XI.
THE MEADOW BROWN BUTTERFLY. (Hipparchia Janira.)
(Plate VI. fig. 1, Male; 1a, Female.)
Perhaps of all our butterflies this is the least attractive, being too common to excite interest from its rarity or difficulty of attainment, as other dingy butterflies do, and too plain and homely to win regard, in spite of its commonness, as the beautiful "Small Tortoise-shell" and the Common Blues do.
This is the sober brown insect that keeps up a constant fluttering, in sunshine and gloom, over the dry pasture land and barren hill-side; and perhaps it ought to find favour in our eyes, from this very fact of keeping up a cheerful spirit under circumstances the most unfavourable to butterfly enjoyment in general.
The colouring of themale, on the upper side, may be described as asooty brown, rather lighter about the eye-spot on the front wing.
Thefemaleis a little smarter in her attire, having an orange-tawny patch on the front wing.
Beneath, both sexes are nearly alike; the general colour of the front wing being fulvous, or orange-brown, with a cool-brown margin. The hind wings are marked with tints of a duller brown, varying much in distinctness in different specimens.
Thecaterpillaris green, with a white stripe on each side. Feeds on grasses.
Thebutterflyabounds almost everywhere, from June till the end of August.
THE LARGE HEATH BUTTERFLY. (Hipparchia Tithonus.)
(Plate VI. fig. 2, Male.)
Though much less abundant than the last, this is another very common species, and met with throughout England and thesouthof Scotland.
The ground tint above is arich rust-colour, ororange-brown, bordered with dark-brown; the base of the wings also slightly clouded with the same; and on each front wing, near the tip, there is ablack eye-spot, withtwo whitedots. So far, both sexes are similar; but themalehas, in addition, abar of dark-brown across the centre of the rust-coloured space, on the upper wing. This sex is that figured on the plate.
Underneath, there is a pretty arrangement of subdued colouring; that of the front wings nearly resembling the upper side; the lower wings clouded and spotted with russet-brown on a paler brown ground, thedark rounded brown spotshavingwhitecentres; but there areno blackeye-spots on the hind wings.
Thecaterpillaris greenish-grey, with reddish head and two pale lines on each side and a dark one down the back.
Thebutterfly, a feeble flier and easily captured, appears in July and August; its favourite resorts being heaths, dry fields, and lanes.
It is sometimes called theSmallMeadow Brown, and the Gate-keeper.
THE RINGLET BUTTERFLY. (Hipparchia Hyperanthus.)
(Plate VI. fig. 3, Female.)
This is one of those butterflies in which Nature, departing from her accustomed plan, has reserved the chief adornment of the wings for theundersurface, 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 aremuchless distinctin themalethan in the female, the sex figured in the plate.
The under surface is of a soft russet ground, adorned with a wreath of theringlet-spots from which the insect takes its common name. These areblack 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, hasno light ringsround the black spots on the under side.
Another has the rings reduced to a range of mere light specks, theblack eye-spots being entirely absent.
Then again, another has the blackpupilsexceedingly large and rich, forming a most elegant variety.
The spots on theupperside in themaleare sometimes quite imperceptible.
The ground colour of theupperside is occasionally of a pale drab or fawn colour.
Thecaterpillarof this species is very like that of the last in colouring, and feeds on the same grasses.
Thebutterfly, which is out in June and July, is a common and widely distributed species, frequenting woods, shady corners of hedge-rows, &c.
THE SCOTCH ARGUS BUTTERFLY. (Erebia Blandina.)
(Plate VI. fig. 4, Female.)
The genusErebia, 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 admitLigea, 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.
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.
Thecaterpillar, whose food plant is unknown, is stated by Duncan to be "light green, with brown and white longitudinal stripes; head reddish."
Thebutterflyappears 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.
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. frompersonal observation, is quoted from a communication to theIntelligencer, 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 capturedCassiopein 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 yetunknown.
Thebutterflyhas 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). Themalesgenerally appear towards the end of June, but a few sometimes earlier. The females, however, come later.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. (Cœnonympha 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 ofC. Polydama,Typhon, andIphis, now, however, all placed together under the name ofDavus.
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 cleargeneraldescription 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 anirregularwhitishband 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.
Thebutterfly, 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 thatDavusmay 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; suchas 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. (Cœnonympha 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 fromC. Davusby theabsence of the clearly defined black eye-spotswhich the latter has. It is usually much inferior in size to the last.
Thecaterpillar, 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.
Thebutterflyabounds all over the country, from June till September.
THE WHITE ADMIRAL. (Limenitis Sybilla.)
(Plate VII. fig. 1.)
This elegant butterfly is one of those in which the choicest ornamentation is bestowed upon theundersurface, 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.
Thecaterpillar(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.
