54 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



as thus described within a web on Chelone glabra, those of Cinclidia 

 harrisii, on Aster umbellatus, live similarly until the time for hybernation, 

 when they desert the nest and conceal themselves in crevices, where 

 they pass the winter. 



The gregarious character exhibited by such Melitaeid larvae as 

 those just mentioned, is almost paralleled by that of certain Vanessid 

 larvae to which, already, reference has been made. But the less 

 gregarious species among the Vanessids also spin hiding-places, usually 

 several on one plant, but only one larva in each little nest. Of these, the 

 spun-together thistle-leaf (or leaves) that often forms the hiding-place 

 of the larva of Pyrantels cardui, and the spun-together nettle-leaves 

 that similarly form the home of the larva of Pyrameis atalanta, will be 

 known to everyone. Scudder, writing of these', says that- " the most 

 common form of nest is that in which different parts of the same leaf, 

 or adjacent parts of different leaves, are fastened together by silken 

 strands. The simplest and weakest of these are made by the cater- 

 pillars of Polygonia faunus and Vanessa [Pyrameis) atalanta, which 

 fasten together very weakly the opposite edges of a single large leaf, 

 so as just to make them meet ; but the threads are so slight that they 

 are ruptured with the slightest effort. The caterpillar within, having 

 thus secured a shelter, seems loth to leave it, and makes its meals from 

 its own dwelling, until, having literally eaten itself out of house and 

 home, it is forced to venture forth and construct another. When, 

 however, V. atalanta is more than half grown, it finds it easier to attach 

 neighbouring leaves of the thickly-growing nettle, than to find one 

 sufficiently free to use it only, so that fully one-half of the nests of the 

 larger caterpillars are made from a number of leaves ; the nest is 

 always roomy, capable of housing several caterpillars, though never 

 containing more than one. The nesting-habits of V. atalanta are 

 shared by the other species of Vanessa with certain slight variations. 

 In early life, V. cardui tries to make the stiff and crenulated edges of 

 thistle-leaves meet together, but with indifferent success, and so fills in 

 the interstices with an exceedingly thin web, in no way concealing it 

 from sight. In after life it forms an oval nest of the size of a pigeon's 

 egg, by fastening adjoining leaves together very slightly, and filling all 

 the interstices with a similar flimsy web, upon which it fastens, or into 

 which it weaves, bits of eaten leaf, or parts of the inflorescence of the 

 plant, still imperfectly concealing it from sight ; and, sometimes, it 

 hangs itself up for chrysalis within the same narrow, and by this time 

 very filthy, apartment. V. huntera makes a similar, but rounder, 

 nest on the Gnaphaliwn, and conceals itself very effectually by com- 

 pletely covering the more compact, but still very slight, web, with the 

 inflorescence of the plant. At first this is merely composed of the 

 silky hairs of the foodplant, mixed with much silk, forming a dense 

 white mat, beneath which they devour the parenchyma, then enlarge 

 the nest, never leaving it for food, but enclosing larger and larger areas, 

 until, finally, many leaves are drawn together, the bitten-off inflorescence 

 of the Gnaphalium interwoven with the web, and a nest formed as large 

 as a pigeon's egg, only in the last few days of their life do the larvae 

 leave the nest and devour the entire leaf." 



The hybernating period is a serious one for those silk-spinning- 

 larvae that hybernate as larvae. Limenitis sibylla for its hybernaculum , 

 spins a honeysuckle leaf to a twig of the plant, which it securely fixes, 



