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Pyrameis atalanta, Linn. The Atalanta Butterfly. 
The young caterpillar is almost black, and is protected from the 
poison prickles on the leaves of the Nettle, on which it feeds, by 
numerous branching spines; these, being longer than the prickles, 
prevent its body from coming in contact with them; the head is 
also protected by a tough shell. As soon as hatched it spins a 
little web with which to cover itself, drawing the edges of the leaf 
toward each other but not together; when it has nearly consumed 
the leaf on which it resides it seeks another and larger leaf, this 
time drawing the edges together, making its habitation more secure, 
though having to change its residence a number of times before it 
is ready to undergo its transformations; when full grown it meas¬ 
ures about IT inches; the color is rather variable, from greenish, 
yellowish-green and violet to brownish or dusky, moie or less covered 
with whitish or grayish dots; on each side a sinuous longitudinal 
row of citron-yellow spots; spines on the back, whitish; head black, 
rough, covered with elevated white points. They are gregarious in 
habit and feed on both the leaves and seeds of Urtica urens and 
U. dioica, seeming to prefer the seeds; feed also on Hop and Boeh- 
mcria cylindrica. Chrysalis blackish, covered with a grayish efflor¬ 
escence, with gold-colored tubercles on the back. 
Pyrameis huntera, Fabr. Hunter’s Butterfly. 
The young larva is about 0.25 inch in length, of a dull reddish- 
brown color, a row of black, shining, branching spines on each 
segment excepting the second. Head, polished black. The full 
grown caterpillars measure 1.20 inches in length, of a blackish-gray 
color banded with yellowish-green; the black spines visible on the 
young larva arise from the grayish color which occupies the middle 
portion of each segment, the second segment as in the young, 
without spines: they form a transverse row four each, on third, 
fourth and last segments, and seven on each of the others; a few 
faint longitudinal black lines are visible across the yellow striae, but in¬ 
terrupted by the dark color; a yellow line immediately above the 
stigmata! line and another below it, the upper one marked with a 
small orange spot immediately above each stomata; a round silvery 
white spot on each side of the dorsal line from the sixth to the 
twelfth segments inclusive. Head black, flat in front, bilobed 
covered with a number of fine brownish hairs, underside dull pur¬ 
plish-brown, finely sprinkled with minute yellowish dots; feet black, 
pro-legs purplish brown. 
These larvae live singly on the tip of the leaf,' sewing the edges 
together with a fine silken thread. Feeds on Carcluus, Cnicus, 
Circium, Nettle {TJrtica), Burdock ( Lappa major), Onopordon acan- 
thium, Altlicea rosea, Helianthus, Malvacece, Silybum marianum, 
Senecio cineraria and Gnaphalium . 
Chrysalis yellowish, with a number of large golden spots irregu¬ 
larly scattered. Two-brooded. 
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