THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



pupa states, while with the Hesperieub it has 

 but the silken girt of the pupa to connect it, 

 which also obtains with Lycenid.k and the 

 first family, the Papilioxid.f. 



The Erycinidje are most numerous in 

 tropical America, but several are found both , 

 in Asia and Africa, but only one in Europe, 

 which occurs also in Britain. In Kirby's 

 catalogue of Diurnal Lepidoptera he calls 

 this group Lemomd.k, that of Erycixid.e 

 being pre-occupied. "We have retained that I 

 most generally used. The curious genus 

 Libythca, included by Kirby with the present 

 group, has one European species L. celt is. 

 It has a larva like those of the l'ierides, a 

 pupa suspended by the tail only, like the 

 NYMPHALiDiE, and the perfect insect has 

 brush like tore feet in the male like the 

 Erycinid.k. 



Genus 1, Nemeobius. 



" Nemeobius, Ste., Nemeo'btus ; nemos, a 

 grove, bios, life." — A. L. 



A genus of but a single species w hich does 

 not extend beyond Europe. It is a very 

 interesting insect, being our sole representa- 

 tive of this important family. 



LUCINA, Linn. PI. 25, Fig. 1. 

 The Duke of Burgundy Fritillary . 



" Lucina, L.. Liicina, the goddess who 

 aided women in childbirth. — Cf. Yirg. Eel. 

 IV., 10."— A. L. 



Imago. — PI. 25, rig. 1. This butterfly 

 has a general resemblance to some of the 

 Fritillaries, hence its English name, being 

 tawny with the veins and base darker, two 

 irregular dark bands across the fore wing 

 and one across the hind wing, breaking it up 

 into tawny spots, giving it a "tessellated" 

 appearance. The outer row of spots have a 

 dark centre. The underside is much lighter 

 in colour, though similarly marked. The 

 hind wing has two bands of pale straw- 

 coloured spots. It cannot be mistaken for 

 any other species, as its size at once dis- 

 tinguishes it from the members of the genus 



Me lit tea, which it most closely resembles. It 

 expands about one inch. 



Larva. — Short and broad, but not so fiat 

 underneath, nor so regularly oval shaped as 

 to be properly called onisciform. It is dirty 

 white in colour with rather a greenish tinge. 

 Head brown, dorsal line indistinct and in- 

 terrupted, at the segments on each side are 

 some orange markings, and black dots. The 

 spiracular line is greenish yellow, being 

 yellowest near the anus. Spiracles black. 

 It is well covered with hairs. 



Pupa. — Short and stumpy. Colour pale 

 yellowish brown, with numerous distinct 

 black spots and marks. It is covered with 

 hairs in the same manner as the larva. 



Food Plants. — Cowslip and Primrose, 

 (Primula vera and acaulis J, Kirby adds 

 " various species of Rum ex. " 



Times of Appearance —The butter- 

 fly is found on the wing in June, and the 

 eggs are deposited on the underside of the 

 leaves of the food plant. They hatch in 

 about a fortnight, and feed up rather slowly, 

 becoming full fed in September. The pupa 

 is attached by the tail, and with a band of 

 silk round the middle, to the underside of 

 the leaf, and remains in this state over the 

 winter. It has been once or twice known to 

 produce a second brood in confinement. 



Habitat- — Lucina is generally distributed 

 over England, but does not occur in the two 

 counties at the north-east boundary. Durham 

 and Northumberland On the other side, it 

 has been found with in Westmoreland and 

 Cumberland. It has not been found in Scot- 

 land nor yet in Ireland. On the Continent 

 it is found generally in Central Europe ex- 

 tending into the southern portions of 

 Sweeden, into France, Spain, and the 

 Northern parts of Greece and Turkey. 



Variation. — Except that the ground 

 colour varies a little in shade, and the dark 

 marking slightly in extent, I have seen or 

 heard of no variety of this insect, and there 

 are no named varieties. 



Parasites. — None known to me. 



