5W 



THE CATAGRAMMA BUTTERFLIES. 



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in a simple engraving, but a good idea of its real beauty may be formed by imagining 

 the ground colour of the upper wings to be pale chestnut, that of the under wings wood- 

 brown, and all the spots to be composed of highly burnished silver leaf. 



To this family belongs the brightly coloured genus Vanessa, of which the common 

 PEACOCK BUTTERFLY is a familiar British example. This insect, which is one of the 

 finest of our British butterflies, is very common in our own country, and may be seen very 

 plentifully in fields, roads, or woods, when the beauty of its colouring never fails to 

 attract admiration. 



One of the most notable peculiarities in this butterfly is the uniform dark hues of the 

 under side, which present a great contrast to the varied shades of blue and red which 



decorate the upper side. The object of 

 this arrangement seems to be that the 

 insect may be able to conceal itself from 

 its foe at will, a purpose which is readily 

 attained by a very simple manoeuvre. 

 When the Peacock Butterfly thinks itself 

 in danger, it flies straightway to some 

 shaded spot, such as a tree trunk or old 

 palings, closes its wings over its back, and 

 remains motionless. The effect of this 

 proceeding is, that the wide expanse of 

 bright colours is suddenly replaced by a 

 flat, dark, leaf-like object, which looks 

 more, like a piece of bark torn from the 

 tree than an insect. The apparent vanish- 

 ing of the butterfly has always a rather 

 startling effect even to those who are ac- 

 customed to it, the large brilliant creature 

 disappearing as mysteriously as if annihi- 

 lated or covered with the cap of darkness. 

 The caterpillar of the Peacock Butter- 

 fly feeds upon the stinging-nettle, in com- 

 mon with others of the same genus, and 

 therefore the insect is worthy of our pro- 

 tection. Its general shape and appearance 

 may be gathered from a reference to the 

 illustration ; its general colour is black, 

 studded with tiny white points. The 

 chrysalis is one of those which hang sus- 

 pended during the time of their nonage, and is frequently found to be infested with the 

 ichneumon-fly. 



The beautiful SCARLET ADMIRAL, so well known by the broad scarlet stripes that are 

 drawn over the wings ; the LARGE and SMALL TORTOISESHELL BUTTERFLIES ; the COMMA 

 BUTTERFLY, so called from a comma-shaped white mark on the under wings, and the rare 

 and beautiful CAMBERWELL BEAUTY, are all British members of this genus. 



THE insects which are represented in this engraving 'are all members of the genus 

 Catagramma, and can easily be distinguished by the remarkable manner in which the 

 under surface of the lower wings is coloured. There is in all a somewhat circular 

 arrangement of lines, which in many species take the form of a figure of 8 more or less 

 distinctly outlined. The generic name Catagramma refers to this peculiarity, and is 

 derived from a Greek word signifying a delineation. They are all inhabitants of the 

 warmer portions of the New World. 



The uppermost figure in the illustration is the Catagramma Peristera (or the Pigeon 

 Catagramma), so called because the changing shades of the wings bear some resemblance 



I'EACOCK BUTTERFLY I'atiessa lo. 