Thechrysalis(Plate I. fig. 21) is also a very beautiful and curious object, very knobby and angular, of dark green general colour, and ornamented withbright silverspots and stripes.
Thebutterflyis found from the end of June till the end of July; its favourite resorts being oak-woods in the southern counties.
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 favouriteSybilla, 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 ambitionfor 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 thehaut-goûtfor 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 meansof 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 thecaterpillarstate also the Purple Emperor is a remarkable creature, of the form shown inPlate I. fig. 5, bright green, striped with yellow on each side, and bearing on his head a pair of horns or tentacles.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.
Thechrysalis, 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.
Thebutterflyappears 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.
XII.
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 (generallygolden) spots, from which appearance was derived the name "chrysalis,"[11]since applied, but somewhat improperly, to thepupæofallbutterflies. 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.
Thecaterpillaris thorny and brown, with yellow stripes down the back and sides. It feeds on variousspecies of thistle, but sometimes also on the nettle and other plants.
Thechrysalisis 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 inOctober, while strolling through a nursery garden at Wandsworth.
Those seen in early spring arehybernatedspecimens.
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 elementsof 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.
Thecaterpillar, which feeds on the common nettle, is thorny, yellowish grey in colour, with light yellow lines on each side and black markings.
Thechrysalisis 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 commonVanessas.
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.
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.
Thecaterpillar(Plate I. fig. 6), which feeds gregariously upon the nettle, is black, dotted with white, and thorny.
Thechrysalisis greenish, with gold spots.
Thebutterfly, 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 theZoologistregarding the winter retreats of butterflies of this genus:—"Lastwinter 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 ofIo,Urticæ, andPolychloros."
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.
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.
Thecaterpillarfeeds on thewillow(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.
Thechrysalisis 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 canexpectto 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.
On the Continent this is a common butterfly, in many places being the most abundant of all theVanessas.
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 ofUrticæ; but as I have seen specimens ofPolychloros absolutely smallerthan some very largeUrticæ'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 hereisone. InPolychloros,allthe light markings between the black spots on the upper edge of the front wing areyellow, whereas inUrticætheouter one next the blue and black border is pure pearlyWHITE. The two other marks on the front edge are yellow.Polychloroshas also, near thelower corner of the front wing, an extra black spot, not found inUrticæ.
The blue spots on the border are in this species almost confined to the hind wings.
Thecaterpillargenerally 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 thewillowhave been all far below the average size. The caterpillar is thorny, and of a tawny colour, broadly striped with black along each side.
Thechrysalisis of a dull flesh colour, with golden spots.
Thebutterflymakes its appearance in July and August,hybernatedspecimens 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 thegenus, 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.
The distinguishing mark of this species—the possession of a purewhitespot near the upper corner of the front wing—has been already pointed out underV. 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 ascarlet, and the yellow spots have a brighter hue than inPolychloros.
Thecaterpillar, 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.
Thechrysalisis 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 inmid-winter, is quoted, from theZoologist, 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 ofmore 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."
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.
Thecaterpillaris 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.
Thechrysalisis of the curious shape shown at fig. 24,Plate I.; of a brownish tint, with gold spots.
Thebutterflyappears 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.
THE SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY (Argynnis Paphia.)
(Plate IX. fig. 4, Male; 4a, 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 silverspotsare gayer and more sparkling.
The two sexes differ considerably on the upper surface; themalebeing marked with black (as in the engraving) upon a bright orange-brown ground, while thefemaleis 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 withwashy streaks of silver, and not with defined spots.
Thecaterpillar(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.
Thechrysalis(fig. 16,Plate I.) is greyish, with the tubercles silvered or gilt.
Thebutterflyis 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 page47.
THE DARK-GREEN FRITILLARY. (Argynnis Aglaia.)
(Plate X. fig. 1, Male.)
This is a handsomely-marked insect—orange-brown, chequered with black, above. Beneath, thefront wingis 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. Themaleis the sexrepresented, the female being darker above, both as to the ground colour and markings.
Thecaterpillar, which feeds on the dog-violet, is very similar to that of the last; as also is thechrysalis.
Thebutterflyis 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; butbeneath, the two are distinguished by theabsence 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,Adippeis 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 ofAdippeandAglaia, these will be readily made out.
Thecaterpillaris thorny, greyish, with black spots on the back, intersected by a white line. Feeds on the violet.
Thechrysalisis reddish, spotted with silver.
Thebutterflyappears 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;but it has been several times confounded with small specimens ofAdippeand withEuphrosyne, 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 beingconcavein 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, areseven dark-brown spots with silver centres.
Thecaterpillaris brown, striped with white, and yellowish tint; head, legs, and thorns, tawny coloured. It feeds on the wild heartsease, also on sainfoin and borage.
Thechrysalisis tinted with dull-green and brown, and spotted with gold.
Thebutterflyis 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.