VANESSA URTIC^:. 1 07 



The ground-colour is black ; the dorsal surface is thickly 

 sprinkled with brown, and down the centre of it is a fine 

 black streak. The sides are very thickly sprinkled 

 with brown and so is the ventral surface, there being 

 on these parts, indeed, more brown than black. The 

 head and legs are black, and the spiracles are of the 

 same colour surrounded with brown ; the claspers are 

 brown, with dark markings. The larva is slightly hairy. 



The pupa (Fig. 102), about lin. in length, has the 

 head eared and a large projection on the thorax which 

 is laterally keeled. This is followed by a deep hollow 

 bearing six gilt spots, and then by a well-arched abdomen, 

 each side of which has a subdorsal row of sharp dark- 

 coloured points. The colour is a warm brown, lighter 

 on the abdomen, which has on each side a row of tiny 

 black spots on each segment. The anal spike is outlined 

 in black and white. 



The imago (Fig. -105) has the costal margin of the 

 fore-wings arched and the hind-margin of all the wings 

 rather deeply indented. This insect much resembles the 

 small one described below ; the ground-colour, however, 

 is duller. The spot near the tip of the fore-wings is 

 cream instead of white, and there is an extra black spot 

 near the anal angle of the fore-wings. The marginal 

 blue spots, moreover, are found chiefly on the hind- 

 wings. The under-surface (Fig. 104) very closely resembles 

 that of V. urtica. This butterfly varies considerably in 

 size. 



V. urticae, Linn. (Small Tortoiseshell) (Figs. 106 to 

 109), unlike its larger relative, is usually common, but, 

 on account of its rich colouring, none the less welcome. 

 Timidity is not one of its attributes, and it may often be 

 seen in flower-gardens, where few blossoms surpass it in 

 beauty. Like V. antiopa it has been observed at sugar. 



