the slip-edge, very dark, and having lines of black in several parts, particularly one in the middle 

 of the wing something like a dagger. 



The caterpillar is green, as seen at (c), having a black horn at the tail, and seven oblique 

 stripes on the sides of purple and white ; on each side the head, is a strong black mark. The 

 excrement of this caterpillar is of a remarkable form and size, by which the caterpillar may be 

 easily discovered, by seeking for it under the privet or lilac on which the caterpillar feeds, the 

 caterpillar not being far from the place where it is found. The young caterpillars when they come 

 from the eggs have their tails remarkably long, as seen at (a) and (h) ; when they have changed 

 about four skins, and arrived to be full fed as at (c), they go into the earth, where they change 

 into a dark brown chrysalis, of the form and size as at (c), in August ; the moths appear in June 

 following. 



Expansion of the wings 3| — 4f inches. 



This is by far the most common species of the larger Sphingidae which inhabit 

 this country ; the caterpillar being commonly found on privet hedges in various 

 parts of the south of England, it is however far rarer in the northern districts. 

 The internal analogy of this insect has recently been elaborately investigated by 

 George Newport, Esq. whose papers have been published in the Philosophical 

 Transactions of the Royal Society. 



VANESSA URTIC^E. THE TORTOISE-SHELL BUTTERFLY. 



Plate II. fig. i— n. 



Synonyms. Papilio (Nymph. Phal.) Urticse, Linn. Sijst. Nat. ii. 777. Lewin's Papil. pi. 3. Donovan 



Brit. Ins. vol. 2. pi. 55. 

 Vanessa Urticee, Ochsenheimer, Leach, Curtis, Stephens. Duncan Brit. Butt. pi. 19. f. 2. 

 The Lesser Tortoise-shell Butterfly, Albin's Insects, pi. 4. f. 6. Wilkes Eng. Moths fy 



Butt. pi. 107. f. 4. 



Upper Side, The head, thorax, and ahdomen are nearly black, clothed with dark yellow 

 hair. The wings are of a full orange colour, spotted with black. The fan edges, which are 

 scalloped or indented, have a handsome double brown border, in which are placed at equal 

 distances arch-like spots of blue. 



The under side seen at (n) is of a pale brown, like a withered leaf, darkly clouded near 

 the body ; the border on this side is embellished with green spots. 



The caterpillars when young are nearly black, as at (i), and herd together ; but when full 

 fed they separate, keeping only two or three together on a leaf : they change into chrysalis 

 hanging by the tail, and shining like burnished gold, the beginning of June ; the fly appears 

 in about three weeks. There are two broods in a year of this fly, another brood appearing in 

 August, and remaining during the winter in the fly state. 



Expansion of the wings If- — %\ inches. 



This is one of our commonest and handsomest butterflies, frequenting our 

 gardens, and remaining with us till the end of the autumn. It is also very widely 

 distributed, being found as far as the north of Scotland, in which part of the king^ 

 dom it is called the Devil's or Witch's Butterfly ! It is also one of the first seen 

 in the spring ; the first warm day in March bringing forth specimens, the faded 

 colours of which evidently shew them to have been produced in the preceding 

 autumn, and to have hybernated. That such is the case is evident from the circum- 

 stance mentioned by Mr. Bree, {Mag. Nat. Hist 5. p. 595,) that it had been seen 





