192 



COMMON BRITISH INSECTS. 



very transient, and vanishes as soon as the Butterfly 

 has emerged from the pupal envelope. 



The splendid, and fortunately common, insect, 

 the RED ADMIRAL {Vanessa Atalanta), comes next 

 in order. This Butterfly can be at once recognised 

 by the broad scarlet band near the upper wings and 

 along the edge of the lower wings, a bold and con- 

 spicuous style of colouring possessed by no other 

 British insect The ground-colour of the wings is 

 velvet-black, diversified with some large white spots 

 on the tips of the upper pair of wings, and an oval 

 blue spot on the anal angle of the lower pair. It is 

 easy enough to describe the markings of the upper 

 surface, but those of the lower surface are almost 

 beyond description. Suffice it to say that the colour 

 of the first pair is much like that of the upper surface 

 only paler ; while the under surface of the lower 

 wings exhibits a most complicated mottling of brown, 

 grey, blue, green, ochre, and black, arranged in a 



marvellously artistic 

 manner, and forming 

 a series of definite, 

 but complicated pat- 

 terns. 



If this beautiful 

 Butterfly were only 

 rare, it would be the 

 admiration of all col- 

 lectors. As it is 

 plentiful, it is only admired by those who value 

 Nature, not for the sake of mere rarity, but for her 

 own sake. Being one of the latter kind, I have a 



Vanessa Atalanta. 



