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GENUS I. BUTTERFLIES. 



SEC. I. S P. VIII. THISTLE BUTTERFLY. 



PI. 6. 



Cardui. Linnaus. 

 Painted Lady. Harris. 



The female of this fpecies lays her eggs on thirties, rarely on docks, and 

 forrietimes on nettles, about the middle of June ; carefully depofiting them 

 fingly on a leaf, fo that the itock of eggs the parent lays is fufficient for a num- 

 ber of plants, in various places. The caterpillar, as foon as bred, covers himfelf 

 with a thin web, almoft uniting the upper edges of the thiftle leaf together. 

 Under this cover he feeds on the upper fide of the leaf, leaving the thin mem- 

 braneous part to fupport him in his habitation. The caterpillars vary much in 

 colour ; fome are dark brown, others paler, and fome are of a yellowilb colour : 

 fig. i. They are full fed the beginning of July ; and change to chryfa- 

 lides moftly under the cover of their webs : but fometimes, when ready for 

 transformation, they travel farther to a convenient place, where they fufpend 

 themfelves by the tail, with a very ftrong web. They remain in chryfalis, 

 fee fig. 2, till the firfc week in Auguft; when the butterfly appears in all 

 its fplendour. We are not certain in what ftate this infect lives through the 

 winter, to produce the fummer flies : but I ftiould conjecture, that the cater- 

 pillar lives and feeds till the middle of May, and is then ready for transfor- 

 mation ; and this may account for thefe butterflies being in fome fummers very 

 plentiful, and in others, rarely to be feen ; juft as the mildnefs or feverity of the 

 winter has protected or injured the caterpillars. The male flying, is reprelented 

 in fig. j, and at reft, fig. 4. 



