91 



DUKE OF BURGUNDY FRITILLARY, 



I'l.ATE xr.ii. 



Nemeobi'us Liicina, 



Haniearis Lticina, 

 Papilio Luciiia, 



Melilwa L 



liana, 



Stephens. Horsfield. Duncan. 

 BoisDuvAL. Westwood. 

 HuRNER. Curtis. Westwood. 

 LiNNi^us. Lewin. Donovan. 

 Harris. Haworth. 

 Ochsenheimer. Leach. Termyn. 



"Parvum parva decent," says the proverb, but the hii^h-sounding 

 and sesquipedalian name of this small species is by no means in 

 harmony with its diminutive size. It is not however my province to 

 write a work on "Titles of Honour," nor to give any genealogical 

 account of the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary. So far nevertheless the 

 name is ajjpropriate, in that Dukes and these butterflies are alike 

 somewhat rare, and from my blazon of the plate it will be seen that 

 the latter, as is only Ducal, have numerous quarterings. 



I have taken this pretty insect in tolerable plenty in the neighbour- 

 hood of ^Melton Wood, near Sandbeck Park, Tickhill, Yorkshire. It 

 occurs also in Sywell Wood near Northampton, and at Barnwell and 

 Ashton Wold, and in the neighbourhood of Polebrook; and, though 

 rather uncommon there, near Great Bedwyn and Sarum, W^iltshire; 

 Coombe Wood, near London; Darenth Wood, Kent; Boxhill and 

 Dulwich; the New Forest, in Hampshire; Brighton, in Sussex; Bagley 

 Wood, Oxfordshire; and in Dorsetshire and Berkshire. Mr. Heysham 

 has taken it as far north as Carlisle. It is not uncommon on the 

 banks of the Eden. Also in Wales, near Llandudno. 



It is out the beginning of June. 



The caterpillar is stated by Hubner to be found before midsummer, 

 after which period it turns into the chrysalis state. 



It feeds on the common primrose, [Primula verls,') and the broad- 

 leaved primrose, {Primula ehitior.) 



This species varies in the expanse of its wings from a little under 

 to a little over an inch and a quarter. On the upper side the fore 

 wings are dark fulvous, crossed with three waved and indented bars 



