ARGYNNIS LATONA. 8 1 



numbers in which latona has been taken in England during 

 the last twenty-one years, the pages of The Entomologist 

 have been consulted for that period, and the following is 

 the result: 1871, one in Devon; 1872, at least seventy, 

 chiefly in Kent quite a " latona-yeax " ; 1874, sixteen, all 

 in Kent, but a little doubt has been thrown upon the 

 captures; 1876, one in Kent and one in Sussex; 1880, 

 eighteen near Dover; 1881, one in Essex; 1882, twenty- 

 five near Dover; 1885, two in Sussex. 



The eggs are laid in August, or even September, on the 

 Wild Pansy (Viola tricolor), and also on the Dog Violet 

 ( V. canind) and Sweet Violet ( V. odorata) ; Sainfoin 

 (Onobrychis sativa\ too, and Borage (Borago officinalis) 

 have been mentioned as food-plants. The caterpillar 

 comes out in about fourteen days, but soon retires to 

 hibernate near the ground under the protection of the 

 herbage round the food-plant. In the latter part of spring 

 it begins feeding again, and enters the pupa state late 

 in June. The imago is out from July to September, or 

 even October, so that it is one of the latest of our butter- 

 flies to remain on the wing. 



The caterpillar, which is over an inch in length, bears 

 several series of brownish-pink spines. These spines are 

 short, and resemble those of the larva of the last 

 butterfly, A. euphrosyne (Fig. 67). The colour of the 

 caterpillar is dull smoky-brown, with a pair of dorsal and 

 a pair of lateral yellowish-white stripes. The dark 

 spiracular region is bordered above and below with a 

 somewhat lighter tint. The head is yellowish-brown. 



In shape, this butterfly (Fig. 71) resembles rather 

 closely the male of A. paphia. The costal margin of the 

 fore-wings is convex, the hind-margin concave. The 

 wings are slightly scalloped, the hind-wings a little more 

 deeply than the fore-wings. The ground-colour of the 



