106 TORTOISE-SHELL BUTTERFLY. 



sleeper for still sleeping on. There ! now she has settled, not 

 on the elder clusters, nor yet on the hazel flowers, but on this 

 leafless hawthorn, and here do her " golden pinions ope and 

 close," as if she designed to enhance their living splendour by 

 contrast with the death-like branches. Well ! be thou But- 

 terfly of " devil" or of "witch," as our brethren of Scotland 

 are wont to call thee (we suppose for thy winter-braving 

 hardihood), thou art a glorious creature, and thy tamer name 

 of "little Tortoise-shell" does but sorry justice to thy glowing 

 beauty. 



Our pencil has not done thee more, and were it endowed 

 with tenfold skill, we should yet exclaim with fit humility, oh ! 



" Who can paint like nature ?" 



A verbal portrait, should we attempt minute description of 

 thy bright blue crescents and thy golden hair, would do thee 

 still less credit. We shall only, therefore, sketch broadly thy 

 most striking features, that our friends, wherever or whenever 

 met with, may recognise at once the numerous members of 

 thy handsome family. : 



This "little Tortoise-shell," which in common with others 

 of her hardy sisterhood has survived the winter, her radiant 

 robes laid up in ivy or some other close green wardrobe, be- 

 longs to the beautiful genus "Vanessa" or Fan- winged Butter- 

 flies, which, while in their state of spiny Caterpillars, feed for 

 the most part upon nettles. They are distinguished by their 

 warm rich colours, their angular scalloped wings, with points 



