FRITILLARIES. 



55 



13. Large Tortoise-shell (Vanessa Poly Mores). 



13. LARGE TORTOISE-SHELL. The costal 

 margin of the fore wings is very slightly 

 rounded in the middle, and rather suddenly 

 bent towards the body at the base ; the hind 

 margin of all the wings is scalloped and 

 angled, some of the angles being more promi- 

 nent than the rest, as shown in the figure. 

 The prevailing colour is dull fulvous brown; 

 the fore wings have three large squarish black 

 spots on the costal margin ; the spaces between 

 them being lighter than the rest of the wing ; 

 there are two small round spots near the 

 middle of the wing, and two larger round 

 spots below these, and at equal distances 

 from the hind margin : the hind wings have 

 a large black spot on the costal margin, and a 

 paler space nearer the marginal band : this 

 marginal band goes round the hind margin of 

 all the wings ; it is composed, first, of a black 

 line, which, in the fore wings, is plain, but in 

 the hind wings contains a row of semicircular 

 blue spots ; and, secondly, of a dingy brown 

 marginal space, through the middle of which 

 runs a narrow dark -brown line. 



Obs. The pattern of this species is ex- 

 tremely like that of the preceding, but the 

 colours are duller, and it may generally be 

 distinguished by its larger size : there are 

 also two constant differences in the markings : 

 in Urticcr, the space between the second and 

 third black costal spot is white, while in Poly- 

 chloros it is dull yellow ; in Polychloros there 

 Is a black spot in the anal angle of the fore 



wing, which is absent in Urticce. It is little 

 subject to variation. 



LIFE HISTORY. In the spring of the year 

 both sexes of this butterfly may be seen toying 

 with each other in our lanes, and occasionally, 

 but less commonly, on the outskirts of woods : 

 impregnation takes place at this season, gene- 

 rally in the month of May, but sometimes as 

 early as April. The ovary of the female is 

 now distended, and the eggs are prepared to 

 receive the fecundating element ; in these and 

 other insects the eggs attain their full size 

 and character prior to fecundation. In the 

 autumn, on the contrary, in the very few 

 females I have been able to obtain, there is 

 no distinct appearance of eggs in the ovary ; 

 and neither males nor females exhibit indica- 

 tions of the sexual impulse. The EGGS are 

 laid in May, on the leaves of various trees. 

 The wild and cultivated clierry (Prunus 

 cerasus, the Cerisier and Griothier of the 

 French) seems the tree chiefly selected in 

 France, and whole rows of these trees may 

 occasionally be seen in July entirety stripped 

 of their leaves by the caterpillars of this 

 species. In England the trees selected are 

 the aspen (Populus tremula), white beam-tree, 

 whip crop, or white rice (Pyrus arria), sallow 

 (Salix caprea), osiers (Salix viminalis and S. 

 vitellina), and more commonly the different 

 species or varieties of elm (Ulmus) : an 

 gardens it is also found on cherry and pear 

 trees. The eggs are very numerous, some- 



