116 



THE PEACOCK BUTTERFLY. 



Papilio lo. BRITAIN. 



PLATE II. 



Papilio lo, Merian's Ins. Eur. i. 226. Alb. Ins. pi. 3. 

 Wilk. Pap. 55. pi. 3. A. 2. Harris 1 Aurelian, pi. 8. 

 /, k, i Vanessa lo, Latreille. 



Specific character. The head, throat, and abdomen 

 of this splendid butterfly are of a deep reddish brown, 

 and covered with pretty long hairs. The wings are 

 angular, and considerably indented at their posterior 

 margins, and surrounded by a broad black band, the 

 superior ones being of a high toned brown, approach- 

 ing to red, with large compound eyelets, reddish in 

 the centre, and the inner half of the outer circle of a 

 rich golden yellow, the outer half being of a fine sky 

 blue, with several dark spots in it. These eyelets are 

 bounded on their inner sides by a triangular semi- 

 lunar black patch, beyond which is a wedge-shaped 

 patch of rich yellow, bounded with an abbreviated 

 black band ; on the exterior margin is a transverse 

 band of golden yellow, thickly punctured with black ; 



