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Lante (^pper, Je Cv/nfnon Blue Butterflies
edinburgh:
w;h.liz.\ks.
LONDON. SAMUEL HlOffirv 32 FLEET STREET
DrBLlN.W.rURRY JUN« tc V.
THE
NATURALIST'S LIBRARY.
E^ilED BV"
SIR WILLIAM JARllINE, BART.,
F.R.S.E., F.US.j'^TC., ETC.
VOL. XSES.
ENTOMOLOGY.
BRITISH BUTTERFLIES.
BY JAMES DUNCAN,
ETC.
EDINBURaH:
W. H. LIZAKS, 3, ST. JAMES' SQUARE.
SAMUEL HIGHLEY, FLEET STREET, LONDON;
AND ALL BOOKSELLERS.
PhlXlKD i5Y . H. LIZAH-^. EKINBURuK.
CONTENTS.
P-^GE
Memoir op Werner, i7
Account of the Wernerian Society of Edinburgh, 48
Introduction, 49
Plate I. elementary and anatomical figures, &c.
Plate II. ditto, ditto.
Plate III. Caterpillars, &c.
Genus Papilio, 92
Swallow-tail Butterfly.
Papilio Machaon. Plate IV. Fig. 1. . . 94
Scarce Swallow-tail Butterfly.
Papilio Podaliriiis. Plate IV. Fig. 2. . 97
Brimstone Butterfly.
Gonepteryw Rhamni. Plate V. Fig. 1. . 100
Clouded Yellow Butterfly.
Colias Edusa. Plate V. Fig. 2. . . . 103
Pale Clouded Yellow Butterfly.
ColiasHyale. Plate VI. Fig. 1. ... 106
Scarce Clouded Yellow Butterfly.
Colías Europome. Plate VI. Fig. 2. . 108
Genus Pontia, 110
Common Cabbage Butterfly.
Pontia Brassica. Plate VII. Figs. 1. and 2. 113
CONTENTS.
r^\«E
Early White Cabbage Butterfly.
Pontia Charicïea. Plate VIII. Fig. 1.—Malt. 116
Small White Butterfly.
Pontia Ra-pœ. Plate VII. Fig. 3. • 117
Howard's White Butterfly.
Pontia Metra. Plate VIII, Fig. 2. 119
Green-veined White Butterfly.
Pontia Napi- Plate IX. Fig. 1. . 121
Dusky-veined White Butterfly.
Pontia Sabeîîicœ. Plate VIII. Fig. 3. . 123
Genus Mancipiubi, 1'24
Bath White Butterfly.
Mancipium Dupîidice. Plate IX, Fig. 2. . 125
Orange-tip Butterfly.
Pontia Cardamines. Plate X. Figs. 1. & 2. 1*27
Wood White Butterfly.
Leucophasia Sinapis. Plate X. Fig. 3. . 128
Black-veined White, er Hawthorn Butterfly.
Pieris Cratœgi. Plate XI. Fig. 2. . . 131
Apollo Butterfly.
Pamassim Apollo. Plate XI. Fig. 1., . 134
Duke of Burgundy Fritillary.
Nemeobins Lucina. Plate XTI. Fig. 1. . 137
Genus MelíTíEA, 139
Pearl-Bordered Likeness.
Melitœa Athalia. Plate XII. Fig. 2., . . 140
Greasy Fritillary.
Melitœa Artemis. Plate XIII. Fig. 2., . 142
Glanvilie Fritillary.
Melitœa Cinœia. Plate XIV. Fig. 2. . . 144
Pearl-bordered Fritillary.
Melitœa Euphrosyne. Plate XV. Fig. 2. . 145
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary.
Mdiiœa Silene. Plate XTII. Fig. 3., , . 148
CONTENTS.
page
Genus Argynnis. ... . . » 150
Queen of Spain Fritillary.
Argynnis Lathonia, Plate XVL Fig. 2. . 152
High Brown Fritillar}',
Argynnis Adippe. Plate XVI. Fig. 1. . 153
Dark Green Fritillary.
Argynnis Aglaia. Plate XV. Fig. 1. . . 155
Silvei-Washed Fritillary.
Argynnis Paphia. Plate XIV. Fig. 3. . 157
Genus Vanessa, 159
Comma Butterfly.
Vanessa C—album, Plate XVJ. Fig. 1. . 160
Great Tortoise-Shell.
Vanessa polychloros. Plate XVII. Fig. 2. . 162
Small Tortoise-Shell.
Vanessa Urticœ. Plate XIX. Fig. 1. . 164
Peacock's Eye.
Vanessa lo. Plate XVÏII. Fig. 1. . . 166
Camberwell Beauty.
Vanessa Antiopa. Plate XVIIÍ. Fig. 2. . 168
Red Admiral.
Vanessa Atalanta. Plate XX. Fig. 1. . 170
Painted Lady.
Cynthia Cardui. Plate XIX. Fig. 2. . . 174
Purple Emperor.
Apaturo Iris. Plate XXI 177
White Admiral.
Limenitis Camilla. Plate XX. Fig. 2. . 181
Genus Hipfarchia. .... . . 184
Speckled Wood Butterfly.
Hipparchia JEgeria. Plate XXIII. Fig. 4. 180
Wall Butterfly.
Hipparchia Megœrn. Plate XXII. Fig, 3. 188
The Grayling.
Hipparchia Semele. Plate XXII, Figs. 1. & 2. 190
CO.VTEXTS.
page
Marbled White Butterfly.
