60 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



And, again, Mr. Wailes, in his "Catalogue 

 of the Lepidoptera of Northumberland and 

 Durham." has this interesting observation : 

 "Our fellow member, Mr. William Back- 

 house, informed me that about the year 1820 

 he saw vast numbers of this species strewing 

 the sea-shore at Seaton-Carew, both in a dead 

 and living state. Now," continues Mr. 

 Wailes, " it is surely more reasonable to sup- 

 pose that these specimens had been blown 

 from tha land than that they had crossed a 

 sea at least three hundred miles; and a speci- 

 meu in Mr. Backhouse's collection confirms 



this opinion, as it has the pale whitish margin 

 to the upper side of the wings so charac- 

 teristic of our British specimens, which is re- 

 placed by yellow in nearly all the continental 

 and American specimens." Mr. Stephens 

 adds, on the authority of the same excellent 

 entomologist, " Mr. Backhouse informs me 

 that it has been found repeatedly near Seaton, 

 Durham, and often floating on the river Tees." 

 These quotations prove, as I consider, incon- 

 testably that in former years this butterfly 

 has been abundant some years both in the 

 north and south of England. 



15. Peacock (Vanessa Jo). 



15. PEACOCK. The hind margins of all the 

 wings are angled; the fore wings with the lower 

 half of that deep red-brown colour which is 

 called dragon's blood ; the costal margin at the 

 base is hlack, delicately barred with yallow ; be- 

 neath this are two black blotches, and between 

 them a yellowish spot; beyond the second and 

 largest black blotch is a large and beautiful 

 eye-like mark, composed of a variety of colours, 

 and below this eye are two small blue-white 

 spots : the hind margin is broadly bordered 

 with smoky-brown : the hind wings are smoky- 

 brown towards the costal and hind margins, 

 red-brown towards the inner margin, and 

 having a beautiful eye-like mark towards the 

 apical angle. The underside is jet-black. 



LIFE HISTORY. The EGGS are laid in April 

 and May, on the common stinging-nettle 

 ( Urtica dioica), and the young CATERPILLARS 

 emerging in about ten or fifteen days, accord- 

 ing to the temperature, feed, and to the best 



of my knowledge exclusively, on the leaves of 

 that familiar but unpopular plant : they 

 generally attain their full growth during the 

 first week in July, but sometimes arrive at 

 maturity a week earlier, and also not uncom- 

 monly a week or a fortnight later: when full- 

 fed the caterpillar rests in any position it may 

 have accidentally assumed while feeding or 

 seeking food ; it has rather a limp and flaccid 

 habit, and falls to the ground helplessly on the 

 nettle's being shaken, but almost immediately 

 re-ascends and recommences feeding : it seems 

 difficult to imagine how it can escape the 

 sharp spines of the nettle, or what antidote it 

 possesses against the injury, supposing it to 

 receive one ; certain it is that the creature 

 traverses most fearlessly both the stem and 

 leaves of the nettle, and appears to remain 

 unscathed among the phalanx of poison-laden 

 spears with which it is threatened on all sides : 

 have the spines any protective function ? Th 



