126 THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



wings (Fig. 6), but it is sometimes continued inwards, so that 

 almost the whole of the discal area — that is, nearly all but the 

 margins, appears to be orange (Fig. 7) ; the hind wings have 

 an indistinct paler band on the outer area, and this is sometimes 

 suffused or clouded with orange. On the under side the pale 

 band is more defined (Fig. 5). The apical spot of fore wings is 

 sometimes double, and a tendency to this variation is shown 

 in Fig. 6, but in the complete form there are two white dots 

 (bi-pupillated). At the other extreme, and generally in the male, 

 the apical spot is entirely absent (var. anomrnatd), or is greatly 

 reduced in size, and is without the white pupil. Spots on the 

 under side are as often absent as present. They may be from 

 one to five in number, and either simply black dots or ringed 

 with orange, as in Fig. 4. Occasionally the orange on the 

 upper side of the female gives place to a pale straw or even 

 whitish colour ; and on the under side to whitish-grey. 



Not infrequently a greater or lesser area of the wings is 

 "bleached," and this seems to be due to absence of pigment 

 in the scales on such parts. This bleaching may affect the 

 whole or a portion of one wing only, or it may take the form 

 of symmetrical blotches on each wing. All such abnormal 

 specimens of this, and of other species similarly affected, are 

 certainly of value to those who are interested in teratology, but 

 they seem to be out of place in a collection of butterflies where 

 the aim should be to show the true variation of species rather 

 than " freaks," which are the result of accident or disease. 



The egg, laid on a blade of grass as shown (Plate 85), is 

 upright and ribbed ; the top is flattened, with an impressed 

 ring thereon. Colour, whitish-green inclining to brownish- 

 yellow as it matures, and marked with purplish-brown. 



The caterpillar is bright green, clothed with short whitish 

 hairs ; there is a darker line down the back, and a diffused 

 white stripe on each side above the reddish spiracles ; the anal 

 points are white. Head rather darker green, hairy. 