Hipparchia Galathea, Plate XXIII. Fig. 1. 192
Large Heath.
Hipparchia Tithonus. Plate XXIII. Figs. 2,
and 3 194
Meadow-Brown Butterfly.
Hipparchia Janira. Plate XXIV. Figs. J. & 2., 196
The Ringlet Butterfly.
Hyparchia Hyperanihxts. Plate XXIV. Fig. 4. 198
Mountain Ringlet.
Hipparchia Cassiope. Plate XXIV. Fig. 3. 199
Arran Brown Butterfly.
Hipparchia Ligea. Plate XXV. Fig. 1. . 201
Scotch Argus Butterfly.
Hipparchia Blandina. Plate XXV. Fig. 2. 202
Scarce Small Ringlet Butterfly.
Hipparchia Davus. Plate XXVI. Fig. 1, . 204
Marsh Ringlet Butterfly.
Hipparchia Polydama. Plate XXVI. Fig. 2. 203
Small Heath Butterfly.
Hipparchia Pamphilus. Plate XXVI. Fig. 3., 207
Silver Ringlet Butterfly.
Hipparchia Hero., 205
Hipparchia Arcanius^ 209
Brown Hair-Streak.
Thecla Betula. Plate XXVII. Figs. 1. & 2. 211
Purple Hair-Streak.
Thecla Querctts. Plate XXVII. Figs. 3. & 4., 212
Black Hair Streak.
Thecla Pruni. Plate XXVIII. Fig. 1. . 214
White Letter Hair Streak.
Phecla W~album, Plate XXVIII. Fig. 2. 215
Green Hair Streak.
Thecla Rubi. Plate XXVIII. Fig. 3. . 217
Genus Lyc^n.\. 219
Large Copper.
Lycœna dispar. Plate XXIX. Figs. 1. & 2., 22Ô
\
\
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Scarce Copper.
Lycasna Virgaureœ» Plate XXIX. Fig. 3.
Purple-edged Copper.
Lycoina Chryseis. Plate XXX. Fig. 1
Dark Under-winged Copper.
Lycœna Hippotho'é. Plate XXX. Fig. 2.
Common Copper.
Lycœna Phleas. Plate XXX. Fig, 3.
Genus Polvommatus
Azure Blue Butterfly.
Polyommatus Argiolus. Plate XXXI. Figs.
and 2.
Bedford Blue Butterfly.
Polyommatus Alsus. Plate XXXI. Fig. 3.
Mazarine Blue Butterfly.
Polyommatus Acis. Plate XXXI, Fig. 4.
Large Blue Butterfly.
Polyommatus Avion. Plate XXXII. Fig. 1.
Alcon Blue Butterfly.
Polyommatus Alcon. Plate XXXII. Fig. 2.
Chalk-Hill Blue Butterfly.
Polyommatus Corydon. Plate XXXII. Fig. 3. 235
Clifden Blue Butterfly.
Polyommatus Adonis. PI. XXXIII. Figs. I. & 2, 23"
Common Blue Butterfly.
Polyommatus Alexis. Vignette Title-page, 239
Silver Studded Blue Butterfly.
Polyommatus Argus. Plate XXXIII. Fig. 3. 241
Brown Argus Butterfly.
Polyommatus Agestis. Plate XXXIV, Fig. 1. 243
Durham Argus.
Polyommatus Salmacis. Plate XXXIV. Figs. 2.
and 3. 244
Artaxerxes Butterfly.
Polyommatus Artaxerxes. PL XXXIV. Fig. 4. 24.5
Portrait op Werner, 2
Vignette Title-page. The Common Blue Butterfly, 3
In all Thirty-six Plates in this Volume.
222
224
225
22G
223
229
230
231
233
234
MEMOIR OF WERNER^
The close of the seventeeuth century witnessed
the birth of a new science, which assumed, in its in¬
fancy, the pompous name of the Theory of the
Eaith. Starting with a few ill-ascertained facts, and
coimecting these together by fantastical assumptions,
it pretended to go back to the origin of worlds, to
sport, as it were, with them, and to create their his¬
tory. Its arbitrary methods, and pompous language,
seemed to remove it to a distance from the other
sciences ; and in fact, scientiBc men for a long pe¬
riod excluded it from the circle of their studies.
At length, after an age of fruitless attempts, it has
been brought within the range assigned to the hu-
• Instead of writing anew the life of this distinguished
individual, for which few materials could be procured that
have not been already laid before the public, it has been
thought that we should best consult the interest of our
readers, and at the same time give an agreeable variety to
our biographical notices, by introducing, in an English form,
the Eloge of Baron Cuvier, pronounced before the Royal
Institute of France. This sketch furnishes all that is in¬
teresting in a life remarkably free from incident, and pre¬
sents a view of Werner's opinions and discoveries, distin¬
guished by the analytical talent and philosophical discern¬
ment for which its author was so eminent.
b
18
MEMOIR OP WERNER.
man faculties, and, confining itself to the modest task
of observing the globe as it actually exists, has pe¬
netrated into its bowels, and, in some degree, ex¬
plained its anatomy. It has henceforth taken its
place among the subjects of positive knowledge, and,
what is very remarkable, it has done so without losing
any thing of its marvellous character. The objects
which it has been enabled to see and to touch, — the
truths which it has daily brought under our eyes,—
are even more admirable and surprising than all that
the most prolific imagination had ventured to con¬
ceive.
