S02 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Description of the marsh frittillary. 



ginning of the following May. During this time 

 we often see them hanging under the copings of 

 garden walls, under pales, and in other places 

 where they an have tolerable shelter from the 

 inclemency of the weather. 



The marsh frittillary is a small butterfly, not 

 more than an inch and a half across the broadest 

 part of its expanded wings. Its colour is a 

 brownish orange, variegated with yellow and 

 black, in a small pattern. The under sides of the 

 wings are lighter, and chiefly orange and yellow. 

 From these under sides having always a greasy 

 appearance, it is sometimes called the greasy or 

 dishclout frittillary. 



In September the caterpillars may be seen in 

 great abundance. They keep together under 

 the cover of a fine web, which they spin to de* 

 fend themselves from the inclemency of the wea- 

 ther; and in the protection of this they pass the 

 winter months. During this time they are so 

 nearly reduced to a torpid state as to require no 

 food, nor do they venture out of their general 

 covering till invited by the warmth of the spring, 

 As they afterwards increase in size they spread 

 abroad in search of food ; but their local attach- 

 ment is very remarkable, for* neither the cater- 

 pillar nor even the butterfly will stray far from 

 the place where it was bred. Numbers of the 

 latter may sometimes be observed on wing in a 

 small spot of swampy or marsh land, when not 

 oae of them is to be met with in any of the ad* 



