96 THE COMMONER BUTTERFLIES. 



under surface of same wings dark brown on basal half, lighter 

 brown (more or less cinereous in the male) on apical half, consider- 

 able variegated (especially in the male) and traversed by short 

 transverse threads of darker brown throughout, with a central 

 lieavy silvery comma expanded at tlie ends. Expanse 2-2^ inches. 



Caterpillar. — Head black, more or less faced with green, 

 crowned by stout and not very long black spines, the spinules of 

 which, emitted from the middle, are about as long as the part of 

 the spine beyond them. Body spinous, varying in different in- 

 dividuals from green to dark brown, in the latter case light below, 

 and transversely and narrowly lined with lighter colors above ; 

 spines pellucid. Length 1 inch. 



Chrysalis, — Pale wood-brown, tinged and streaked with pale 

 green ; ocellar tubercles conical throughout, the largest abdominal 

 tubercles strikingly larger than the others, mesothoracic tubercle 

 triangular, on side view. Length nearly 1 inch. 



The pale green, barrel-shaped, ribbed eggs are laid singly 

 or more commonly in columns of from two to nine upon 

 the under surface or stems of the leaves of the food-plant 

 and hatch in four or five days. The caterpillars feed on 

 Urticaceous plants, particularly on the hop, to which they 

 are sometimes destructive. The top Qgg of the column 

 hatches first and the rest in succession down, or rather up, 

 the column ; the eggs are not eaten and the caterpillar is 

 strictly solitary, two being rarely found on one leaf ; at first 

 it lives openly, but later in life it draws together the edges 

 of the leaf on the under side of which it is living, sufficiently 

 to protect it from sight and the weather, emerging from it 

 at night to feed. The chrysalis generally hangs from seven 

 to eleven days, but late in the season the time is sometimes 

 prolonged to eighteen days. The butterfly is wary and 

 active, inhabits the open country, fields, etc., and is double- 

 brooded. The butterfly hibernates and is on the wing from 

 March to May and sometimes early June, lays eggs on the 

 tender leaves as soon as they burst, and the first fresh but- 

 terflies of the season appear at the end of June and fly 

 through August. Eggs are again laid late in July and 