This happy reformation was commenced by two
celebrated men, Pallas and Saussure ; and it was
completed by Werner. With him commences the
most remarkable epoch of the science of the earth,
— an epoch indeed which he himself may be said to
have filled ; for he had the good fortune to witness,
during his own lifetime, the universal prevalence of
his ideas and views, although they were so novel in
their character, and foreign to the previous notions
of most naturalists. He has left as many inheritors
of his methods and doctrine as there are observers
in the world ; and wherever mines are wrought, or
the history of minerals taught, some distinguished
man is to be found, who accounts it an honour to
have been his pupil. Entire academies * have been
formed and distinguished by his name, as if they had
• See Account of Wernerian Natural History Society
at the end of this memoir.
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
19
(Fished to invoke his genius, and make him their
patron in a manner previously unknown.
When hearing of such unusual success, who would
not suppose that he was one of those men who are
most ardent in propagating their doctrines, and who
have acquired an ascendency over their cotempora-
ries by numerous and eloquent writings, or who have
procured adherents through the influence of wealth,
or an elevated station in society ? But in his case
there was nothing of all this. Confined to a small
town in Saxony, without authority in the country,
he could have no influence on the fortunes of his pu¬
pils. He formed no connexion with people in power ;
and such was the singular timidity of his disposition,
and aversion to writing, that not more than a few
sheets of his composition have been committed to
the press. Far from seeking to render himself im¬
portant, he was so little conscious of his own merit,
that the most trifling honours conferred on him, even
at a time when his reputation was spread throughout
all quarters of the world, greatly surpassed all that
he had ever hoped for or desired.
But this man, though so little occupied with him¬
self, and so far from conceiving that he was in any
degree called upon to write for the instruction of
others, had an indefinable charm in his language and
converaation. When once he had been heard —
when once, over a few fragments of stones or rocks
disposed almost by chance, he had developed, as if
by inspiration, all those general ideas and innumer¬
able relations which his genius had perceived, no one
20
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
could resist the force of his attractions. Feeling the
ascendency of his talents, the pupils of Werner re¬
spected him as a great master, and, returning the
regard he shewed for them, they soon loved him as
a father. Wherever they went, they promulgated
his doctiines, and spoke of his person with respect
and affection.
It was thus that, in a few years, the little school
of Freyberg, originally designed only for the instruc¬
tion of a few miners fur Saxony, again presented the
appearance of the earliest universities of the middle
ages. Pupils flocked to it from every civilized coun¬
try ; and, even in the most remote places, aged in¬
dividuals, and men of science who had already at¬
tained the highest celebrity, hastened to acquire a
knowledge of the German language, fur the sole pur¬
pose of being in a condition to hear and understand
the great oracle of Geology.
Abraham-Gottlob * Werner was bom on the
25th of September 1750, at Wehrau on the Queiss,
in Upper Lusatia. From his earliest years, he was
surrounded with the objects which were to form the
occupation and the glory of his life. His father, who
was the director of a forge, used to give him shining
minerals for his playthings; and, before he could pro¬
nounce their names, the child was learning, by pHing
them together, tossing them about, and breaking
them in pieces, to group them, and recognise them
by their must prominent characters. 'He always
• Gottlob, Praise God.
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
21
preserved a few of these pieces, and, when lie shew¬
ed his collection, which soon became one of the rich¬
est in Europe, he seldom failed to draw attention to
these small beginnings of it, as if he wished to shew
a kind of gratitude for the first sparks which proved
the source of such abundant light.
It was intended that he should engage in the bu¬
siness of mining, and as the laws of Saxony require
that those who embrace this profession should be re¬
gularly licensed, he first attended the courses of me¬
tallurgy in the school of Freyberg, and subsequently
those of jurisprudence in the University of Leipsic.
Two prevailing tastes, or, it may be rather said,
two passions, attended him through life — the love of
minerals, and the love of method. He delighted in
dividing and classifying things, like ideas. What¬
ever admitted of being arranged, gave him pleasure ;
and when he began to purchase books, he seemed to
do so rather for the purpose of arranging them me¬
thodically, than in order to read them. Both these
propensities were conspicuous in his first work, the
Treatise on the External Characters of Minerals, a
pamphlet of a few sheets, which he published at
Leipsic when he was twenty-four years of age. It
comprises an analysis and minute subdivision of all
the variations in the apparent properties of minerals.
Each of these properties is designated by an appro¬
priate term, designed conjointly to form a definite
language, by means of which all mineralogists may
be readily understood.
This was rendering to mineralogy a service simi-
22
MEMOIR OP WERNER.
lar to that which Liunseus had conferred on botany ;
but it was a service purchased at the same price. It
cannot be denied, that this vocabulary has introduced
into science more detail and precision ; that persons
who accustom themselves to apply it, acquire a re¬
markable facility in distinguishing minerals at the
first glance ; and that the attentive examination ne¬
cessary to draw up a description of these substances
on the prescribed model, has been the means of dis¬
criminating many which might otherwise have con¬
tinued to be long confounded in the crowd. But it
must be confessed, at the same time, that this idiom,
necessarily somewhat pedantic, and restricted in its
modes of expression as well as in its words, has given
an affected air to the works in which it has been too
servilely employed, together with a dryness and pro¬
lixity more frequently fatiguing than useful.
These inconveniences seem, however, to have
been but little felt. Technical and half-barbarous
terminologies had long been the reigning fashion.
