FAMILY NYMPHALID^. 209 



Vanessa uaxic^l Tortoise-shell Butterfly. ( Plate xlvi, figs. 8, 9, 10.) 



Papilio urticjb (Linnaeus). 



Upper sides of both pair of wings bright red-orange, dark at the base, and covered with 



long olive-brown hairs. Costal margin of the forewings marked with three large black 



subquadrate spots : between these spots, pale orange, with a whitish iigure towards the 



apex, but within the border. Under the three black spots mentioned, there are three 



quadrangular spots upon the disk : the one nearest the base, rectangular and largest, 



and bordered on the outer edge with yellowish ; above which are the two smaller 



spots. Exterior margin of both pair of wings black, and ornamented all around with 



blue lunules : beneath, the basal half of the hind-pair is nearly black ; outside of 



which there is a belt of brown marked transversely by darker lines, and then the 



blackish border ornamented with obscure or black lunules. On the forewings tliere is 



a large pale orange patch, corresponding to the reddish orange markings above. 



Antennje : rings marked with white and brown ; knob brown, terminated with pale 



orange ; palpi gray, from an intermixture of white and brown hairs. Expanse of 



wing, 1 1 - 3 inches- 



I am unable to say whether this is a common species in this State, or not : it has been 



taken in the vicinity of Albany this season (1853), and I believe frequently. It resembles 



Say's V. furccllata, obtained in the Northwest Territory ; but in the latter there are two 



subquadrate yellow and reddish spots near the costa upon the black ground, and the broad 



belt is orange, bearing upon the costa a large black spot. 



Vanessa atalanta ( Fabricius, Curtis, Stephens). Papilio atalanta (Stephens). 



Base of the anterior wings rich brown ; of the apical half, brownish black with a tinge of 

 blue, in which there is a series of white spots arranged in a curved line, the two 

 largest spots separated by the two smallest. Between the broad orange fasciae and the 

 series of white spots, there is a large white spot upon the costa. The orange fascia 

 crosses the wing, but does not quit the posterior angle : the scoUopped edges are 

 trimmed with white. Posterior wing, two-thirds of the basal part rich velvety brown, 

 ornamented with a broad border similar in color to the fascia of the forewing, and 

 dotted through its middle with black, besides the two confluent blue spots of the 

 anal angle. Beneath, the forewings are black ; and between the middle orange hand 

 and base, there are red and blue lines : apex ashy brown. The hindwings are brown, 

 black and grayish, traversed transversely by black narrow interrupted wavy bands : 

 beneath the orange belt the color is ashen, marked with black angular lines. On the 

 costal margin there is an ashen patch, with a darker middle. 



[AoRICULTUEAL RePOET — VoL. V.] 27 



