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Polynesian Islands, Australia, and New Zealand, and apparently all over the 

 world, except in South America. 



All the species hybernate, some in a dark corner of a house, others in hol- 

 low trees, and imagines of Urtica have been found in the crevices of chalk, 

 nearly a foot below the surface. It is curious to observe some of those which 

 appear in September, at once hiding themselves, and remaining motionless 

 until the spring, when they appear as perfect as though they had just emerged 

 from the chrysalis. Others fly much in the autumn, and then reappear in 

 the spring, worn and ragged. Most of them are very common ; and as they 

 are generally double-brooded, and the second brood passes the winter in the 

 perfect state, they may be found almost, if not entirely, throughout the year. 

 They are found in gardens, fields, and woods, and are very fond of sucking 

 the honey from thistles and other tall flowers, and also from ivy blossoms. 

 They may also be observed sucking the sap oozing from the trunks of trees, 

 or on fruit ; Alalanta specially being fond of an over ripe plum. 



The species of this genus may be distinguished generally from the rest of 

 the family by having the eyes pubescent and the wings angulated, by which 

 latter character, as well as by the more sudden formation of the club, they 

 are separated from the terminal genera of the family. The antenna are 

 rather long, and terminated by an abruptly formed, short, somewhat cylin- 

 drical club. The body is very robust, and well formed for sustaining the 

 powerful flight of these butterflies. 



The caterpillars are long, cylindrical, and covered with numerous bristly 

 spines, arranged in whorls round the body, each segment, except that im- 

 mediately following the head, having a whorl of these spines. They feed 

 principally on plants of the natural order Urticacece as formerly constituted, 

 containing the stinging nettles, hop, elms, &c. 



The chrysalis is considerably angulated, with the head bi-tuberculated, and 

 is adorned with silvery and golden hues, hence the name Aurelia formerly 

 used for chrysalis, and Aureliaus for entomologists. 



The insects of the present genus may be regarded as the pre-eminent type 

 of that great division of butterflies in which the chrysalis is simply suspended 

 by the tail, and not girt round the middle of the body by a slender skein of 

 silken thread, the forelegs also of the perfect insects being imperfect and un- 

 fitted for walking. 



Vanessa has been divided into three sub-genera, namely, Pyrameis contain- 

 ing Cardui and Atalanta ; Vanessa containing Antiopa t lo, Polychloros, arid 

 Urtica ; and Grapta containing C-album, 



