centre of the wing. It will also be observed that the _hind wings_ have on _their upper surface a row of black spots_ parallel with, and not far from, the margin. The colouring of the upper side is orange-brown with black markings.

The _caterpillar_, which feeds on the narrow-leaved plantain, is thorny and black, with reddish head and legs. The chrysalis is brownish, marked with fulvous tint. A highly interesting account of the habits and {136} history of this butterfly in all its stages has been sketched from the life by the Rev. J. F. Dawson (who has made an intimate acquaintance with a colony of the insect at Sandown, Isle of Wight), and will be found in the _Zoologist_, p. 1271.

The _butterfly_ first appears about the first or second week in May, and thence continues till about the middle of June, seldom enduring till July. It is to be looked for in rough, broken ground, such as the Isle of Wight landslips, where plenty of the narrow-leaved plantain grows.

Other localities for the Glanville Fritillary are, Folkestone below West-Cliff (abundant); round Dover; Birchwood; Dartford, Kent; Stapleford, near Cambridge; Yorkshire; Lincolnshire; Wiltshire; Peterboro', Stowmarket; and in Scotland, at Falkland in Fifeshire.

* * * * *

THE PEARL-BORDERED LIKENESS FRITILLARY. (_Melitæa Athalia._)

(Plate XI. fig. 3.)

This is another very local butterfly, though rather more widely and generally distributed than the last, which, as before stated, it greatly resembles in appearance, especially on the upper side. {137}

It may be characterised negatively as _not_ having the rows of black spots found on both surfaces of _Cinxia_, though its colouring is very similar--fulvous (or orange-brown) and black above; straw-coloured, fulvous, and black beneath.

The _caterpillar_ is black, with rust-coloured spines; and feeds on various species of plantain.

The _butterfly_ is out from May to July, and is met with (if at all) on heaths, clearings in woods, &c. Localities, in some of which it is very plentiful, are, Caen Wood; Coombe Wood; Epping; Halton, Bucks; Bedford; Aspley Wood, Beds; Plymouth, Teignmouth, Stowmarket, Dartmoor, Devonshire; Oxford; Wiltshire; Colchester; St. Osyth; Tenterden; Faversham; Deal; Canterbury. Very rare in north of England.

* * * * *

THE GREASY OR MARSH FRITILLARY. (_Melitæa Artemis._)

(Plate XI. fig. 4.)

The _black_ markings on the upper side of this butterfly closely approach those of the last two species, but the interstices, instead of being filled up with a _uniform fulvous tint_, as in those, are "coloured in" with _several distinct shades_, some with _pale tawny yellow_, others with _deep orange brown_. This latter tint forms a band parallel {138} to the outer margin of each wing, the band on the front wings having a row of pale spots in it; that on the hind wings a row of black spots. _Beneath_, the upper wing has an appearance of the markings having been "smudged" together, and a shining surface, as if it had been greased, whence the common name of the insect; the hinder wings are like those of the two last, yellowish, banded with brownish orange, the outer band of which bears a _series of black spots each surrounded by a pale yellowish ring_.

The _front_ edge of the front wing is slightly _concave_ in its outline, about the middle, whereas it is _convex_ in _Cinxia_ and _Athalia_.

The _caterpillar_ is black, with reddish brown legs. It is gregarious, feeding under protection of a web upon the leaves of plantain, devils-bit scabious, and some other plants.

The _chrysalis_ is drabbish, with darker spots, and is said to suspend itself by the tail from the top of a tent-like structure made of blades of grass spun together at the top.

The _butterfly_ appears in June (sometimes a little earlier or later), and frequents marshy meadows, moist woods, &c., but is a very local insect, abounding most in the south. The specimens, however, that I have seen from the north, are much larger, brighter, and more distinctly marked than the "southerners." The nearest localities to London are, Hornsey, and Copthall Wood at the top of Muswell Hill; West Wickham Wood, and {139} High-Beech (Epping). It is also found near Brighton (plentifully); Carlisle; Durham; Burton-on-Trent; York; Haverfordwest, S. W.; Cardiff, S. W.; Weston-super-Mare; Bristol; and a great number of other places distributed throughout the country. In Ireland at Ardrahan, co. Galway. Rare in Scotland.

