120 BUTTERFLIES 



the lesser Fritlllaries. The butterflies appear from mid- 

 summer onward, the males preceding the females, and the 

 eggs are laid on or near violets in August or September. 

 The larvae hibernate and mature early the following sum- 

 mer. As they approach the chrysalis stage they are rather 

 large velvety black caterpillars with brown heads and 

 rows of fleshy barbed spines that show an orange tint at 

 their bases. There is thus but one generation each year. 



The Regal Fritillary 



Argynnis idalia 



The Regal Fritillary, fresh from the chrysalis, still 

 showing the marvelous sheen of its iridescence, furnishes 

 one of the most beautiful exhibitions of color in the world 

 of nature. Over the whole wing surface there are tiny 

 scales that reflect the sunlight in an almost dazzling man- 

 ner, giving a distinct purplish tone especially to the hind 

 wings. 



The Regal Fritillary is one of the largest butterflies of 

 the distinctive group to which it belongs. The wings 

 expand some three inches and the rather thick body is 

 more than an inch long. The general ground color of the 

 wings is brown, with distinct markings of blackish which 

 in the hind wings almost obscure the brown. On each of 

 the latter as seen from above there is a distinct row of 

 cream-colored spots across the middle, duplicated by a 

 similar row of brown spots near the margin. The under 

 surface of both pairs of wings is much lighter and thickly 

 mottled all over with light cream-colored spots of a large 

 size and more or less triangular shape. {See frontispiece.) 



