98 BULLETIN UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA. 



Butterfly Expanse of wings 1.6-2.55 in., 40 to 65 mm. Upper surface 

 brownish black, with a broad fulvous band between the middle and outer 

 margin, paler on its inner edge. On the fore wings the pale band con- 

 tains a black patch on the costa, with a white spot on one or both sides. 

 There are two fulvous spots in the cell. The border is composed of two 

 parts, the inner black, the outer a black brown, crenate line on each side 

 of which it is a little paler. The black on the hind wing supports a 

 row of violet lunules. Underside dark brown with the usual wavy lines 

 and spots; the outer half yellowish brown with a submarginal of gray 

 blue lunules which are black edged. 



Larva The mature larva is a little more than an inch long, with a 

 black head sprinkled with minute whitish dots, from which spring pale 

 hairs. The body is nearly black above, with small white dots and pale 

 hairs, which give it a grayish color. The spines are arranged as in 

 antiopa, and are black and branching. It has a greenish yellow lateral 

 line above which is a bro"ken line of brighter orange yellow shade. The 

 larvae are found on the wild nettle, and there are two broods in a season. 

 Chrysalis The chrysalis is .8 of an inch long, 20 mm., slightly angu- 

 lar, the frontal beaks short, conoidal; thoracis projection forming nearly 

 a right angle; dorsal spines but little elevated. 



Distribution It ranges from the mountains of West Virginia north- 

 ward to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, thence westward to the Pacific. 

 This tortoise-shell butterfly is one of the first harbingers of spring. 

 Uusually it is the first butterfly seen about Missoula, where it is rather 

 common. It is usually quite abundant around the biological laboratory 

 at Flathead Lake, but in the summer of 1903 but very few were seen. 

 Brandegee has collected it at Helena, and Wiley reports it rare at Miles 

 City. At Swan Lake it is occasionally seen, probably about the same 

 in numbers as at Flathead Lake, owing to their close proximity. Cou- 

 beaux says it is very abundant all over the country about Big Sandy. 

 Taken by Coues at Chief Mountain, August 22, 1874. 



THE LADY BUTTERFLIES, Genus Vanessa, Doubleday. Fig. 77. 

 Butterfly Medium-sized insects; the wings on the upper side are 

 some shade of black or brown, marked with white, red 

 or orange. Head rather large, eyes hairy, palpi more or 

 less heavily scaled. The cut shows the venation of the 

 wings. The outer margin of the wings is dentate. The 

 wings are not angulate, as in vanessa, but are more 

 rounded. The ornamentation of the under side tends to 

 become ocellate, or marked by eye-like spots. Some are 

 ocellate. 



Egg This is broadly ovoid, being much like the egg 

 of the genus Vanessa. 



Caterpillar In its mature form it is covered with 

 spines. 

 Fig. 77. ~v^iation Chrysalis It is much like Euvanessa. 



of vanessa. 



