856 



THE lOUNG NATUEALTST. 



feeds on plantain, wood-sage, germander 



speedwell, &c. 



21. PYRAMEIS CARDUI. 



The Painted Lady. — A species of most 

 uncertain appearance. Sometimes it abounds 

 all over the country ; sometimes it is scarce- 

 ly seen for years. It may be met with any- 

 where, but is most likely to be taken among 

 thistles, on which the larvae feed. The 

 butterfly is generally found in autumn, when 

 it hybernates, to reappear in the spring. It 

 may be double-brooded in certain seasons. 

 22. PYRAMEIS ATALANTA. 



The Red Admiral. — A common butterfly 

 all over the country, but so strong on the 

 wing that it is not easy to capture. It 

 appears in August and hybernates, but is 

 rarely seen in spring. It is oftenest ob- 

 tained by breeding, the larva being easily 

 found among nettles. It is solitary and 

 conceals itself from observation by spinning 

 together the edges of a nettle leaf, forming 

 a secure retreat, from which it only emerges 

 to feed, and in which it changes to a pupa. 

 23. VANESSA 10. 



The Peacock.— a most beautiful butter- 

 fly, similar in habit and times of appearance 

 to the last, but not occuring so far north. 

 Like the Red Admiral, the larvae feed on 

 nettle, but they are not solitary, and are 

 found in large numbers on one plant. The 

 larva is shiny black and spiny, with white 

 spots. It generally leaves the food to pu- 

 pate, and suspends itself under a wall coping 

 or any slight shelter. 



24. VANESSA ANTIOPA. 



The Camberwell Beauty. — A great 

 rarity in most of seasons, but at inter- 

 vals it occurs rather freely. It is very 

 doubtful if it really perpetuates its kind in 

 this country, many good Entomologists 

 believing that large swarms of it sometimes 

 reach our shores from Sweden. It is 

 generally taken in the autumn, but occa- 

 sionally hybernated specimens are found. 

 The larva, however, has never been found 

 in this country. It is said to prefer the 



white willow to any other food, but others 

 are named : birch, poplar, and even nettle 

 being mentioned by continental writers. 



25. VANESSA POLYCHLOROS. 

 The Large Tortoise-shell.— A com- 

 mon butterfly in the south, but becoming 

 rarer northward, and only an accidental 

 wanderer into the most northerly counties 

 of England ; while no specimen has yet 

 been recorded from Scotland. The larva 

 feeds on elm, and is generally found in 

 large batches. It has occasionally been 

 found on other trees. The butterfly is most 

 frequent on the borders of large woods, or 

 shady lanes. It has been noticed to evince 

 a partiality for sweets. 



26. VANESSA URTICyE. 



The Common Tortoise-shell. — One of 

 our most abundant butterflies, always 

 plentiful. The larva feeds in large com- 

 panies on nettle and sometimes two or even 

 more batches of eggs appear to be laid on 

 one plant. They keep together, opening a 

 web about the nettles, until they are full 

 fed, when they generally wander away to 

 pupate under a wall coping or similar shel- 

 ter; but sometimes they hang up on the 

 underside of the nettle leaves. It has 

 generally been considered to be a single 

 brooded species, but it certainly has two 

 broods sometimes. It may be found every- 

 where, and is very partial to the flowers of 

 the thistle. 



27. VANESSA C. ALBUM. 



The Comma. — Most abundant now in the 

 hop producing counties — Herefordshire, &c. 

 It seems to be gradually disappearing from 

 the north . The hybernated butterfly appears 

 in early spring, and deposits its eggs on cur- 

 rant, gooseberry, nettle, &c. From these 

 larvae the butterflies appear in July, or late 

 in June. The larvae of the second brood 

 seem to prefer hop, and are often found in 

 large numbers by the hop-pickers. From 

 them the perfect insect emerge in Septem- 

 ber or October, or even as late as November. 



