THE YOUNG NATIONALIST. 



109 



" white C " or " Comma "-like mark on the 

 underside of the hind wings. 



TmagO.— PI- 12, fig. 3- Bright fulvous 

 with dark hind margins, several black or 

 brown spots and a few paler ones. The hind 

 margins of all the wings are very much an- 

 gulated, more so than in any other British 

 Butterfly. 



Larva-. — PI. 12, fig. 3a. Underside and 

 head dark brown, upperside fulvous to the 

 7th segment, then white to the middle of the 

 12th segment, which is soromarkably distinct 

 that the larva may always be known by this 

 mark, which looks as if a drop of white paint ; 

 had just fallen on it, and was still wet and 

 shining. The head is distinguished by two 

 minute tubercles with small branched spines, 

 looking like horns. The whole of the larva 

 is ornamented with similar branched spines, 

 which are fulvous and white. 



Pupa. — Of the usual form of the pupa of 

 this genus, but more angulated on the back 

 than others. It varies in color from dark to 

 light brown, with bright silvery blotches. 

 In some places the pupae are called " Silver j 

 grubs." 



Food Plants. — The larva appears less 

 fastidious in its food than others of the genus. 

 It is reported to have been found on Hop, ' 

 Blackthorn, Elm. Currant, Gooseberry, 

 Nettle, and Honeysuckle. Mrs. Hutchinson, 

 of Leominster, has probably a more intimate 

 knowledge of this insect than any living I 

 Entomologist, and has had thousands of them 

 through her hands first and last. This lady 

 informs us she never knew the larva feed on : 

 Blackthorn or Honeysuckle. The second I 

 brood would appear to prefer Hop, but as 

 that plant is scarcely in leaf when the first ; 

 brood are feeding, the early larvae must of 

 necessity find other food. 



Time of Appearance.— There appears 

 to have been considerable doubt whether this 

 species was double or single brooded. It is 

 most abundant in the autumn, and un- 

 doubtedly hybernates in the perfect state, 

 re-appearing in March or April. The larva 



may be found in May or June, and the 

 imago in June or early in July. Then when 

 the hop picking season comes on the larva' or 

 pup.e are generally found in much larger 

 numbers, producing imagines in September, 

 October, or even later. As Mr. Stainton 

 only speaks of one brood, and Mr. Newman 

 referring to the idea that there are two, 

 expresses a decided opinion to the contrary, 

 it may be well to give some grounds for a 

 statement not m harmony with these author- 

 ities. In the first place the two broods are 

 distinctly different. These differences will 

 be enlarged upon under the head of "Varia- 

 tion," but there is quite as much diversity, in 

 the general appearance of the two broods, as 

 there is between the paler of them, and the 

 Continental Egea, Cr. In the second place, 

 Egea, the most nearly allied of .all our 

 European Vanessa is double brooded ; the 

 two broods appearing at the same time as 

 those of C -album. Third, the larva? found in 

 spring, or from ova laid by hybcrnated 

 imagines, always produce butterflies in June 

 or July, and these are always the pale form. 

 If a portion of the larvae fed up more rapidly 

 than the others, which is a circumstance 

 that certainly does obtain in other groups, it 

 might be received as an explanation ; but 

 the objection to it in this instance is, that 

 when this occurs, a portion of the brood feed 

 up rapidly, pupate, and sometimes emerge 

 the same season ; while others feed up slowly,- 

 and pass the winter as small farvae. I know 

 of no case where two portions of the same 

 brood, emerge regularly at two distinctly 

 different periods in the same season. Readers 

 will perhaps remember that some of the 

 genus Argynnis are supposed sometimes to 

 emerge in the autumn, the bulk of the larva? 

 hybernating ; in the present instance the 

 larvae never hybernate, and we have the 

 great experience of Mrs. Hutchinson to 

 warrant these statements with regard to the 

 larvas. This lady also points out that the 

 greater abundance of the autumn brood " is 

 easily accounted for, when it is remembered 



