324 THE MARSH fRI TT I L L AR Y. 



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. It is sometimes 

 called Greasy or Dishclout Frittillary, from these 

 under sides having always a greasy appearance. 



The caterpillars are to be seen, in some particular 

 situations, in September, in great abundance. They 

 keep together under the cover of a fine web, which 

 they spin to defend themselves from the inclemency 

 of the weather ; 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 cover- 

 ing till invited by the warmth of the spring. As 

 they afterwards increase in size they spread abroad 

 in search of food ; but their local attachment is 

 very remarkable, for neither the caterpillar nor even 

 the butterfly will stray far from the place wdiere it 

 was bred. Numbers of the latter may sometimes 

 be observed on wing in a small spot of swampy or 

 marsh land, when not one of them is to be met with 

 in any of the adjacent places. As they fly very low, 

 and frequently settle, the naturalist has no difficulty 

 \\\ catching them. The caterpillars are generally at 

 their full growth about the last week in April : 

 when this takes place they suspend themselves by 

 the tail to change into chrysalids, in which state 

 they remain about fourteen days. Their mode of 

 suspension is a singular instance of the extraordi? 

 nary power of instinct. They first draw two or 



