Butterflies. 53 



yellow, marked with white. The hind-wings are most 

 beautifully variegated with steely blue, black, and buff. 

 The antennae are long and slender, abruptly forming a 

 knot at the end, which is tipped with white. The larva 

 is dusky green in colour, with a yellow line running 

 down its back and sides ; it is sparingly coloured with 

 short stubby hairs, and is found gregariously on the nettle- 

 leaf. Gold spots are freely sprinkled over the brown 

 chrysalis. The caterpillar stage lasts five or six weeks, 

 the butterfly appearing in another three or four. The 

 larva suspends itself by the tail, often wrapping itself in 

 a nettle-leaf, on which it feeds. If the pupa is gathered 

 from the nettles for breeding, it should be fastened in 

 the cage in tbe same position, head downwards. Dis- 

 appointment is often experienced in the number of 

 butterflies that emerge from the chrysalis state, so 

 many being attacked by ants, &c. 



The caterpillars are found gregariously with the 

 Callirhoe, which is the commonest species of Pyrameis 

 found in the Islands. Among many reared, three only 

 proved to be Atalanta butterflies. ^ It is found in Tene- 

 riffe from January to June. 



