LEPIDOPTERA. 1 87 



colour on its sides. It lives in solitude on the stinging-nettle ( Urtica 

 dioica). Its chrysalis is blackish, with golden spots. This mag- 

 nificent insect is common at the end of summer, and easy to catch. 

 If missed once it comes back again almost immediately, and almost 

 alights on the net of the collector. . 



The Painted Lady {Vanessa \Cynthia\ carditis Fig, 164) owes its 

 vernacular name to the beauty of its colours. The upper wings are 

 covered above with tawny spots, rather cerise -coloured towards the 

 interior, and with white spots on the hind margin towards the tip of 

 the wing ; the whole on a lightish ground. The lower wings are of a 

 reddish tawny colour with many black spots, a circular row of which 

 borders the wing. The caterpillar is bristly, brownish, with yellow 

 lateral broken lines. It lives in solitude on many species of thistle, 

 on the artichoke, the milfoil or yarrow, &c. It makes for itself a 

 web, rather like a spider's nest, 

 and lives therein. The chrysalis 

 is greyish, with numerous golden 

 dots. The perfect insect shows 

 itself almost without interruption, 

 from spring till autumn. It flies 

 rapidly, and in certain seasons is 

 abundant. 



The Vanessa {Grapta) C. album 

 (Fig. 165), or Comma Butterfly, is 

 common in parts of England. 

 Above, its wings are tawny, spotted 

 with black. Below, they are more The Comma Butterfly (tw^^^ c. album). 

 or less brown, with different tints, 



and sometimes a little blue. On the under side of the lower wings is 

 a white spot of the form of a C. " This spot," says old Geoffroy, 

 ''caused this butterfly to have the name oi gamma given to it, and its 

 colour of Viable enr/iufne (sic), as also the singular cut of its wings, 

 has caused it to be called by others Robert le Diabk:' Its caterpillar 

 lives on the nettle, the honeysuckle, the currant, the hazel, and the 

 elm. It is of a reddish brown, with a white band on the back. 

 Reaumur calls it the Beadle, comparing it to the church beadles, 

 who usually dress in glaring colours. 



The brilHant Vanessce, of which we have just briefly described 

 some remarkable species, have been the cause of superstitious terror. 

 This must at first sight seem incredible, but it has arisen thus : When 

 they have just quitted the pupa, a red-coloured liquid drops from 

 them. If a great many butterflies are hatched at the same time, and 



