riUFlDAL. 



beyond tlie middle is a slender transverse purplisli-black 

 line; hind margin clouded witli black-brown. Body 

 blackish-brown; legs reddish-brown barred with white; 

 leg-tufts purple-red. 



Variation in the male is usually in the depth of the 

 orange- red ground colour of the fore wings and in the degree 

 of pale clouding upon them ; often the orange stripe along 

 the hind margin is pale and throws off broad similar dashes 

 into the cilia, or the white dashes on the nervures toward 

 the hind margin are more conspicuous. Greater uncertainty 

 in colour is found in the female, which, in addition, is often 

 tinged from the base with greenish-grey or purplish-grey 

 to the exclusion of the orange colouring, or its restriction 

 toward the hinder area. In Scotland the variation is from 

 brick-red to purple-grey and grey-green. A specimen m 

 the collection of the Rev. J. Greene has the ground colour 

 of the fore wings pale grey-green to the second line, which 

 is dark chestnut, and is followed by a rich dark chestnut 

 transverse stripe, much toothed outwardly, beyond which 

 is again pale grey-green ; the two stigmata very large, silvery 

 white ; hind wings nearly black. 



On the wing, according to the forwardness or backwardness 

 of the season, in March, April, and May, but in greatest plenty 

 in the beginning of May. 



Larva elongate, smooth, tapering behind ; head rounded, 

 shining, red-brown dotted with pale yellow; a shining 

 green plate on the second segment; body green, with 

 brilliantly white dorsal and subdorsal stripes, the former 

 the broader, the latter edged above with black and bordered 

 beneath by an orange-red stripe, often shading into yellowish 

 on the hinder segments; between the dorsal and subdorsal 

 is often another white line ; spiracles black ; undersurface 

 green with three whitish stripes; legs red; prolegs green. 

 (C. Fenn.) When very young it is pale yellow or whitish- 

 green, and the white stripes are gradually assumed as it 



