Il8 THE BOOK OF BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



The plump pupa (Fig. 118) is about lin. long, with 

 the ears on the head reduced to rounded prominences. 

 The thorax bears a central protuberance, and is laterally 

 keeled. There is the usual pair of subdorsal rows of 

 spines, though these are "rather blunter than in urticce, 

 and the medio-dorsal spines of the larva are reproduced 

 in miniature. In colour the pupa is whitish-grey, with a 

 delicate pale purple bloom. The dorsal points are gilt, 

 and the nervures faintly outlined on the wing-cases. 

 This to my mind is one of the most delicately beautiful 

 of our butterfly pupae. 



V. atalanta has the costal margin of the fore-wings 

 arched; while the hind-margin of all the wings is scalloped, 

 that of the fore-wings having a concavity as in V. cardui. 

 On the upper surface (Fig. 121) the ground-colour of 

 the wings is black. The fore-wings are crossed by a band 

 of scarlet, which is continued as a margin to the hind-wings, 

 where it contains some black dots. There are five white 

 spots at the tip of the fore-wings, and a blue one at the 

 anal angle of the hind-wings. On the under-surface 

 (Fig. 120) the fore-wings have the scarlet band and the 

 white spots together with a little blue, while the hind- 

 wings are a delicate mixture of cream, blue, brown, and 

 black. 



V. cardui, Linn. (Painted Lady) (Figs. 122 to 125), 

 approaches somewhat to V. antiopa in the capriciousness 

 of its appearance ; it is, however, usually much more 

 abundant, and does not as a rule occur singly, as is 

 generally the case with the latter butterfly. Some seasons 

 it may be particularly scarce throughout the kingdom, and 

 altogether absent from many localities ; while in other 

 seasons again it occurs quite plentifully. In 1892 after 

 the appearance of a considerable number of hibernated 

 specimens in the spring, entomologists were delighted 



