( 15 JUN 29 ) ^00 



undersideVLiUDw^- taken at Peckham, in June, 1803, by Mr. John Howard 

 of Kingsland; and was named by Mr. Haworth in his " Lepidoptera 

 Britannica," after Eos, the Goddess of the morning. Both the upper and 

 the undersides are figured by Stephens in his " Illustrations/' under the name 

 of Pyronia Hub. 



Yarieties of Athalia occurring on the Continent have been named Cory- 

 thalia, Hub., Navarina, De Selys., Caucasica, Staud. ; all of which appear 

 to be dark forms. Melanius, H. S., Altheria, Hub., Tarquinius, Cort., and 

 Orientalis, Men., which has white spots' on the underside. Papilio tessolata, 

 seroti?ia, SuUus straminea, as the Straw May Fritillary of Petiver is also a 

 variety of Athalia. In Petiver's time, it was pretty common in Caen Wood, 

 where Athalia also occurred. It is of a paler shade on the upper surface than 

 the type, and the fore- wings are more fulvous underneath; the hind-wings 

 beneath are entirely straw coloured with black veins ; a broad curved fascia 

 of straw yellow runs across the middle of the wings, edged with black, and 

 with an irregular black line running through the middle of it ; this is suc- 

 ceeded by a row of black lunules, and the margin is straw yellow with a 

 black vandykedline running along it. Newman, in his "British Butterflies," 

 figures four varieties from the collection of Mr. Bond. The second appears 

 to be a melanic variety with a fulvous band near the hind margins. 



The caterpillar, when full grown, is about an inch in length and moderately 

 stout, and is of a black hue with white spots. The spines are of an orange 

 colour, with white tips on the back, and all white at the sides; the spines, 

 bristles, head, and legs being black. Mr. Newman points out the protective 

 resemblance of this caterpillar to the flower of one of the food-plants — the 

 Narrow leaved Plantain, and noticed that his specimens always crawled up 

 the flowering stems in the middle of the day. The food-plants appear to 

 consist of the narrow and broad leaved plantains (Plantago lanceolata and 

 major), wood sage [Teucrium scorodonia), Germander speedwell {Veronica 

 chamcedryas), and cow wheat (Melampyrum pratense), which latter was a 

 discovery of Mr. Harwood, in May, 1871, and was considered by Mr. Buckler 

 to be the principal food-plant in most of the English habitats of the species. 



The chrysalis is half-an-inch, in length, very plump, with the usual angles 

 much rounded off; the colour is creamy white, variegated with black and 

 orange. 



Ichneumon culpatory Schr., is said to have bred from this species, but not 

 so far as we know in this country. 



The butterfly may be found in open places in woods, and heathy localities, 

 during J une and July. On the Continent, it as said to fly from May to August. 

 The caterpillars hatch in about a fortnight after the eggs are laid, and after 



