ORDER IV. MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES. 203 



Figure 50. 



The Admiral. 



fore wings, ornamented with scarlet-colored cross-lines and 

 white spots, and black hind wings, with a scarlet border 

 around them. On the under side of the fore wings some 

 singular marks are seen, which resemble the figures 98 or 

 86, and which have given rise to many superstitious ideas 

 among the ignorant. The female deposits about two hun- 

 dred eggs, green and oval, upon the leaves or stems of net- 

 tles. In about a week these become little caterpillars, 

 which are thorny and black, with bright yellow stripes 

 around the body, and which, when fully grown, are about 

 one and a half inches long. They walk very slowly, but 

 eat much and grow very fast. As soon as they are devel- 

 oped from the egg they begin to spin some of the leaves of 

 the nettle together, and thus build for themselves a com- 

 fortable dwelling, which at the same time furnishes them 

 with food. After consuming their abode they roll up an- 

 other in the same way, and thus are actively engaged dur- 

 ing the two short weeks of their existence for this is all 

 the time allotted them until, at its expiration, they are 

 fully grown, when they form their cocoons and suspend 

 them from some of the branches. As these caterpillars live 

 mostly upon nettles and other useless weeds, they are not 

 considered as injurious to vegetation. They usually appear 



