78 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



white warts. It has a very shiny appearance, 

 almost as if wet. 



Pupa.— Piste ii, Fig. 3b. Much angu- 

 lated like others of the genus, ochreous green, 

 turning darker by degrees. 



Pood Plant-— The common stinging 

 nettle (Urtica dioica ). 



Times of appearance — The Butterfly 

 emerges in August, and appears to hybernate 

 rather earlier than the last species. It re- 

 appears in spring, and lays its eggs in batches 

 on the common nettle. The larva may be 

 found in June or July, and are always gre- 

 garious; from their colour, and shining ap- 

 pearance, they are very conspicnous objects 

 on a clump of nettles. The pupa may be 

 found in July or August, but is not generally 

 suspended from the food plant itself. In 

 confinement we always noticed them hang 

 up on to the top of the breeding cage, or 

 whatever they were fed in, and a similar 

 remark will be found in Mr. Newman's 

 account of the species. 



Habitat. — Generally distributed in Eng- 

 land, but more abundant in the south. In 

 Scotland is is very rare, and does not appear 

 to occur at all in the very north. It is found 

 all over Ireland, and is abundant in most 

 places there. Except in the extreme north, 

 it is found all over Europe, and in the parts 

 of Asia bordering upon it. This insect has 

 disappeared from many of its old localities, 

 where it used to be very common. Perhaps 

 it will return to them again in time. 



Variation. — Varieties of this species are 

 rare, and hundreds of specimens may be ex- 

 amined without the slightest difference being 

 apparent. A very curious one is figure 1 in 

 Modey's " Varieties of British Lepidopi^ra," 

 Vanessa, plate 2, fig. 3. The eyes are wa iting 

 on both wings, the hind wing being dark stone 

 color, with only a black spot on a lighter 

 shade, where the eye should be. Similar 

 specimens exist in other collections, and have 

 been called " The Blind Peacock," There is 

 a splendid variety in the wonderful collection 

 of Mr. Bond ; it has the costa, half down the 



hind margin, and a dash inside the eye on 

 hind wing, pure white. Sometimes the wings 

 are very thinly soiled, and the purple red 

 changed into chocolate. Two varieties have 

 been named Ioides, Ochs., and Sardoa, Staud. 

 Cat. The first is smaller, and the latter, 

 which occurs in Sardinia, larger than the 

 type. We do not know that their markings 

 differ. 



Parasites- — None recorded that we 

 know of. 



THE FOUR SEASONS: 



A Story from the Book of Nature. 

 By Lucy Fern. 



Chap. VI. 



ON THE MOORS. 



John did not fail to accompany Sprixg on 

 many of her little excursions, not only be- 

 cause she was attractive, but because the 

 objects which she sought had also become 

 interesting to him. According to agreement 

 when the second Saturday in May came, he 



I was ready and was delighted to join Spring in 



I the excursion she had anticipated. When he 

 arrived at the little rose-covered cottage she 



J was ready to welcome him with her usual 



j kindness. 



" Sunshine, bring that box," she says, 

 "and show John the contents." 



Sunshine produced a wooden box, the top 

 of which was covered with perforated zinc. 

 On opening .the lid the inside was seen to 

 contain some pear-shaped cocoons, and 

 around the box were here and there a beau- 

 tiful woolly moth, with moons on its wings. 



" What beauties ! " he exclaimed, "where 

 did you get them ? " 



" They are got on the moors, and I pur- 

 pose going to-day. You see there are two 

 kinds, one larger and paler than the others, 

 these are females, and I have one of those 

 females here in a separate box, she has seen 



