THE BRITISH RACES OF BUTTERFLIES. 101 
being detectable at all, whereas in the typical Linnean specimen this 
latter stands out well on a lighter ground colour; it might be 
distinguished by the name of carbonaria, mihi. The British race of 
the species does not differ much from the Continental ones even when 
compared with more southern forms; if anything, the pattern of the 
upperside stands out more boldly and the black markings are slightly 
more extended. 
Vanessa io, L.—This species varies so little, both as regards 
individuals and geographical races, that a slight difference only appears 
when one compares specimens from Sardinia and Sicily with Continental 
ones, the latter being slightly larger and more brightly coloured 
(sardoa, Stdgr.). 
Vanessa urticz, L.—Insular variability is here exhibited to a 
high degree: in Italy individuals are nearly all exactly alike, exhibiting 
a very bright ground colour and comparatively restricted markings, in 
the British Islands one meets instead with a most extensive range of 
variation, from specimens very much like the afore-mentioned to the 
small, dark polaris, Stdgr., and to the aberrations which have been 
produced artificially in more exaggerated degrees than are ever found 
in nature. 
Vanessa polychloros, L. (race pulchrior, mihi).—The specimen 
in the collection of Linneus belongs to the small individual variety in 
which the ground colour is pale and yellowish, and contains wide 
diffused areas of more or less clear yellow scaling ; the blue lunules 
are pretty nearly obliterated on the forewings, and reduced in size and 
brightness on the hindwings ; the underside differs strikingly from the 
more common form by the lighter ground colour of the outer half of 
the wings and by the presence of whitish areas along the costal 
margin of the forewings. 
This form occurs more frequently in the north of Europe, and Mr. 
Bethune-Baker informs me that in the New Forest and elsewhere in 
England it is found in quite a good percentage of specimens, and that 
the English race is in a general way quite different from those of 
Southern Europe; it is exceptionally rare in the south, where, on the 
contrary, a large race, with a vivid reddish ground colour and very 
dark undersides largely predominates; I suggest distinguishing the 
latter by the name pulchrior, taking as typical the race from the 
neighbourhood of Florence (Italy), which seems to be one of the most 
different from the small northern Linnean form. Most British speci- 
mens, although they are, on an average, somewhat smaller, are transi- 
tional to pulchrior ; the form known under the name of pyromelas, 
Frr., is even smaller than the nymotypical one, but it has a very vivid, 
bright red colouring, no yellow sciles appearing at all, whilst the 
underside is remarkably black, nearly as in V. io; I think it is met 
with in Britain as an aberration. 
Vanessa antiopa, L. (race creta, mibi).—The specimen left to 
us by Linnaeus is, like the preceding, of a rather unusual form: small, 
with a narrow marginal band. It is very likely of American origin, 
as Linnaeus quotes America as the habitat of this species, as well as 
