70 THE BOOK OF BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



the base of the fore -wings are thickly sprinkled with 

 black scales on the upper surface. On the under-surface 

 (Fig. 55) the ground-colour is yellow, with a greenish 

 tinge on the hind-wings and the hind-margin of the fore- 

 wings, with an orange tinge elsewhere. Besides the 

 markings mentioned thus far, the under-surface has two 

 brown spots on the costal margin of the fore- wings and 

 one on that of the hind-wings, and six dark spots on 

 each wing (smaller and paler on the hind-wings) parallel 

 to the hind-margin. The fringe is pink. 



There is a constant variety of the female called 

 keltce^ Hub., in which the orange ground-colour is replaced 

 by a yellowish-white. The hind-wings look darker, for the 

 sprinkling of black scales is still present. Specimens some- 

 times occur intermediate between the variety and the type. 



C. edusa has been taken throughout England, and in 

 the south of Scotland ; but its home is in the southern, 

 south-eastern, and south-western counties, where it is 

 now usually fairly common, if not abundant. It is some- 

 what partial to the neighbourhood of London, and 

 becomes less and less frequent as we proceed northwards 

 through the country. 



Gonopteryx, Leach. 



When in the early autumn the colours of the ripened 

 fruit and grain make the epithet of golden peculiarly 

 applicable to the time of the year, appears the latest of 

 our English butterflies ; and, as if to be in keeping with 

 the golden hues around, it mounts on wings of gold to 

 flutter in the mellow autumn sunshine. 



G. rhamni, Linn. (Brimstone Butterfly) (Figs. 59 to 62), 

 is on the wing from August onward, till the cold weather 

 compels it to seek some sheltered nook wherein to winter ; 

 but a more than usually warm day will tempt it forth 



