THE CAMBERWELL BEAUTY. 73 



some kind, and in the spring it again comes forth. March and 

 April are the usual months for its reappearance, but in 1900 it 

 was seen flying over the snow on February 17. The time last 

 mentioned is probably an unusual one, but it is interesting to 

 note that a very similar observation was made by Harris, who in 

 1778 wrote in his remarks on this butterfly, " I have seen them 

 flying in February, when the snow has been on the ground." j 



Usually the Peacock butterfly assumes the perfect state but 

 once in the year. There is, however, a record of half-grown 

 caterpillars being found in September, and that these produced 

 butterflies in due course. 



Although not always abundant, the butterfly is to be, or has 

 been, found in almost every part of the kingdom, excepting 

 perhaps north of the Caledonian Canal in Scotland. Around 

 Bishop Auckland and in other parts of the county of Durham, 

 and also in Northumberland, it was common some forty years 

 ago, but it seems to be hardly ever seen there now. The same 

 applies to other northern localities where it was once plentiful. 

 Its distribution includes the whole of Europe, Asia Minor, 

 Siberia, Amurland, Corea, and Japan. 



The Camberwell Beauty {Vanessa antiopa). 



This is a large and handsome insect ; its chocolate-brown 

 wings are bordered with ochreous speckled with black scales. 

 The border is variable in width, and this is occasionally so 

 wide that it partly or completely hides the blue spots, which in 

 the ordinary form are placed on a dark band just before the 

 ochreous border. Such specimens are known as var. hygicea or 

 var. lintneri (Plate 41) ; but in the former form the yellow spots 

 on the front edge of the fore wing are absent, and in the latter 

 variety these spots are sometimes united and form a blotch. One 

 authority states that the proportion of these extreme variations 

 in nature is about 1 in 500. The same form may be produced 