For thirty years the amiable science of botany spoke
no other language, and naturalists, already accus¬
tomed to so many chains, experienced no apprehen¬
sion at the prospect of submitting to another. In¬
deed, we may suppose, that if any one was alarmed
at this new creation, it was Werner himself, and
that if he wrote so little after his first trial, it was
partly that he might escape from the trammels that
he had imposed on others. Happily bis early work,
adapted as it was to the taste of the nation, made
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
23
bis name known, and procured him the means of
transmitting his ideas in a more agreeable form.
He was nominated in 1775 Professor and Inspec¬
tor of the Cabinets of Freyberg ; — an appointment
bestowed on him that he might devote himself with¬
out restraint to his strongest inclination, and which
retained him in a district the most calculated of any
in Europe to satisfy it, since it is the most abundant
in different kinds of minerals, and has, from a re¬
mote period, been pierced in all directions by the
operations of miners. All his efforts, therefore, from
this moment, were directed to mineralogy, and to it
alone ; but this single science, fecundated by his ge¬
nius, became one of immense extent.
His 6rst step had been to create for it a language :
his second was to form a system ; but the latter, as
it was much the most important, was also greatly
the most difficult.
Organized beings present two bases of classifica¬
tion, obviously giveu by nature ; the individual, re¬
sulting from the concourse of all the organs to a
common action, and the species, resulting from the
connexions which generation has established between
individuals.
More remote resemblances, however natural the
relations on which they are founded may be, are al¬
ways more or less dependent on abstractions of the
mind.
In mineralogy, classificators have sought in vain
for some principle corresponding in every respect to
24
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
these primary bases. The mysterious force of crys-
taillzatiou is the only one that presents any resem¬
blance to the generative power: it determines in like
manner the composition ; but this is only within cer¬
tain limits. Recent experiments have evinced that
there are substances whose crystalline virtue is such,
that they constrain very considerable quantities of
different substances to accommodate themselves to
their form ; and it has been long observed in nature,
that crystals, in all respects alike, those of sparry
iron, for example, may contain more or less of iron
or of lime, as there may be in two animals of the
same species a greater or less quantity of fat, of ge¬
latine, or of the earth of the bones.
In mineralogy, therefore, crystallization must be
regarded as the fundamental principle of the species,
as far as it addresses itself to our sight ; but in an
immense majority of minerals, the crystalline form
is not visible, and, in such cases, the composition is
very far from enabling us to determine it ; for the
latter is more variable than in the crystals, and im¬
pure intermixtures corrupt it more easily. No al¬
ternative, then, is left, but to have recourse to the
properties which are most closely connected with
the fundamental principle, viz. cleavage, which is
only one of its phenomena, fracture, hardness, lustre,
and the eíFect of the body on the touch, which are its
more or less immediate consequences.
This plan Werner has pursued, not perhaps proceed¬
ing exactly upon these reasonings, but led by that
MEMOm OF WEBNER.
25
kind of delicate instinct which forined the peculiar
character of his genius. He has the appearance of
adopting the identical composition of the molecules
as the principle of species, and as the point from
which he sets out. Perhaps he really belieml him¬
self to have set out from thence ; but he never ac¬
tually applies the principle but when it is in perfect
unison with the external properties, and, in all in¬
stances, it is on these properties that he has founded
his distributions, leaving analysis to make itself har¬
monize with them as it best may. All unctuous
stones, for example, are arranged in the magnesian
genus, although many of them contain a greater pro¬
portion of argillaceous or siliceous matter than of
magnesia. So rigorously did he act on this prin¬
ciple, that he always persisted m placing the dia¬
mond among the siliceous stones, although it had
been incontestahly proved by experiment that this
gem is a crystallization of carbon. Still more sin¬
gular is the fact, that, among all the external pro¬
perties, he paid least regard to the crystalline form,
which is the most fundamental of the whole.
It is true, that his investigations began ten years
before Haiiy had commenced his labours, and, con¬
sequently, nearly thirty years before the doctrine of
that great mineralogist had been developed in the
admirable manner it afterwards attained ; and Wer¬
ner, on his part, had caused the science to make
such remarkable progress, that he may easily be ex¬
cused for not entering fully into all the views of his
26
MEnwOIR OF WERNER.
rivals. But the conduct of some of his followers
admits of no excuse, who attempted, with an ill-di¬
rected zeal, which he took every opportunity of re¬
probating, to depreciate a series of truths with which
he had made them too little acquainted. A con¬
trary proceeding would have been greatly more pro¬
per, for it is necessary to unite and combine the
results of the two methods. Far from being opposed
to each other, they are absolutely the same in spirit,
being in reality but two branches from the same stem.
Both of them, without denying that species depend,
in some respects, on composition, are too ready to
establish them without sufficiently consulting che¬
mistry. They assume for them, tacitly at least, a
principle of individuality which is not inherent in
the matter that composes them. But although che¬
mistry reproaches both with sometimes establishing
species gratuitously, she is obliged at the same time
to acknowledge, that they have often anticipated her,
by indicating distinctions in substances which she
was unable to detect by her analysis, till after the
fact had been announced.
The only difference is, that each of these two
great mineralogists gives too exclusive a preponder¬
ance to the characters which have been most the ob¬
ject of his study.
Haiiy, conceiving crystallization as alone worthy
of being compared with analysis, has recourse to
more rigorous and scientific methods, but, which per.
mit many substances to escape notice.
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
27
Werner, by admitting to the same privilege pro¬
perties of a subordinate kind, embraces more easily
all sorts of minerals ; but, in so doing, he overlooks
what is most profound and mysterious in their na¬
ture; and when, in the conflict of the two methods,
he has opposed these subordinate qualities, not only
to analysis, but to crystallization itself, he has almost
always infringed that fundamental law, of which the
properties he believed himself entitled to employ are
only the corollaries.
