34 THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



The Large White (Herts brassicce). 



This butterfly is probably almost as familiar to those who 

 dwell in towns as it must be to those who live in the country. 

 It is perhaps unnecessary to describe it in any detail, and it 

 may therefore suffice to say that it is white with rather broad 

 black tips to the fore wings ; there are some black scales 

 along the front margin of these wings, and on the basal area 

 of all the wings. The male has a black spot on the front 

 margin of the hind wings, and the female has, in addition, two 

 roundish black spots on the fore wings, with a black dash from 

 the lower one along the inner margin. 



As there is a rather important difference between the speci- 

 mens of the spring (vernal) and the summer (festival) broods, 

 figures of a male and a female of each brood, and showing 

 the upper and under sides, are given. Those on Plate 6 

 represent the spring form, which was at one time considered 

 to be a distinct species, and named chariclea by Stephens. 

 Plate 9 shows the summer form. The chief point of differ- 

 ence is to be noted in the tips of the fore wings, which in the 

 spring butterflies are usually, but not invariably, greyish ; in 

 the summer butterflies the tips are black, as a rule, but not 

 in every case. 



Occasionally the black on tip of the fore wing in the female 

 is increased in width, and from it streaks project . inwards 

 towards the upper discal spot. In some examples of the male 

 there is a more or less distinct blackish spot on the disc of 

 the fore wings. Very rarely the ground colour is creamy or 

 sulphur tinted. 



The greenish tinge about the veins, sometimes seen in these 

 butterflies, is due to some accidental cause, probably injury to 

 the veins. 



The egg is yellowish in colour, somewhat skittle-shaped, 

 and very prettily ribbed and reticulated. On Plate 5 there 



