VANESSA. . 95 



Though very common in most parts of the Continent, there 

 are many places in which the species is more or less uncertain 

 in appearance, as it is in Britain. 



THE PEACOCK BUTTERFLY. VANESSA IO. 



(Plate X VII. , Fig. 2.) 



Papilio io. Linn., Syst. Nat. (x.), i., p. 472, no. 112 (1758); 

 id. Faun. Suec. (ii.), p. 274, no. 1048 (1761); Esper, 

 Schmett, i. } pt. i, p. 87, pi. 5, fig. 2 (1777). 

 Vanessa w, Steph., 111. Brit. Ent. Haust, i., p. 44 (1827) ; 

 Kirby, Eur. Butterflies and Moths, p. 12, pi. 6, figs. 3 a-c 

 (1878); Lang, Butterflies Eur., p. 175, pi. 41, fig. i 

 (1882); Barrett, Lepid. Brit. Isl., i., p. 136, pi. 19, figs. 

 2, 2, a-d (1892); Buckler, Larvse Brit. Butterflies, i., p. 

 179, pi. 8, fig. 3 (1886). 



The Peacock is one of the most beautiful of our British 

 Butterflies, and as it feeds on nettles, is fairly common in lanes 

 and open places in woods in most parts of the country, though 

 much less abundant than the Small Tortoise-shell. It is found 

 throughout Europe and Northern Asia as far as Japan ; but 

 does not extend very far south, as it is a much-prized rarity in 

 Sicily, and is unknown in Southern Spain and on the north 

 coast of Africa. 



The Butterfly measures from two to three inches in expanse, 

 and is of a dark red on the upper surface, with brown hind- 

 margins. The fore-wings are marked with two central black 

 costal blotches, separated by a small yellow spot, and the rest 

 of the costal portion of the wing, between the outermost black 

 blotch and the border, is varied with yellow, black, blue, red, and 

 white, and below these markings are two white spots. The 

 hind-wings have a large black crescent-shaped mark on the 

 middle of the costa, and between this and the hind-margin is a 

 yellowish-white ring, enclosing a very large black spot, in which 



