4 BUTTERFLIES 



stiff, bristly hairs. When they have reached their 

 full size they wander away from their food-plants, 

 hang themselves up with their heads downwards 

 from a twig, or the side of a wall or a paling, 

 and turn into spiky brown chrysalids, which are 

 covered almost all over with shining golden spots. 



PLATE II 

 THE LARGE TORTOISESHELL (2) 



As a rule, you can easily tell this butterfly from 

 the last by its size, for it is generally nearly half 

 as big again. But just now and then a Large 

 Tortoiseshell is no bigger than a " small tortoise- 

 shell," and then it is not always easy to distinguish 

 the one from the other. So remember that a 

 Large Tortoiseshell never has any white spots 

 upon its wings at all, while the "small tortoise- 

 shell " always has two, one of which is placed close 

 to the tip of each of the front pair. 



Large Tortoiseshells are not nearly so common 

 as small ones, but in some years they are much 

 more plentiful than in others. They appear in 

 July or August, sleep all through the winter, 

 and then fly about again during April and May. 

 The caterpillars generally feed upon the leaves 

 of elms, though they will also eat those of willow 

 and apple and pear trees. They are brown in 

 colour, with a broad black stripe along each side, 



