VANESSA. 
259 
Yar. rizana, Mooro, p. Z. S. 1872, p. 559 ; de Niceville, Butt. Ind. ii. p. 234. " Male. Differs 
from V. kaschmirensis in being a smaller and more compact insect, and having the fore 
wing less produced at the apex ; markings and colours disposed as in that species, but more 
clearly defined and the colours much brighter. Fore wing with the red colour near the base 
descending to near the submedian nervure, the posterior black spot being quadrate, well 
defined, and broadly bordered outwardly with clear yellow, this colour also bordering the two 
upper discal spots ; submarginal black border narrow. Hind wing Avith the black base 
bordered outwardly by clear yellow ; the submarginal row of dentate blue-centred black 
lunules being without the broad inner dusky border. Underside : darker than in V. lasch- 
mirensis ; markings similar." {Moore, I. c.) 
As a rule, Central Asian, Himalayan, and Japanese forms of V. urticce are 
without blue markings on primaries, but indications of these markings are to 
be found in some examples of each of the forms. Kaschmirensis is common 
through Kashmh, and I have taken both this form and rizana in the same 
localities. They are very fond of settling on wet places on paths and 
roadways. The larvse, which are gregarious, were abundant on nettles at an 
elevation of about 6000 feet in the Goorais Valley, Kashmir, and I have 
taken the imago up to 14,000 feet. The rizana form is not so common as 
kaschmirensis, and some of the examples are hardly separable on the upper 
surface from some European specimens of V. urticce, while on the under 
surface the colour is identical with that of the Chinese form (Plate XXV. 
tig. 1). Two specimens of F. urticce in my collection, from Samarkand, are 
typical on the upper surface, but the colour of the under surface is like that 
of the Indian forms. 
Alpheraky (Rom. sur Lep. v. pp. 79 & 113) states that a female specimen 
of V. ladakensis, Moore, was obtained by the expedition under General 
Przewalsky, at a great elevation in North-eastern Thibet, and that M. Pota- 
nine captured a specimen of V. urticce in April near Nembe-Mouren, 
Province of Kan-sou, which approached var. turcica, Stand., and another 
specimen taken in May near the river Tachitou (Plateau of Amdo), and one 
found in July between Mor-pin and Ou-pin in the Province of Kan-sou, 
resembled var. kaschmirensis, KoU. I am hardly disposed to consider 
ladakensis as a distinct species ; one of its principal differential characters 
is the extension of the second pale costal blotch to the inner margin ; but 
this is also found in some specimens of kaschmirensis and rizana as well as in 
certain examples of otherwise typical V. urticce from Europe. Mr. McArthur, 
Avho bred a long series in Ladak, informs me that the larva of V. hdakerisis 
conceals itself in a folded leaf of nettle, after the manner of P. atalanta, and 
2 M 