Werner had thus invented a language for de¬
scribing minerals, as well as a method of arranging
them, and had assigned to each their distinctive cha¬
racters ; in this manner constituting a mineralogy,
properly so called, or what he termed Oryctognosy,
that is, a knowledge of fossils.
The history of their arrangement on the globe, or
what he named Geognosy—knowledge of the Earth
—was the third point of view under which he re¬
garded them.
The Earth is composed of mineral masses ; and
modern observers have ascertained that these masses
are not distributed at random. Pallas, in his la¬
borious journeys to the extremities of Asia, had re¬
marked that their superposition was capable of be¬
ing referred to fundamental laws ; and the same thing
was confirmed by the observations of De Saussure
and De Luc, while traversing, in numerous direc¬
tions, the most elevated mountain-ranges in Europe.
Without quitting his small province, Werner ac-
28
MKMOIK OF WERNER.
quired tlie most intimate acquaintance with these
laws, and could read in them the history of all the
revolutions from which they had resulted. Follow¬
ing each bed in the order of its continuity, without
allowing himself to be bewildered by rents and shift-
ings, or by the crests and other summits which rise
above them, he in some measure determined their
age, and the age, of all the accessory matters which
intermingle with their principal substances.
The different fluids which have surrounded the
globe, the changes in composition which they have
undergone, and the violent commotions by which
each change has been accompanied, were all legible
to his eyes on the monuments which they have left
behind them.
A universal and tranquil ocean deposites in large
masses the jtrimitive rocks, which are strongly crys¬
tallized, and have silica for their predominating in-
giedieni. Granite forms the base of the whole. To
tliis succeeds gneiss, which is nothing more than
granite beginning to assume a slaty structure. By
degrees, argil begins to predominate. Schists of
different kinds appear ; but in proportion as the pu¬
rity of the precipitations becomes changed, the dis¬
tinctness of the crystalline grain diminishes. Ser¬
pentines, porphyries, and traps succeed, in which
the grain is less distinctly formed, although a sili¬
ceous nature begins to resume its purity. Internal
agitation in the fluid destroys a portion of these pri¬
mary deposites ; and their debris forms new rocks.
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
29
united by a cement. It is in the midst of these
commotions that life first begins to appear. Carbon,
the first of these products, now shews itself. Lime,
which was associated with the primitive rocks, be¬
comes more and more abundant; and rich deposites
of sea-salt, one day to be explored by man, fill large
cavities. The waters, again becoming tranquil, but
having their contents changed, deposit beds less
thick, and more varied, in which the remains of living
bodies are successively accumulated, in an order not
less determinate than that of the rocks which con¬
tain them. At last, the final recession of the waters
spreads over the continent immense alluvial collec¬
tions of moveable substances, which form the ear¬
liest seats of vegetation, of culture, and of social life.
Metals, like rocks, have had their epochs and their
successions. The last of the primitive, and the first of
the secondary rocks, have received them abundantly.
They become rare, however, in deposites of more
recent formation. They are usually distributed in
particular situations, in those veins which seem to
he produced by rents in the rocky masses, and filled
after their formation ; but they are by no means of
equal age. The last formed are known by their
veins intersecting those of older date, and not being
themselves intersected. Tin is the oldest of the
whole ; silver and copper the most modem. Gold
and iron—those two masters of the world — seem
to have been deposited in the bowels of the earth
at all the periods of its formation ; but at each pe-
30
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
riod iron appears under different forms, and we can
assign the age of its different mines.
The necessity of abridgment ohliges me thus to
bring together, under one view, results which, as
may easily be conceived, could not he obtained but
by many thousand observations. All Werner's ob¬
servations, however, were made with so much care,
and so scrupulously combined, that their accuracy
htis been confirmed by all subsequent investigation ;
and if we except his opinions regarding volcanic
countries, none of his views met with any opposition
which did not soon pass away.
Such, then, is the nature of Geognosy, or of the
position of minerals, viewed as lying above one an¬
other, or in a vertical direction. But in their hori¬
zontal position—that is, as they are placed by the
sides of each other—there are likewise differences,
of which it is important to take notice. These dif¬
ferences form the fourth point of view under which
Werner regards minerals, and which he designates
by the name of Geographical Mineralogy.
Indeed, the rocks of most recent formation, and
which lie above the others, are the least elevated ;
the oldest penetrate through them, and form high
mountains. From this we infer, that the fluid sunk
in its level, in proportion as the solid substances in¬
creased. It divided itself into basins, the produc-
tions of which became of a diversified character.
The surface of different countries is therefore dissi-
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
31
milar—a fact which beconies more manifest, the
more attentively we examine their structin-e.
But every mineral is capable of being turned to
some useful purpose ; and, on the greater or less
abundance of particular kinds in certain localities,
and the ease or difficulty with which they are ob¬
tained, often depend the prosperity of a people, their
advancement in civilisation, and all the details of
their manners.
In Lombardy, for example, we see only houses
of brick ; while Liguria, which is contiguous to it,
is covered with palaces of marble. Its quarries of
travertin made Rome the most beautiful city of the
ancient world ; those of coarse limestone and gyp¬
sum have rendered Paris one of the most agreeable
of modern times. But Michael Angelo and Bra-
manti could not have built at Paris in the same style
as at Rome, because the same materials were a-
wanting ; and this influence of local soil extends to
things very remote and important.
