4 5 6 
The Moths and Butterflies 
milberti, which occurs commonly in the North, has brownish-black wings 
with a broad orange fulvous band between the middle and outer margin; 
there are also two fulvous spots in the discal cell of the fore wing. The 
larva, which feeds on nettles, is spiny, velvety black above, greenish yellow 
below, and profusely dotted with whitish spots or points. Another northern 
butterfly is the Compton tortoise, Eugonia j-album, which resembles in 
general color and pattern the angle-wings (Polygonia), but has the hinder 
margin of the fore wings straight, the markings on these wings heavier, 
and a whitish spot on both fore and hind wings near the apex; there is also a 
small L-shaped silver spot on the under side of the hind wings. Eugonia 
calijornica, the California sister, is a beautiful butterfly common on the 
Pacific coast and found occasionally in the Rocky Mountains; it is velvety 
blackish brown with a broad white transverse bar across each wing, inter¬ 
rupted on the fore wings and tapering out on the hind wings, and with a 
conspicuous large orange-brown patch nearly filling the apex of the fore 
wings. Its larva feeds on oaks. 
Two large groups of brush-footed butterflies, some of whose species 
occur in every locality, are the fritillaries, or silver-spots (genus Argynnis 
and allies) and the checker-spots (genus Melitaea and allies). The 
fritillaries, mostly medium-sized to large butterflies, are usually red-brown 
with numerous black spots scattered over the upper surface of both wings; 
the hind wings usually bear on the under side a number of striking silvery 
blotches, which give these butterflies their name of silver-spots. The regal 
fritillary, Speyeria idalia , of the Atlantic states, expands 2f to 4 inches and 
has the fore wings bright fulvous above spotted with black, and the hind 
wings blue-black with a marginal row of fulvous and submarginal row 
of cream-colored spots; both fore and hind wings have silver blotches on 
the under sides. The black,- ocher, and red-banded caterpillars have six 
rows of fleshy black and white spines; they feed on violets and are nocturnal. 
The spangled fritillary, Argynnis cybele, is a good example of the more 
usual coloring and pattern of the group. It expands from 3 to 4 inches, 
has both wings fulvous above and thickly spotted with black; the under 
side of the hind wings is silver-blotched; in the female the basal half of 
the fore and hind wings above is dark chocolate-brown. The caterpillar 
is black with six rows of shining black branching spines, and feeds on violets. 
Numerous other smaller Argynnids are like cybele in color and pattern: 
it is difficult to distinguish the various species. 
The checker-spots, small to medium size, blackish with red and yellowish 
spots, are represented by numerous species in the western mountain states, 
but by only two species in the east. The Baltimore, Euphydryas phaeton , 
expanding 1} to 2J inches, is the most familiar eastern checker-spot; it is 
black above with a marginal row of red spots followed by three rows of pale- 
