148 



SMALL PEARL-BORDERED FRITILLARY. 



MelitcBa Silene. 

 PLATE XIII. Fw. Z. 



Pap. Silene, Fabr. Haworth. — Melitaea Silene, Jermyn^ 

 Steph Pap. Euphrasia, Lewin, pi. 13 Small pearl-bor- 

 dered Fritillary, Haworth. 



Rather eraalier than the preceding, which it 

 greatly resembles on the surface : the characters by 

 which it is distinguished on the under side, consist 

 in the ground colour of the secondary wings being 

 ferruginous, or rust-brown, with the transverse band 

 at the base and middle not of so light a yellow as in 

 M. Euphrosyne : in having three silvery spots in the 

 central band, and five others, three of which are 

 placed in a line on the anterior border, and the other 

 two near the inner edge ; in having only six triangular 

 spots of silver on the border ; and, lastly, in having 

 the ocular spot towards the base black, with a red 

 pupil. 



The caterpillar is described as being black and 

 epiny, the one-half of the spines yellow, and the 

 sides of the body marked with a light-coloured stripe. 

 The butterfly is of frequent occuiTence, but seems 