Under the shelter of those ridges of limestone
which intersect Italy and Greece, varying in height,
branching in numerous directions, and giving rise to
abundance of rivulets ;—in those charming valleys,
rich in all the products of animated nature, philoso¬
phy and the arts first sprung up. It was these that
gave birth to minds of which the human race have
most reason to be proud ; while, on the other hand,
the vast sandy plains of Tartary and Africa have al¬
ways prevented their inhabitants from becoming any
32
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
thing else than fierce and wandering sliepherds. In
countries wliere the laws and even the language are
alike, an experienced traveller can conjecture, from
the habits of the people, and the appearance of their
dwellings and clothing, what is the composition of
the soil, in the same manner as a philosophical mi¬
neralogist can infer, from the same source, what are
likely to be their manners, as well as their degrees
of comfort and instruction. Our granitic districts
produce very difièrent effects on all the habits of the
people from those that are calcareous. The natives
of Limousin, or of Lower Bretagne, are neither
lodged nor fed like those of Champagne or of Nor¬
mandy ; and it may even be said that they do not
think alike. Even the results of the conscription
have been different, and the difference is conform¬
able to a uniform law in the different districts.
Geographical mineralogy, then, assumes a high
importance, when we connect it in this manner with
what Werner called Economical Mineralogy, or the
history of minerals as applied to the wants of man.
The comprehensive mind of this great Professor
seized with equal facility all these relations, and his
auditors listened, with an ever new delight, to the
exposition of such of them as the plan of his public
prelections permitted him to embrace. But, in his
private conversations, he followed up their application
to a much greater length. The history of man and
languages was connected, according to his views,
with that of minerals ; and he never conceived that
MEMOIR OP VPERNI«.
33
he was departing from his principal subject, by in¬
dulging in these other inquiries. He traced the mi¬
grations of difiFerent tribes by the inclinations and
directions of countries, and in this way connect¬
ed their marches and stations with the structure of
the globe. He grouped the yarious languages toge¬
ther, and, tracing each to a common source, origi¬
nating always in the highest central land of an ele¬
vated mountain-range, he regarded each dialect, as
descending and subdividing, according to the di¬
rection of the valleys, becoming soft or harsh as it
happened to become stationary in a level or a moun¬
tainous country, and, in process of time, departing
in its character from the allied tongues, the more
widely as the natural obstacles to communication
became more insurmountable.
Even the laws of the militaiy art Werner endea¬
voured to trace to those of geology ; and if his ac¬
count was to be received, every general should have
commenced his career by studying for some time at
Freyberg. In a word, he referred every thing to
the object of his own passion, and, as Toumefort,
the celebrated botanist, formerly imagined that even
stones vegetated, Werner in like manner fancied that
stones could speak, and he thought himself warranted
confidently to demand of them the whole history of
the world.
Strangers who happened to visit Freyberg, and
expected to enter into conversation with a minera¬
logist only, were surprised at his continual discus-
C
34
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
sions on tactics, politics, and medicine. They were
sometimes tempted to regard them as allied to the
reveries of a maniac. Indeed, we may admit that
there must have been something of exaggeration in
generalizing to such an extent the relations of a
single object ; but it ought also to be kept in mind
to what a degree those conceptions, of so varied and
exciting a nature, presented in an attractive and of¬
ten eloquent form, must have warmed the imagina¬
tions of youth. At that age, when exceptions are
so much disliked, and difficulties so easily surmount¬
ed, the disciples of Werner hurried with enthusiasm
upon a field of inquiry which he described to them
as so vast and fruitful. A mineralogy purely mine-
ralogical would perhaps have disgusted many of
them ; but they devoted themselves with ardour to
a mineralogy which seemed to present them with the
key of nature ; and even although, on a final analysis,
there might only remain to them the foundation of the
science, would they not still have reason to rejoice
at the pleasing illusions which had been the means
of leading them thither ?
Some individuals who have since risen to the first
rank among the mineralogists of Germany, had wish¬
ed to hear him, only for the purpose of obtaining a
summary knowledge of mineralogy; hut having once
listened to him, that science became the profession
of their lives.
It is to this irresistible influence that the scienti«
fic world has been indebted for those laborious au«
MBMOIE OF WEEXEE.
35
thors, who bave so carefully described the different
states in which minerals exist ; and for those inde¬
fatigable observers who have removed from the globe
the last veil that concealed her mysteries. Karsten
and Wiedeman in the cabinet—Humboldt, Von
Buch, Daubuisson, Hermann, and Freyensleben, on
the summit of the Cordilleras, amidst the flames of
Vesuvius and .®tna, in the deserts of Siberia, in the
deepest recesses of the mines of Saxony, of Hun¬
gary, of Mexico, and of Potosi—have been led on
by the spirit of their master. They always ascribed
to him the honour that resulted from their labours ;
and it might be said of him, what could formerly be
said with truth of Linnaeus only, that Nature was
every where interrogated in his name.
Few masters have enjoyed in the same degree the
pure and unreserved gratitude of their scholars ; but
no one, perhaps, had ever so much deserved it by his
paternal regard for them. There was no sacrifice
which he would not make for his pupils. His time
and strength were at their service ; and if he knew of
any of them in temporary need, his purse was opened
to supply their wants. When his audience became
too numerous for each to see conveniently the ob¬
jects which he exhibited, he divided the students,
and repeated the lecture. His door was at all times
open to them : he took his meals usually with some
of them in company, as if he had wished that no
opportunity should be lost for their instruction.
