NATURALIST. 



the far north of America. life is more abund- 

 ant: Sea birds of all descriptions so numer- 

 ous that over 100 little auks have been 

 brought down by the discharge of two barrels. 

 Now and then an ea<de or a falcon will 

 appear, and sweep down upon some unfor- 

 tunate victim, and carry it off to some crag 

 to devour. A polar bear, or a white Arctic 

 fox, will now and then put in an appearance, 

 and give variety to the scene. The bear, too, 

 is white, and so is the hare and many other 

 animals, some being white, but changing to 

 black or brown during the breeding season. 

 This whiteness of polar animals i.s a pro- 

 vision of nature, brought about undoubtedly 

 by the process of natural selection for their 

 protection. Of course the polar bear or the 

 Arctic fox does not require protection, but if 

 they are white they will be bette^ able to 

 steal upon their prey unobserved. Some,, like 

 the Peregrine Falcon, do not require this 

 imitative colour, because they can capture 

 their prey by excess of speed, but I need not 

 tell you this ; you have probably studied all 

 these questions, and are able to answer them 

 for yourselves. In the seas are huge whales, 

 seals, and walruses ; floating on the surface 

 are immense masses of ice, called icebergs, 

 thousands of tons in weight ; but even this 

 has its beauty and its utility. Take a piece 

 of snow, and place it under the microscope, 

 and you will find it composed of a great 

 variety of six-rayed figures, or crystals, most 

 beautiful, most regular, and most exact in 

 their structure. 



■ ; But time is getting on, we must retire. 

 We, no doubt, all find happiness in our own 

 way ; SPRING was happy in the dell gathering 

 the first primroses of the year; as Summer 

 she had a partner to share her pleasures and 

 her joys, happily without trouble to mar their 

 pleasure. Suxshix:-: and Shower has ac- 

 companied us all even into Autumn. In 

 every person's lilt- there are two sides — the 

 dark and the bright. Nature has only one 

 side, and that is bright, the nearer you ap- 

 proach to her, the more you interrogate her 



and question her, the more will vou approach 

 her in her brightness, and make life pure, 

 beneficial, and happy." 



(To be continued ). 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



By J. E. Robsox ; with Figures from Life by 

 S. L. Mosley. 



• Assisted by Contributors to the Y. X.) 



J AN IRA, L.— PI 14, Fig. 4. 



"Janika, L., Jani'ra, one of the Nereids ; 

 or the wife of Capaneus. Cf. /Esch. Sept c 

 Theb. 440. " — A. V. 



Imago. — PI. 14, Fig. 4.— Male, very dark 

 brown, with more or less of a slightly, brighter 

 shade towards the hind margin ; a black spot 

 with white centre at the tip. Female, rather 

 larger, a bright fulvous patch near the hind 

 mai gin, extending beyond the eyed spot at the 

 tip, and nearly to the anal angle ; through 

 this the veins show darker. Sometimes the 

 fulvous patch extends behind the middle of 

 the wing, but there is always a distinctly 

 darker line across the middle, corresponding 

 with that on the under side 



Larva. —PI. 14, Fig. 4a.— Apple-green, 

 roughish-looking from, warts, which emit 

 short hairs. There is but a faintly darker 

 dorsal line, and even the segments are not 

 very distinctly marked. The anal points are 

 whitish. 



Fupa.— PI. rq, Fig. 46. —Suspended by the 

 tail, but often so slightly that it falls to the 

 ground; apple-green, with brownish spots 

 and stripes. It has short ears, and the wing 

 cases project a little. 



Food Plant s- — Grasses of various kinds, 

 preferring the soft meadow grasses to the 

 coarser species. 



Times of Appearance.— This Butter- 

 fly begins to emerge about the end of June, 

 and continues on the wing for some time. 

 Specimens may be seen even in September, 

 and during the greater part of this time the 



