Genus Vanessa 
Egg. —Short, ovoid, broad at the base, tapering toward the 
summit, which is broad and adorned with a few narrow, quite 
high longitudinal ridges, increasing in height toward the apex. 
Between these ribs are a few delicate cross-lines. They are 
generally laid in large clusters upon twigs of the food-plant. 
Caterpillar. —The caterpillar moults four times. In the ma¬ 
ture form it is cylindrical, the segments adorned with long, 
branching spines arranged in longitudinal rows; the spines much 
longer, and branching rather than beset with bristles, as in the 
genus Grapta. It lives upon elms, willows, and poplars. 
Chrysalis. —The chrysalis in general appearance is not unlike 
the chrysalis of Grapta. 
The genus is mainly restricted to the north temperate zone 
and the mountain regions of tropical lands adjacent thereto. 
The insects hibernate in the imago form, and are among the first 
butterflies to take wing in the springtime. 
(1) Vanessa j-album, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XIX, 
Fig- 9» ? (The Compton Tortoise). 
Butterfly. —No description is required, as the figure in the 
plate will enable it to be immediately recognized. On the under 
side of the wings it resembles in color the species of the genus 
Grapta , from which the straight edge of the inner margin of 
the primaries at once distinguishes it. It is a very close ally of 
the European V. vau-album. Expanse, 2.60-2.75 inches. 
The caterpillar feeds upon various species of willow. It is a 
Northern form, being found in Pennsylvania upon the summits of 
the Alleghanies, and thence north to Labrador on the east and 
Alaska on the west. It is always a rather scarce insect. 
(2) Vanessa californica, Boisduval, Plate XX, Fig. 11, $ 
(The California Tortoise-shell). 
Butterfly. —On the upper side deep fulvous, mottled with yel¬ 
low, spotted and bordered with black. On the under side dark 
brown; pale on the outer half of the primaries, the entire surface 
marked with dark lines and fine striae. Expanse, 2.00-2.25 inches. 
Early Stages. —The larva and chrysalis have been described 
by Henry Edwards in the “ Proceedings of the California Acad¬ 
emy of Sciences,” vol. v, p. 171. The caterpillar feeds upon 
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus. 
This insect is a close ally of the European V. xanthomelas. 
It ranges from Colorado to California and as far north as Oregon. 
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