1864.] 



61 



tween the fingers, without the slightest show of resistance ; at the first 

 touch it fields up its legs and becomes seemingly inanimate. Released 

 from the hand, it drops upon its side, and will even allow itself to be 

 tossed from side to side without attempting flight. If left undisturbed 

 for a short time, it slowly raises itself, and simply resumes its upright 

 position. 



This species varies much in size. I have it from two inches, to three 

 and a half inches spread of wings — the former doubtless dwarfed from 

 insufficient food. 



Vanessa Milberti, Grodt. 



Larva, length 1.10 in. ; anterior segments quite tapering; head 

 small, with short hairs proceeding from minute whitish granulations ; 

 body black, with granulations like those of the head, and with rufous 

 dots sometimes coalescent, as on the back, where they margin a black 

 vascular line, and anterior to each subdorsal spine, where they form a 

 curved spot ; between the stigmata, a connected series of rufous cres- 

 cents — each crescent convex above, extending from the lower portion 

 of one stigma to the upper part of the following ; below the stigmata, 

 a rufous stripe; ventral region, yellowish; legs, black; prolegs, rufous, 

 anterior to each pair of which is a quadrangular brown spot ; spines 

 clothed with delicate setfe, — the dorsal, subdorsal and superstigmatal 

 rows, black, and the substigmatal, rufous. (The color of the crescents 

 and dots is taken from an alcoholic specimen.) 



Chri/saJ!.^, .8 in. in length, slightly angular: frontal beaks, short, 

 conical ; thoracic projection forming nearly a right angle; dorsal spines, 

 but little elevated — the superior one exceeding very little the others in 

 size ; wing-cases, as in antiopa ; terminal spine, short, flattened, 

 curved. 



I have no knowledge of more than two annual broods of this butter- 

 fly. It makes its appearance very early in the spring. I have taken 

 the sexes, somewhat worn. In coHu, on the loth of March, — and on 

 April 7th those which, without doubt, had been newly disclosed from 

 chrysalis. A second brood appears about the middle of August, after 

 having passed ten days in chrysalis. The larva is usually very abun- 

 dant on the common Nettle ( Urtica dioica), growing by the roadside, — 

 a very large number frequently clustering on a single plant. Although 



