154 



The Rev. F. 0. Morris, in his " History of British Butterflies/' published in 

 1853, writes, "The only specimen of this insect that has ever been recorded, 

 was captured at Hampstead, near London, by Albin, and then first described 

 and figured by Petiver. It has since been continuously figured and described 

 by succeeding entomologists, who have faithfully copied the original picture." 

 Just after the publication of Mr. Moms' work, the following skit appeared 

 in a newspaper : " Tom.—' Jack ! whereabouts is Amstid-am/ Jack. — 

 1 Well, I can't say exackerly, but I know its somewhere near Ampstid-Eath/ " 

 Specimens of Velleda are in the British Museum, and other collections, from 

 the Isle of Amsterdam alias Australia, where it was taken by Sir Joseph 

 Banks, President of the Eoyal Society, who sailed round the world with 

 Captain Cook. 



VANESSA 10. 

 The Peacock Butterfly. 



Io, Linn. Po, a Grecian heroine, famous for her beauty and misfortunes. 

 —Ovid Met. i. 588. 



The ground colour of this beautiful butterfly is a dull deep red on the 

 upper side, and the hind margins are brown. On each fore-wing is one 

 small and one large black costal mark, beyond which is a large eye-like spot, 

 variously coloured with yellow, black, red, bluish lilac, rosy, and white : on 

 each of the hindwings also is a large black eye-like spot shaded with bluish 

 lilac, placed in a pale brown ring near the outer angle. The colour of the 

 underside is totally different, being composed of shades of funeral blacks and 

 browns ; thus exhibiting a strange effect when the butterfly, sitting on a 

 flower head, alternately opens and shuts its wings with a fanning . motion, 

 according to its custom. 



The width across the wings varies from two inches to three inches and a 

 half, the females, as is generally the rule, being the largest. 



Varieties are rare, and hundreds of specimens may be examined without 

 any difference being perceived except in size. I have a specimen, taken at 

 Hull in 1837, in which the eye-like spot on the hindwings is replaced by a 

 white blotch. A more curious one is figured in " Mosley's Varieties of British 

 Lepidoptera." In this the eyed-spots are wanting on all the wings : the 

 hind-wings being of a dark stone colour, with only a black spot on a lighter 

 shade, where the eyed spot should be. Similar specimens exist in collections, 

 and the variety has been called the " Blind Peacock." There is a splendid 

 variety in Mr. Bond's collection ; it has the costa, half down the hind-margin, 

 and a dash inside of the eyed-spot on hind-wing pure white. Sometimes the 



