THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



185 



two occur in Europe, and but one in Britain. 



29, IRIS, Linn. PI. 13. fig- 1. 

 The Purple Emperor. 



" Ikis, L., /m, the messenger of Juno; 

 •• mille trahens varios adverso Sole colores." 

 Virg. .\Ln. iv, 700." — A. L. 



ImagO. -PI. 13, fig. 1 Blackish brown, 

 with a white baud commencing at the middle 

 of the forewing, and crossing the hind wing 

 to the inner margin. There is also a curved 

 row of white spots from the costa of the fore 

 wing to the anal angle, and three smaller 

 ones near the tip. Both wings have a few 

 paler mottlings, especially at the hind margin, 

 where they form a narrow irregular band. 

 There is an eyed spot at the anal angle of 

 the hind wing. The male is beautifully 

 "shot" with purplish blue; the female is 

 larger and browner, and without the blue 

 shade. 



Larva.— In shape very like the common 

 black slug (Avion titer J. but not so large. 

 Pale green in colour, and warty, with a yellow 

 ipiracular line, and oblique yellow lines on 

 the sides. The anal segment is prolonged 

 into two points, instead of the usual claspers, 

 and two horn-like processes (not retractile) 

 spring from the crown of the head. 



Pupa. — Suspended by the tail ; much 

 swollen in the middle, and divided into two 

 I points at the head. Bright green in color, 

 with the wing cases rather darker, and the 

 oblique lines already named as occurring on 

 on the larva, being still discernible. 



Food Plants. — Poplar and Sallow. 

 Mr. Owen Wilson adds, Oak ; a tree for 

 which the imago shows great preference. 



Times of Appearance. -This beauti- 

 ful butterfly is to be found on the wing in 

 July, and the eggs are laid the same month. 

 They hatch in about ten days, and the larvae 

 feed slowly until they retire for the winter. 

 They do not conceal themselves as the last 

 species does, but remain exposed. In May 

 or June, they are full fed, and remain about 

 a month in pupa. 



Habitat. — Iris is said only to be found in 

 j oak woods. Why this should be so, when 

 the larva feeds on Poplar and Sallow, has 

 not been explained. It is fond of disporting 

 about the tops of the loftiest trees, and 

 though we read about capturing it with a 

 net at the end of a forty feet pole, we confess 

 to a considerable amount of doubt as to the 

 possibility of such an implement being suc- 

 i cess fully handled. A pole of this length, 

 , light enough to be handled by one man. 

 , would bend so much as to be perfectly 1111- 

 1 manageable. Various means have been tried, 

 with more or less success, to induce the 

 monarch to descend from his lofty throne. 

 A sod. or something similar, Hung into the 

 air, has sometimes brought him down, 

 i whether from curiosity, or indignation at the 

 j intrusion. Iris has also been attracted by 

 ! unsavoury smells. Carrion, dung, or stink- 

 ; ing puddles have often proved successful 

 j baits' It has been taken at sugar ; and the 

 j female, when depositing her eggs. Mr. 

 Harwood also records an instance of one 

 being taken at a lamp post in the evening. 

 I have seen no notice of it visiting even the 

 most attractive flowers. But with all these 

 j modes of capture, it is generally a desidera- 

 tum in our collections. Its range is limited 

 to the more southerly counties, coming up on 

 the east coast, as far as Lincolnshire. It is 

 j found in Central Europe, in France, Italy, 

 i and Southern Russia, but does not seem to 

 \ extend further. 



' Variation. — This species, like the last, 

 ; varies by having the white band more or less 

 j suffused and hidden by black scales. When 

 j the white band is altogether wanting the 

 I variety is called J.ole, Schiff. A figure of 

 this form is given in Newman, from a speci- 

 men in the wonderful collection of Mr. Fredk. 

 Bond, but the figure does not show the 

 j beautiful blue of the spots. It is one of those 

 occasional forms that, in our opinion, scarcely 

 deserve a distinguishing name, 

 i Parasites. — We have heard of none 

 i being reared from this larva as yet. 