Such a master might well entrust the care of his
36
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
reputation to his scholars ; and it is in fact by them
that it has been established. In this point, also, re¬
sembling Socrates, to whom he has been compared
in so many other respects, nothing can be known of
Iiis views but from the notes that have been taken of
his lectures. Whether it was that he was satisfied
with the indisputable ascendency which he acquired
by his powers of speaking, or that the vivacity of
his imagination could not submit to the restraint and
tediousness of writing, it was not without the great¬
est difficulty that he prevailed on himself to prepare
for the press one or two pamphlets, and a few ar¬
ticles for the journals. But he engaged in oral dis¬
cussion as readily as could he wislied, and his con¬
versation was that of a man of genius, as well as
of benevolent feeling. For hours together he would
continue to utter the boldest and best connected
ideas ; but nothing could make him take up a pen.
He had an antipathy even for the mechanical act
of writing, which was rendered amusing by its very
excess. His letters are extremely few. The ten-
derest friendship, the most profound esteem, could
scarcely extort one from him ; and at last, that he
might not reproach himself for this want of polite¬
ness, he ceased to open such letters as were sent to
him. One author, who was desirous to have the
opinion of many scientific men respecting a volumi¬
nous work, circulated his manuscript among them.
During its progress the packet was lost. After a
thousand researches, it was at last disinterred from
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
37
under a hundred others in the house of Werner
To carry this matter to tiie extremity, he did not
even reply to this Academy when it placed him on
the list of its eight foreign associates, which is adorn¬
ed with all the great names of which Europe can
boast for more than a century ; and perhaps he did
not even know that this honour had been conferred
on him, unless he happened to learn it from some
almanack.
But we may well pardon him, when we learn,
that, about this same period, an express sent to him
by his sister from Dresden, was obliged to wait two
months at an inn, and at his expense, before a simple
signature could be obtained to a paper relating to
some urgent family business.
This insurmountable antipathy to writing seemed
the more unaccountable, as it caused him lo infringe
the laws of etiquette, which, next to his studies, was
the subject that affected him most. In every thing
else, he is said to bave observed the slightest cour¬
tesies of social life with as much punctuality as he
attended to the varieties of minerals. This spirit of
formality, which was preserved in Germany for a
longer time than any where else, and in Saxony
longer than in any other pait of Germany, was par¬
ticularly remarkable in him, apparently because it
seemed in his eyes a kind of method. He delibe¬
rated about the arrangement of a dinner with as
much gravity as about the airangemeut of his library
or cabinet.
38
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
There was still one other point, however, to which
his observance of etiquette did not extend. What¬
ever might be the rank of any individual, if he
handled his minerals awkwardly, he was put out of
all temper. The least stain on their freshness or
lustre, wounded him to the quirk, and he long pre¬
served a deep recollection of it. Of such indivi¬
duals, he was accustomed to say, with his usual
good humour, that such a one was a great minister
or a skilful general, but, he added with a sigh, he
knows not how to handle minerals.
These little eccentricities, at which he was the
first to smile, were no way unpleasant when allied
to whatever is most elevated in genius, and amiable
in disposition. They had no influence on that affec¬
tionate veneration entertained for him by his youth¬
ful pupils, who were ever happy to be instructed,
and warmed by his words and attentions. They
studied his peculiarities only to accommodate them¬
selves to them—eager to shew their attachment
even by attending to his foibles.
But these peculiarities the public and posterity
will have reason to lament, as they have been there¬
by deprived of valuable works, which no other per¬
son, for a long time, will be able to execute so well.
It is said that the first sheet of his great work on
mineralogy was sent to the press, hut that he could
not undergo the fatigue of correcting the proofs.
Mis whole life was thus spent either in the regions
of lofty contemplation, or in the pleasures of philo-
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
39
sophical and friendly conversation—ignorant of all
that was going on at a distance, without reading the
journals of literature, and without even ascertaining
whether envy had occasionally made him the object
of her attack. His life might have been expected
to be prolonged for a considerable time ; for, of all
the methods which he had studied, that of taking
care of his own health had not occupied him least.
Among his whims, his anxiety never to be placed
between two cuiTents of air, was one of the most
noticeable. But of all his precautions, the most ef¬
fectual was the tranquillity of a peaceful mind, which
sought to avoid every thing that might excite in it
malevolent feelings.
The misfortunes of Saxony were the only cala¬
mities that escaped his foresight, and destroyed the
peace which it had procured him. He tenderly
loved that country with which he was identified in
a thousand ways ; no offer could ever prevail on him
to leave it. He loved a prince who protected the
sciences, because he had studied them profoundly,
and whom forty years of wise administration, and of
affectionate devotion to his people, could not pre¬
serve from so many calamities. His courage could
not stand the sight of the sufferings of his master
and of his country, and his anxiety and distress pro¬
duced a complication of diseases, to which no care
could administer a remedy. He died in the arms of
bis sister, on the 30th of June 1817, at Dresden,
40
MEMOIR OF WERNER.
whither he had gone in the hope of some aliénation
of his sufferings.
It seems as if fortune had brought him to this ca¬
pital, that he might there receive the most solemn
honours. The most illustrious persons in the king¬
dom assisted at hie obsequies. M. Bœttiger, a dis¬
tinguished philosopher, publicly pronounced his fu¬
neral oration. The most celebrated academies of
Germany have already paid him the same tribute
which we this day render to him, and which will be
decreed to him, under one form or other, in every
quarter of the world where any branch of the science
of the Earth is cultivated.
