TiF.n AD>[TR\T,. 65 



The caterpillar is to be found in July. 



It feeds on the common nettle, giving- a preference to the 

 seeds. 



The wings of this insect expand to the -width of from t-\vo 

 and a half to three inches. The ground colour of the fore 

 Avings is intense velvet blue black on the outside half, and 

 intense copper brown black on the inner. A bar of lovely red 

 runs nearly across them, not quite reaching to their lower 

 corner; towards which it is slightly curved. It is irregular on 

 its margins, formed, as it were, of a series of rounded oblong 

 patches. Between this bar and the tip of the "vvings is a sim- 

 ilar short bar of pure white, formed of three patches; and a 

 fourth lies like an island beyond it, interrupted by the ground 

 colour of the wings. This latter one foi*ms the largest of a 

 chain of white spots, which sweep by it, one inside, and three 

 outside, of which latter two are very small dots, and the third 

 at the top is a narrow oblong curve. Beyond these, and 

 between them and the tip of the wing, is an obscure WMve of 

 purple blue. The margin of the wdngs is white, indented 

 crescent-wise on the ground colour. 



The hind Avings are deep velvet brown black, Avith a broad 

 margin to all their middle part of fine red, in Avhich are four 

 black dots. At the loAver inside corner of the wings are two 

 small conjoined oblong marks of purple blue. The margin of 

 the wings is white, indented in curves into the red bar, and 

 shaded with blackish browm, forming a sort of dots between 

 each segment. 



Underneath, the fore Avings are mottled broAvn at the tip, 

 and there are near it tAVo small Avhite dots, surrounded by 

 tAVO rings of broAvn. The red bar and the Avhite spots shcAV 

 through from above, and between them, near the fore edge, 

 are two small Avaved transverse stripes of metallic blue. The 

 upper inner corner of the red bar is intersected by a bar of 

 broAvnish black, and bounded by another, Avithin Avhich again 

 is another cross mark of metallic blue. The fringe of the 

 -wings is white, indented as on the upper side. The hind 

 Avino-s arc most bcautifiiUv marbled, mottled, and variegated all 