* * * * *

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY FRITILLARY. (_Nemeobius Lucina._)

(Plate XI. fig. 5.)

Though this little insect bears the name of _Fritillary_, at the end of its lengthy and important title, it really belongs to a family widely differing from that of any of the true Fritillaries previously described, and it only shared their name on account of its similarity in colour and markings.

The _caterpillar_ (Plate I. fig. 8), instead of being long and thorny like those of the true Fritillaries, is _short, thick, and wood-louse shaped_. Its colour is reddish brown, with tufts of hair of the same colour. It feeds on the primrose.

The _chrysalis_ differs from that of the true Fritillaries as much as the caterpillar does, being of the form, and suspended in the manner, shown at fig. 25, Plate I.

The _butterfly_ is chequered on the upper surface with {140} tawny, and dark brown or black. It appears in May and June, and again in August, being found in woods, principally in the south, and its range is often confined to a small spot hardly fifty yards in diameter, within which it may be quite plentiful. The following are among its recorded localities:--Carlisle; Lake District; West Yorkshire; Roche Abbey, Yorkshire; Peterborough; Stowmarket; Pembury; Barnwell Wold, Northants; Oxford; Blandford; Worcester; Gloucestershire; Bedfordshire; Epping; Coombe Wood; Darenth Wood; Boxhill; Dorking; Brighton; Lewes; Worthing; Lyndhurst; Teignmouth.

The _males_ of all the members of the family to which this butterfly belongs, and of which this is the sole European representative--_the_ ERYCINIDÆ--have only _four_ legs adapted for walking, whilst the _females_ have _six_.

* * * * *

THE BROWN HAIR-STREAK. (_Thecla Betulæ._)

(Plate XII. fig. 1, Male; 1 _a_, Female.)

The genus to which this butterfly belongs, contains five British species, elegant and interesting insects, though not gaily tinted. They are most obviously distinguished from other small butterflies by the _tail-like_ projection on the lower edge of their hind wings (though one of their {141} number, _T. Rubi_, has this very slightly developed). From each other they are best distinguished by the characters on their under surface, where they all bear a more or less distinct _hair_-like _streak_, whence their common name--Hair-streak.

The Brown Hair-streak is the largest of the genus, measuring sometimes an inch and two-thirds in expanse. The two sexes differ considerably on the upper surface, the male being of a deep brown colour, slightly paler near the middle of the front wing, while the female possesses on the front wing a _large patch of clear orange_. Both sexes have several orange marks upon the lower angles of the hind wings. Beneath, the general colour is tawny orange with duller bands, and marked with one white line on the front wing, and _two parallel white lines on the hind wings_.

The _caterpillar_ is green, marked obliquely with white; it feeds on the birch and also on the sloe.

The _butterfly_ appears in August, continuing into September. It is generally distributed through the south, but is by no means an abundant insect. Mr. Stainton observes that it has a habit of "flitting along in hedges just in advance of the collector;" but it is also found in oak woods in company with the Purple Hair-streak.

Forty were taken in a season in woods near Henfield, Sussex. Other localities are, Underbarrow Moss, Westmoreland; North Lancashire, common in some parts; Preston; Valley of the Dovey, Montgomeryshire; {142} Cardiff, S. W.; Barnwell Wold; Peterborough; Colchester; Epping; Darenth Wood; Coombe Wood; Brighton; Tenterden; Winchester; Woolmer Forest, Hants; Plymouth; Dartmoor; Wallingford, Berks; Ipswich; Dorsetshire; Norfolk; Wiltshire; Monks Wood, Cambridgeshire.

* * * * *

THE BLACK HAIR-STREAK. (_Thecla Pruni._)

(Plate XII. fig. 2.)

The upper side is very dark brown, sometimes almost black, and bearing near the _hinder_ edge of the _hind wings_ a _few orange spots_. This character will at once distinguish this from the next species (_W. Album_). On the under side of the hind wing is a _broad band of orange_, having a _row of black spots on its inner edge_.

The _caterpillar_ is green, with four rows of yellow spots. It feeds on the sloe.

