FRITILL ARIES. 



continues +o increase the size of its domicile 

 up to the period of pupation ; I have never 

 met with it feeding exposed : when removed 

 irom its retreat it feigns death, bending its 

 extremities together ; all its movements are 

 slow and lethargic, and its only object, when 

 exposed, appears to be again to conceal itself. 

 When full-fed the head is broader than the 

 second segment, but narrower than the suc- 

 ceeding segments ; it is covered with project- 

 ing warts, which vary considerably in size ; 

 the body is obese, tapering slightly towards 

 the extremities; the second segment is narrow, 

 having a transverse series of small spines, one 

 of which on each side is some what larger and 

 more horny than the rest ; the third and 

 fourth segments have each a transverse series 

 of eight spines ; one pair on each side is small 

 and inconspicuous ; the remaining four are 

 longer, conspicuous and branched, or emitting 

 minor spines, each of which terminates in a 

 bristle ; the other segments, from the fifth to 

 the twelfth inclusive, have each ^even branched 

 spines, one medio-dorsal spine being placed in 

 advance of the rest; the thirteenth segment 

 has four spines. The head is black and 

 rather shining, the smaller points being white, 

 and the larger ones black : the ground colour 

 of the body is generally gray-green, sprinkled 

 with black, and having a rather broad waved 

 etripe on each side just below the spiracles : 

 the belly is smoky flesh-colour ; the legs are 

 shining black ; and the claspers smoky flesh- 

 colour : such is a description of the usual 

 colouring, but this is extremely variable ; the 

 ground colour in some specimens is dingy 

 white, and the lateral stripe scarcely distin- 

 guishable ; in others it is mottled gray-green, 

 the lateral strip<riuclining to yellow : again, 

 in others, the ground colour is intense black, 

 thickly sprinkled with white dots, and the 

 lateral stripe brilliantly white or yellow : 

 again the spines on the third segment are 

 sometimes intensely black, while all the others 

 are smoky flesh-coloured, but in other speci- 

 mens all the spines are alike dingy and semi- 

 transparent, with black tips. When full-fed 

 it constructs a somewhat more elaborate re- 

 ; it gnaws through the petiole of a leaf, 



i 



or eats the main stalk of the nettle within a 

 few inches of the top, not quite separating it ; 

 the part thus almost separated falls over and 

 completely withers, and this withered portion 

 is formed into a compact retreat, secured from 

 casualties of weather and from the inspection 

 of birds ; from the roof of this the cater- 

 pillar suspends itself by the anal claspers, and 

 in two days becomes an obese, humped, and 

 angulated CHRYSALIS, the head of which is 

 notched on the crown, the divisions containing 

 the palpi being distant and very obtuse ; the 

 thorax has a large dorsal elevation terminating 

 in a median point : on each side near the edge 

 of the wing-cases are two obtuse angles ; on 

 the back of the body are three longitudinal 

 series of elevated points ; the median series 

 consists of six rather insignificant and incon- 

 spicuous points ; eacli lateral series consists of 

 nine points, two of which are thoracic and 

 seven abdominal, the lateral points being 

 much larger and more conspicuous than those 

 of the median series; the anal segment is 

 slender and beak-like, and is terminated by a 

 dense fringe of minute and very acute hooks, 

 by which the chrysalis is suspended from the 

 silk of which the roof of its retreat is con- 

 structed : the colour of the chrysalis is reddish 

 gray, delicately reticulated and marbled with 

 black : it appears covered with bloom, like 

 that on a ripe plum, and is adorned with very 

 beautiful golden spots, more especially on the 

 lateral thoracic points. Netcman. 



TIME OF APPEARANCE. The caterpillar is 

 found on nettles in June, July, and August ; 

 the chrysalis in July and August ; the butter- 

 fly in August, September, and October. It 

 seems to delight in settling on autumnal 

 flowers and sunning itself on leaves, or in 

 pathways ; but the ovary of the female con- 

 tains no eggs, and she seems to possess no 

 atti action for the male ; both sexes hybernate 

 early ; they reappear in the spring, but later 

 than our other Vauessidae : the usual inter- 

 course then takes place, and oviposition 

 follows. 



OJ S . This species occasionally departs so 

 far from the ordinary habits of butterflies as 

 to have been detected wandering about tyr 



