88 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



the injustice to attempt a description of its rich perfec- 

 tion, more especially as almost every reader may hope 

 to add the insect to his collection during his first year's 

 hunting, and then he can study its beauties for himself. 



The under side, however, presents a remarkable con- 

 trast to the splendour of the reverse, being covered with 

 shades and streaks of funereal blacks and browns. This 

 affords a strange effect when the insect, sitting on a 

 flower head, alternately opens and shuts the wings with 

 a fanning motion, according to its custom. 



The caterpillar (Plate I. fig. 6), which feeds grega- 

 riously upon the nettle, is black, dotted with white, and 

 thorny. 



The chrysalis is greenish, with gold spots. 



The butterfly, which is common in nearly every part 

 of England, comes out in August and September, the 

 individuals met with not unfrequently in the spring 

 having hybernated. 



Mr. Doubleday writes thus to the Zoologist regarding 

 the winter retreats of butterflies of this genus : " Last 

 winter some large stacks of beech faggots, which had 

 been loosely stacked up in our forest (Epping) the 

 preceding spring, with the dead leaves adhering to 

 them, were taken down and carted away, and among 

 these were many scores of To, Urticce, and PolyMoros" 



In Scotland this is generally a very rare butterfly, 

 but has latterly been abundant in Dumfriesshire and 

 Kirkcudbrightshire. 



THE CAMBERWELL BEAUTY. 

 ( Vanessa Antiopa.) (Plate VIII. fig. 3.) 



MANY years ago, when Camberwell was a real village, 

 luxuriating in its willows, the entomologists of the day 

 were delighted by the apparition, in that suburb, of 

 this well-named " Beauty/' whose name since then has 

 always been associated with Camberwell certainly not 

 a promising place in the present day for a butterfly 

 hunt, for, though it has its " beauties " still, they are 



