THE YOUNG NATUBALIST. 



375 



write more, and doubtless you are anxious to 

 be off to secure your first " Deaths head " or 

 "Convolvuli" hawk-moth. I will close by 

 suggesting that you beat every tree, and sweep 

 every plant, for larva are everywhere at this 

 season, but you must not forget that you 

 must work "Now, or never, " to secure them 

 this year. 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



By J. E. Robsox ; with figures from life by 

 S. L. Mosley. 



(Assisted by Contributors to the Y. N.) 



15, LATHONIA, Linn. PI. 9, Fig. 2. 

 The Queen of Spain Frit Mary. 



Latoxa, L., Latbna (Lathonia), the mother 

 of Apollo and Diana." — A.L. 



While the accentuated list gives the proper 

 spelling of this word as " Latona," Dr, 

 Staudinger says it ought to be " Latonia." 

 When such authorities differ we do not pre- 

 tend to decide, but are content to follow in 

 the wake of Mr. Doubleday, especially as his 

 spelling obtains generally in this conntry. 



Imago. — PI. S, Fig. 2. Upper and under- 

 side, fulvous spotted with black. Uuderside, 

 forewing, paler fulvous, with black spots, one 

 or two of which near the tip often have 

 silver centres, a few small silver spots also 

 near the tip. Hind wing, a row of large 

 silver spots at the hind margin, then a row of 

 small ones with dark borders. There are 

 eight or nine silver spots nearer the base, 

 four or five of them being of large size. 



Larva. — "Blackish grey, with a whitish 

 stripe on the back, and brownish-yellow lines 

 on the side. The spines are short, and brick 

 red." — Kirby. 



Pupa. — We never saw it, and know of no 

 description. 



Food Plants. — Wild heartsease ( Viola 

 tricolor), and perhaps other violets. 



Times of Appearance.— The imago is 



rather later in emerging than those already 

 named, not appearing before August, and 



continuing on the wing till quite late in the 

 year, several being recorded in October, and 

 one as late as the 4th November. The larva 

 is said to hybernate small, as do others of 

 the genus, and to feed up in the spring. In 

 Kirby's European Butterflies the imago is 

 said to occur also in May and June, whether 

 this is intended to mean that it hybernates, 

 or is double brooded, we do not know. Mr. 

 Stainton make? the same statement, but in 

 fact if any others of the genus either hyber- 

 nate, or are double brooded, we incline to 

 think there must be some error. Can any 

 of our readers on the Continent favor us with 

 their experience of the species. 



Habitat. — In England this butterfly ap- 

 pears at uncertain intervals, and generally in 

 the South of England, at places on the coast, 

 leading us to the conclusion that, like Picris 

 Daplidice, it is but an occasional visitor. A 

 stray specimen was taken near York, and 

 another near Scarborough, which are the 

 most northerly records for Britain. One 

 specimen was taken in Ireland nearly twenty 

 years ago. It is widely distributed on the 

 Continent, and in North-western Asia. It 

 does not extend to the Polar regions, but is 

 found in Sweden and Norway, which makes 

 it less easy to understand why it does not 

 establish itself in our island. It is a wood 

 insect, frequenting the open places. In 

 England it has been found in clover fields. 



Variation. — Lathonia varies much in size, 

 and the black spots on the upper side are 

 larger or smaller in different specimens. We 

 have not met with any of those aberrations 

 that we have named as occurring in the pre- 

 ceding species. The Indian form is called 

 Issesa, grey, but it scarcely differs from the 

 type. The silver spots on the underside also 

 vary in size, and sometimes are so large that 

 they become confluent. This is the variety 

 Valdensis of Esper. 



Parasites. — We are not aware that the 

 larva has ever been taken in this country, 

 and have heard of no parasites being reared 

 from it either here or abroad. 



