112 THE BOOK OF BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



The costal margin of the fore-wings (Fig. 113) is slightly 

 convex, and the hind-margin of all the wings angled. 

 The ground-colour of the fore-wings is scarlet, becoming 

 brown near the hind-margin. On the hind-wings the 

 scarlet is only found in the centre ; the rest is brown. 

 Each wing contains the eye-spot from which the insect 

 takes its name. There are also near the costal margin 

 of the fore-wings two black patches, in the shape of half- 

 crescents. The under-surface (Fig. 112) is a mixture of 

 dark browns and black, appearing at a little distance 

 almost perfectly black. 



V. antiopa, Linn. (Camberwell Beauty) (Figs. 114 to 

 117), is one of those butterflies which every entomologist 

 hopes some day to take, but whose appearance is so 

 capricious that its capture may well be underlined in the 

 fortunate collector's note-book. It almost always appears 

 singly, so that the capture of one by no means implies 

 that others are in the neighbourhood. 



During the last twenty-one seasons (to take the records 

 in The Entomologist only) but one year 1872 can be 

 fairly called an "fl//0/tf-year." In that season at least one 

 specimen, but often a considerable number, was recorded 

 from every county in England, except Cumberland, 

 Westmoreland, Salop, Rutland, Hereford, Northampton- 

 shire, Bedford, Monmouth, Oxon, Wilts, Worcester, and 

 Dorset ; -while captures are also mentioned from Wales, 

 Ireland, and Scotland as far north as Aberdeen. The 

 next season, 1873, yielded a fair number of specimens 

 from twelve counties, Worcester and Cumberland this time 

 being amongst them. We have but one record in 1874, 

 seven in 1875, an( ^ f ur m J 876 these twelve occurring 

 in Hants, Gloucester, Surrey, Kent, Essex, Norfolk, Yorks, 

 Northumberland, Dumfries, and Antrim. In 1877 there 

 were six records ; in 1878, three; in 1879, none; in 1880, 