The _butterfly_ comes out about the end of June or in July. It is generally a very rare insect, but is occasionally taken in great plenty in certain spots. The Rev. W. Bree, writing to the _Zoologist_ from the neighbourhood of Polebrook, North Hants, says, "_Thecla Pruni_ is very uncertain in its appearance. In 1837 it literally swarmed in Barnwell and Ashton Wolds; I do not scruple to say that it would have been possible {143} to capture some hundreds of them, had one been so disposed; for the last few years it has appeared very sparingly indeed." It has also been found in the following localities:--Overton Wood; Brington, Huntingdonshire; and Monks Wood, Cambridgeshire.

* * * * *

THE WHITE LETTER HAIR-STREAK. (_Thecla W. Album._)

(Plate XII. fig. 3.)

This is very much like the last in appearance, and has often been mistaken for it by inexperienced eyes. The _points_ of difference are--on the upper side, the absence of the orange band at the hinder edge of the hind wings, and the presence of a _bluish grey circumflex line at the inner angle_; here also is sometimes a _small orange dot_;--beneath, the _orange band forms a series of arches_, bounded on the edge nearest the root of the wing _by a clear black line_ instead of the rounded black spots seen at this part in _Pruni_.

The _caterpillar_, which feeds on the elm, is wood-louse shaped; pea-green, barred with yellow; head black. May be beaten off elm trees in May.

The _butterfly_ appears in July, and is found in various situations, sometimes flying high up round elm trees, sometimes descending to bramble hedges, or fluttering {144} about in weedy fields a foot or two from the ground. It was formerly a much rarer insect than at present, and now its appearance in any given locality is a matter of much uncertainty. Mr. J. F. Stephens writes as follows to the _Zoologist_:--

"For eighteen years I possessed four bleached specimens only of _Thecla W. Album_, having vainly endeavoured to procure others, when, in 1827, as elsewhere recorded, I saw the insect at Ripley, not by dozens only, but by scores of thousands! and although I frequented the same locality for thirteen years subsequently, sometimes in the season for a month together, I have not since seen a single specimen there; but in 1833 I caught one specimen at Madingley Wood, near Cambridge."

Other localities:--Near Sheffield; Roche Abbey; York; Peterborough; near Doncaster; Polebrook, Northants; Allesley, Warwickshire; Brington, Huntingdonshire; Yaxley and Monks Wood, Cambridgeshire; Needwood Forest, Staffordshire; Wolverston, near Ipswich; Chatham; Southgate, Middlesex; West Wickham Wood; Epping; Bristol.

* * * * *

{145}

THE PURPLE HAIR-STREAK.(_Thecla Quercus._)

(Plate XII. fig. 4, Male; 4 _a_, Female.)

At once the commonest and the handsomest of the Hair-streaks, being found in almost every part of England where there is an oak wood, and looking like a small Purple Emperor, with its rich gloss of the imperial colour.

The _male_ has all the wings, in certain lights, of a dark brown colour, but with a change of position they become illuminated with a deep rich purple tint, extending over the whole surface excepting a narrow border, which then appears black. The _female_ has the purple much more vivid, but confined to a _small patch_ extending from the root to the centre of the front wing. Beneath, the wings are shaded with greyish tints, crossed by a white line on each wing, and having _two orange spots_ at the inner corner of the hind wing.

The _caterpillar_ (Plate I. fig. 9), which feeds on the oak, is reddish brown, marked with black.

The _chrysalis_, which is sometimes attached to the leaves of the oak, and at others is found _under the surface of the earth_ at the foot of the tree, is a brownish object, of the lumpy shape shown in Plate I. fig. 28 (a form shared by the chrysalides of all the Hair-streaks). {146}

The _butterfly_ is seen in July and August, flitting about in sportive groups round oak trees, and occasionally descending within reach of the net. It also affects other trees besides oaks, some thirty or forty at a time having been seen gambolling about one _lime_ tree. It being so generally distributed, it will be needless to particularize its localities.

* * * * *

THE GREEN HAIR-STREAK. (_Thecla Rubi._)

(Plate XII. fig. 5.)

This pretty little species is at once known from all other English butterflies by the rich _bright green_ colour that overspreads its under surface. Above, the wings are deep, warm brown.

The _caterpillar_ is green, spotted and striped with white, and feeds on the bramble; also on the broom, and other plants of the same order.