ARGYNNIS ADIPPE. 85 



ground-colour is dull yellow, tinged with red on the basal 

 part of the fore-wings, while the greater part of the hind- 

 wings are rich metallic green, tinged with olive-green 

 towards the centre. The markings of the fore-wings re- 

 semble those of the upper surface, but are less distinct, 

 and there are a few silver marks, especially an indistinct 

 row of spots near the hind-margin. On the hind-wings 

 there is a row of seven bright silver spots near the hind- 

 margin, backed by green crescents, and in the green 

 portion there are fourteen or fifteen bright silver spots. 

 The dark lines on some of the nervures of the upper 

 surface of the fore-wings of the male the point of 

 distinction from the female are not well developed in 

 this species. 



A. adippe, Linn. (High Brown Fritillary) (Figs. 77 to 

 80), like aglaia^ which it very closely resembles on the upper 

 surface, is almost as large as the Silver-washed, but scarcely 

 so fine-looking an insect. It flies almost or quite as strongly 

 as the last-mentioned, but has a different appearance on the 

 wing, owing to the darker ground-colour and markings. 

 Besides favouring the flowers of the bramble with its 

 attentions as is customary with most Fritillaries, it has 

 a great liking for the flowers of the thistle, &c., a taste 

 similar to that of some of its relatives, the Vanessas, and 

 when sunning itself on a head of thistles or a spray of 

 bramble-blossoms, its capture is easy, whereas it is a 

 difficult matter to take it on the wing. 



In August the eggs are laid on the Dog Violet ( Viola 

 canina\ the Sweet Violet (V, odorata), and the Pansy 

 ( V. tricolor]. In about fourteen days they hatch, and the 

 larvae, after feeding for a time, retire like those of the 

 rest of the genus to the roots of the food-plants, or to 

 the dead leaves, and so on, that may usually be found 

 lying round them. There they spend the winter, 



