456 The Moths and Butterflies 



milberti, which occurs commonly in the North, has brownish-black wings 

 with a broad orange fulvous band between the middle and outer margin; 

 there are also two fulvous spots in the discal cell of the fore wing. The 

 larva, which feeds on nettles, is spiny, velvety black above, greenish yellow 

 below, and profusely dotted with whitish spots or points. Another northern 

 butterfly is the Compton tortoise, Eugonia j -album, which resembles in 

 general color and pattern the angle-wings (Polygonia), but has the hinder 

 margin of the fore wings straight, the markings on these wings heavier, 

 and a whitish spot on both fore and hind wings near the apex; there is also a 

 small L-shaped silver spot on the under side of the hind wings. Eugonia 

 californica, the California sister, is a beautiful butterfly common on the 

 Pacific coast and found occasionally in the Rocky Mountains; it is velvety 

 blackish brown with a broad white transverse bar across each wing, inter- 

 rupted on the fore wings and tapering out on the hind wings, and with a 

 conspicuous large orange-brown patch nearly filling the apex of the fore 

 wings. Its larva feeds on oaks. 



Two large groups of brush-footed butterflies, some of whose species 

 occur in every locality, are the fritillaries, or silver-spots (genus Argynnis 

 and allies) and the checker-spots (genus Melitaea and allies). The 

 fritillaries, mostly medium-sized to large butterflies, are usually red-brown 

 with numerous black spots scattered over the upper surface of both wings; 

 the hind wings usually bear on the under side a number of striking silvery 

 blotches, which give these butterflies their name of silver-spots. The regal 

 fritillary, Speyeria idalia, of the Atlantic states, expands 2f to 4 inches and 

 has the fore wings bright fulvous above spotted with black, and the hind 

 wings blue-black with a marginal row of fulvous and submarginal row 

 of cream-colored spots; both fore and hind wings have silver blotches on 

 the under sides. The black, ocher, and red-banded caterpillars have six 

 rows of fleshy black and white spines; they feed on violets and are nocturnal. 

 The spangled fritillary, Argynnis cybele, is a good example of the more 

 usual coloring and pattern of the group. It expands from 3 to 4 inches, 

 has both wings fulvous above and thickly spotted with black; the under 

 side of the hind wings is silver-blotched; in the female the basal half of 

 the fore and hind wings above is dark chocolate-brown. The caterpillar 

 is black with six rows of shining black branching spines, and feeds on violets. 

 Numerous other smaller Argynnids are like cybele in color and pattern: 

 it is difficult to distinguish the various species. 



The checker-spots, small to medium size, blackish with red and yellowish 

 spots, are represented by numerous species in the western mountain states, 

 but by only two species in the east. The Baltimore, Euphydryas phaeton, 

 expanding if to 2\ inches, is the most familiar eastern checker-spot; it is 

 black above with a marginal row of red spots followed by three rows of pale- 



