BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



12. Small Tortoiseshell (Vanessa Urticuc). 



12. SMALL TORTOISE-SHELL. The hind mar- 

 gin of all the wings is angled ; the prevailing 

 colour is bright red-brown ; on the costal 

 margin are three large black spots : the colour 

 between the body and the first black spot is 

 red-brown ; between the first and second spots, 

 yellow; between the second and third spots, 

 yellow ; between the third spot and the mar- 

 ginal band, white ; in the very middle of the 

 wing are two small round spots, and on the 

 middle of the hind margin is a large square 

 black spot joining to a yellow spot beyond it ; 

 the hind wings have the basal half black, fol- 

 lowed by a broad band of red-brown, shaded 

 to yellowish towards the costal margin ; all 

 the wings have a brown variegated band round 

 the hind margin ; this consists of a scalloped 

 black line, in the indentation of which are 

 semicircular blue spots ; outside these spots 

 is a dingy brown space, and a distinct darker 

 line running all the way round, dividing it 

 into two narrow portions. 



The butterfly is subject to some very beau- 

 tiful and striking varieties, all of which have 

 repeatedly occurred. The specimens figured 

 have been kindly lent purposely for this work. 



Var. 1. Is quite without the two spots 

 on the disk of the wing so conspicuous in the 

 ordinary specimens. The specimen figured is 

 in Mr. Owen's collection. 



Obs. This variety was taken at Hawkshead, 

 in North Lancashire, and is alluded to at page 

 129 of the third volume of the "Entomolo- 

 gist," by Mr. C. S. Gregson, " as the variety 

 Ichnusa of Bonelli ; the same form being com- 

 mon in Sardinia ;" but Mr. Muller, at page 

 164 of the same journal, says that this form, 

 whether we call it a species or variety, is en- 

 tirely confined to Mediterranean latitudes. 



Small Tortoise-shell. Var. 2. 



Var. 2. Has a black band crossing the 

 middle of the wing. The specimen figured is 

 in Mr. Bond's collection. 



Small Toitoise-shell, Var, 1, 



Small Tortoise-shell. Var. 3. 



Var. 3. Is altogether abnormal, the form 

 and colouring being entirely altered. This 

 variety has repeatedly occurred both in Eng- 

 land and on the Continent. The specimen 

 figured is in Mr. Owen's collection. 



Obs. Mr. Birchall, who has so assiduously 

 collected in the Isle of Man, observed that 

 in that island this species was uniformly 

 much smaller than in England. He has 

 kindly presented me with an interesting serieg 

 of these dwarfb, 



