160 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



Captures near Margate, Eamsgate, Deal, 

 Dover, and Folkestone, have frequently been 

 made and recorded. Graveseud, one in 1870 

 D. T. Buttvn. 



56. Greenveined White (Pieris Napi). Upper side of 

 Male and Female. 



Un ler side of Female. 



56. GREENVEINED WHITE. The tip of the 

 fore wings is blunt but scarcely rounded ; the 

 margins are simple : the colour is white with 

 smoky-gray tips to the fore wings, and a 

 slight blackness at the extremity of each 

 wing-ray ; there is one spot on the disk of the 

 fore wings in the male and two in the female ; 

 these spots are nearer the hind margin than 

 the middle of the wing : in the female also 

 the hind wings are more or less suffused with 

 smoky-gray, more especially along the wing- 

 rays. On the under side the tips of the fore 

 wings and the whole of the hind wings are 

 yellow ; the disk of the fore wings is white ; 

 the wing-rays are of the ordinary ground 

 colour, but are bordered with black scales 

 Varieties. Mr. Buckler remark <sth.it all the 



cate) pillars of this insect which fed on water- 

 cress produced very pretty varieties of the 

 perfect insect, the usual dusky markings of 

 the wings being of a delicate dove-gray, the 

 bases of the wings being more than usually 

 suffused with this tint. Mr. Stephens divided 

 this species into three, distinguished by the 

 greater or smaller amount of smoky gray on 

 the wings ; he called them " Napi" " Napcce" 

 and ftSabefficte ; " but no entomologists with 

 whom I am acquainted adopt this division. 



LIFE HISTORY. This butterfly is double- 

 brooded : the EGGS which produce both broods 

 are laid on the hedge garlic (Erysimum 

 alliaria), on the water-cress (Nasturtium ojjici- 

 nafe), on the winter-ciess (Bai barea pr&cox), 

 and probably some oth> r species of cruciferous 

 plants : the EGGS which produce the first 

 brood of caterpillars are deposited in April 

 and May ; those which produce the second, in 

 July and August : their figure is that of a 

 sugar-loaf, but beautifully ribbed longitu- 

 dinally, and delicately striated transversely ; 

 they are attached by the base. The CATER- 

 PILLARS emerge about the twelfth day, and 

 are full-fed respectively at the end of June 

 and middle of September, when they rest in a 

 straight position, closely appressed to the 

 food-plant. The head is small, decidedly 

 narrower than the body ; the body is cylin- 

 drical, but tapers slightly to each extremity ; 

 the dorsal surface is transversely wrinkled, the 

 wrinkles dividing each segment into six sec- 

 tions ; both head and body are beset with 

 minute warts or points, each wart emitting a 

 hair. The colour of the head and dorsal sur- 

 face is dull and rather dark glaucous green ; 

 the ventral surface is lighter, the division 

 between the two being very distinct, and 

 taking place at the spiracles, which are black 

 and enclosed in a bright yellow ring : the 

 warts on the head are generally white, those 

 on the dorsal surface almost invariably black, 

 and those on the ventral surface almost in- 

 variably white ; the legs and claspers are of 

 the same tint as the body, but semi-trans- 

 parent. Mr. Greening kindly supplied me 

 with the eggs of this species, and Mr. Buckler 

 with the full-fed caterpillars : the latter spun 



