THE AURELIAN. 



VANESSA C. ALBUM. THE COMMA BUTTERFLY. 



Plate I. fig. a — d. 



Synonyms. Papilio C. Album, Linn. Syst. Nat. ii. 778. Lewin Papil. of Gr. Brit. pi. 5. Donovan 

 Nat. Hist. Brit. Insects, vol. 6. pi. 199. 

 The Comma Butterfly, Wilkes Eng. Moths fy Butt. pi. 109. Albin's Ins. pi. 54. 

 Vanessa C. Album, Ochsenheimer, Curtis, Stephens. 

 Polygonia C. Album, Hubner. 

 Comma C. Album, Rennie Conspect. Butterjl. 



Upper Side. The head, thorax, and abdomen are dark brown ; the wings are of a fine orange 

 brown, spotted with black ; the fan edges being deeply indented or jagged. 



Under Side. The wings seen at (d) are clouded with a variety of dark brown and olive 

 shades : and near the middle of the inferior wing is a small white spot, in form like the stop 

 called comma in printing. 



The caterpillar seen at (a) feeds on hops and nettles, and is remarkable for the back 

 part being half red, and the other half white. It changes to the chrysalis, hanging by the 

 tail, and the fly appears in about fourteen days. There are two broods a year : the first appears 

 in June, the second in August ; which remains during the winter, in the fly state. 



Expansion of the wings almost two inches. 



This butterfly varies considerably in its markings on the underside of the wings, 

 in different individuals. The caterpillars feed also on the elm, willow, hazel, 

 honey-suckle, &c. It has become much rarer of late years than formerly, although 

 still by no means a scarce insect in the southern half of the kingdom. The 

 caterpillar is described by Fabricius as being of a fulvous colour, with the back 

 j^ellow in front, and white behind. The peculiar form of the wings of this and 

 some allied species, have caused it to be formed into a distinct sub-genus by Hubner, 

 who names it Polygonia ; Kirby also has proposed for it the name of Grapta in his 

 Fauna Boreali- Americana, whilst Rennie more conceitedly terms it Comma. 



ANTHROCERA FILIPENDUL^E. THE SIX SPOTTED BURNET MOTH, 



Plate I. fig. e—i. 



Synonyms. Sphinx Filipendulse, Linn. Syst. Nat. ii. 805. Donovan Brit. Ins. vol. i. pi. 6. 



Zygsena Filipendulse, Fabricius, Haworth, Curtis Brit. Ent. pi. 547. Wilkes Eng. 



Moths, pi. 91. fig. sup. 

 Anthrocera Filipendulse Scopoli, Stephens, Duncan Brit. Moths, pi. 2. fig. 4. 



Upper Side. The head, antennae, thorax, and abdomen, are of a dark blue green, nearly 

 black. The superior wings are of a fine shining green, like satin, having thereon six spots, of 

 a fine deep red colour. The inferior wings are red, bordered with a black fringe. 



