NY-MIMIALINAK: VANKSSA ATALANTA. 



445 



tioii, crossing llio iiiidtllo of the clasp, is a ridg 

 iiiitUUe procluced to a finely-pointed, minute tooth. 



its edii;e facing backward, at tlie 



Described from 1 <J 5 V • 



Hybrids. Mv. II. Edwards describes a hybrid between tliis species and V. cax-ye. 

 raised in California l)y Dr. 11. Behr from a caterpillar found on nettle, as follows: — 

 '■ The spots across the primaries form a bent macular baud, tlie subapical spot beinii' 

 red and not white as in atalanta, the base of the wing behind the band being rusty red. 

 Tiie secondaries are blackish nearly over the whole surface, with reddish hairs, Avhich 

 are longest toward the base; the submarginal row of ocelli similar to those of cai-ye. 

 only with white pupils. The under side is that of atalanta, the abdomen being neither 

 black nor red, but brownish, the color of the anal margin of the hind wings. " (Pae. 

 coast Lep. , 22,!).) Hybrids among butterflies are of extreme rarity. 



Aberrations. A -'yellow variety "is mentioned as exhibited in London (Entom. 

 xvi :27(;). 



Malformations. In 1805, Mr. W. F. Evans exhibited to the Entoim^logical society 

 of London two malformed specimens of this species, one of which, caught near Brad- 

 ford, Yorkshire, had the left antenna only half the length of the right, uotAvithstanding 

 tiiat it possessed the usual number of joints; the other, bred from the larva, had the 

 wings on one side considerably larger than on the other. 



Egg (64: 24). Laminate ribs nine in number, commencing at the sides of the base 

 and leaving on the summit a free space .2 mm. in diameter; they are .02 mm. high in 

 the middle of the egg, and .07 mm. high at the summit; surface glistening, broken up 

 by delicate transverse lines, .03 mm. apart, only minutely raised above the surface 

 excepting where they traverse the ribs; here they are more distinct, especially above, 

 being thickened at the edges. Micropyle rosette .07 mm. in diameter, or fully half the 

 diameter of the space between the termination of the vertical ribs; it consists appar- 

 ently of a minute centi-al cell, surrounded by a network of nearly equal subcircular 

 cells, about .0127 mm. in diameter, deeply depressed, separated by tolerably broad 

 walls, and arranged irregularly in about three concentric rows, the outer cells trans- 

 versely oval. Color delicate green, the ribs pellucid. Height (including the ribs), .74 

 mm. : breadth at base, .0 mm. 



Caterpillar. First sUvje (70:10). Head (78:58) very dark and body pale but 

 liaving only mounted specimens to descrilje, the colors cannot be accurately deter- 

 mined ; hairs (86 : 01) brownish, exceedingly long, sometimes curving a little. Length, 

 2.25 mm. ; length of longest hair, .2G mm. ; lireadth of head, .34 mm. 



Second slivjo. Head piceous, with a few pale hairs arising from excessively minute 

 papillae. Body dark olive green, with a russet tinge, strongly infuscated on the tho- 

 racic and the dorsal area of the first three abdominal segments ; an obscure pallid 

 substigraatal stripe. Spines (86 : 02) black, slightly shorter than the apical curved hair : 

 posterior dorsal papillae of eighth abdominal segments yellowish. Length, 4.5 mm. 

 Third sta<j<^. Head as before, the tubercles larger, almost conspicuous, especially 

 Avhen, as sometimes, they are Avhite. Body very dark mahogany broAvn, sometimes 

 with an olivaceous tinge, often almost, and sometimes on thoracic segments quite, 

 black, the terminal segments and under surface a little lighter than the rest, the hinder 

 tlorsal tubercle of eighth abdominal segment sometimes pallid, in one case enormously 

 enlarged, pallid, and glolnilar; body sometimes very faintly dotteil with Avhite abo^e 

 by the greater or less pallor of the hair-bearing papillae. Spines (86 : 03) black, longer 

 than the straight apical hair, a little shorter than the segments. Length, 7.5 mm. 

 Fourth st<«je. This stage does not greatly ditler from the preceding, but the papillae 