ACCOUNT OF THE WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY
SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH.
[From Blackwood's Magazine for June 1817.]
To determine the utility of Natural History, it is
scarcely necessary to do more than to enumerate its
various branches by which it will he seen in its most
convincing form. In truth the correctness of this
opinion requires no proof, since the general attention
which has, within a few yeai's, been excited to the
study of every department of natural knowledge,
must have rendered every illustration that can be
offered perfectly familiar to our readers. This be-
THE WEKNEEIAN SOCIETY.
41
ing the admitted fact, the importance of all attempts
to facilitate such studies, to excite ardour, and to sti¬
mulate exertion, will be fuUy appreciated. Under the
influence of this conviction, we make no apology for
submitting to the public the following sketch of the
rise, progress, and present state of the Wemerian
Natural History Society of Edinburgh, as well as a
few general observations on that branch of natural
history, to which some of its most distinguished mem¬
bers have hitherto devoted their talents. To this so¬
ciety, we, without hesitation, refer not only a large
share of the enthusiasm that has been kindled, but
some of the most interesting observations on the inter¬
nal structure of Great Britain that have yet been pre¬
sented to the world. In addition to this view, it will
be well to illustrate its truth, and to trace the insen¬
sible though progressive influence that has been exer¬
cised on the minds of many, by one enlightened, zeal¬
ous, and persevering individual.
On the Continent of Europe, the first steps to¬
wards improvement in mineralógica! knowledge were
made; while, in our own country, though so rich
in its mineral treasures, scarcely a work appeared,
with the exception of Wñliams' Mineral Kingdom,
and Price's Cornwall, that contained accurate ob¬
servations. Yet in the midst of this most deplorable
ignorance of the worJcs of nature, her most secret
mysteries were resolved with a boldness and teme¬
rity scarcely to be surpassed by the. flights of Para-
42
the wernerian society.
celsus, or of Amoldus de Villa Nora. It would
be a fruitless and unprofitable task to give even a
sketch of these whimsical, though often ingenious,
fancies.
The individual to whom mineralogy is most deep¬
ly indebted, is the well-known Werner of Frey-
berg. He has taught the vast importance of ac¬
curate observation, and patient investigation. He
has shown, that in this science, as in every other,
facts should not be made to bend to hypothesis ; but
that every man who wishes to obtain accurate views,
should begin his career unfettered by theory — and
that the result must be a more accurate and exten¬
sive acquaintance with the materials of this globe.
While this illustrious man was silently pursuing
his useful career in Germany, other philosophers in
this country, of high talent, boldly struck out gene¬
ral views, which, though not remarkable for accu¬
racy, entitled their authors to the character of ge¬
nius and of fancy. Dr Hutton of Edinburgh took
a decided lead in this matter ; and, had he studied
nature, and then theorized, his genius would, in all
probability, have illustrated many difficult points ;
but it is obvious, from his own works, that he has
frequently reversed this order of proceeding.
While these dazzling speculations allured the vo¬
taries of Hutton, the present Professor of Natural
History in the University of Edinburgh first became
known to the world as a scientific man, by his Mi¬
neralogy of Arran and Shetland, published in 1798,
THE WERXERIAN SOCIETY.
43
and afterwards in 1801, by bis Mineralogy of the
Scottish Isles. In these works, he gave a flattering
earnest of his accurate views in the study of science,
and of his indefatigable zeal in the attainment of it.
About 1804, Mr Playfair's beautiful and eloquent
Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory were first pub¬
lished. In this work, all that eloquence, fine taste,
and infinite ingenuity, could do, were united to vin¬
dicate and establish the doctrines of which the
author may be considered the most illustrious cham¬
pion. Public attention having been strongly excited
on these topics by the impugning of Dr Hutton's
creed by Professor Jameson, the contest became
keen ; and the result has been, to establish, very
universally, the important fact, that the science of
mineralogy is only to be acquired by patient labour,
and that theory is as useless as contemptible, unless
supported by a " cloud of facts."
In this state of general scientific excitement, those
who felt anxious to render it beneficial, naturally
sought for channels through which its influence might
be judiciously directed. The most obvious was the
establishment of societies, which, while protecting
and encouraging every branch of natural history,
would afford due support to mineralogical science
in all its parts, whether regarded as furnishing ma¬
terials for the philosophic inquirer, or as directing
the operations of the practical mineralogist. To
rouse a certain interest in the neglected though
highly interesting walks of science, was an object of
44
TIÍE WERS'ERIAN SOCIETY.
importance to every one who had perceived and felt
the inconveniences resulting from the old system.
Professor Jameson (who maybe considered the found¬
er of mineralogical science in Great Britain) had con¬
templated the object of this sketch soon after his re¬
turn from Germany ; and as the public attention had
been strongly solicited, by his valuable works, to
one department of natural history, it was considered
a favourable opportunity to bring together, in an or¬
ganized form, such individuals as were desirous of
extending the bounds of our natural knowledge in
general, without limiting the tendencies of its original
founders. Accordingly, on the 12th January 1808,
Professor Jameson, Doctors Wright, Macknight,
Barclay, and Thomson, Colonel Fullerton, Messrs
Anderson, Neill, and Walker (now Sir Patrick
Walker) held their first meeting, and " resolved to
associate themselves into a society for promoting the
study of natural history ; and in honour of the il¬
lustrious Werner of Freyberg, to assume the name
of the Wemerian Natural History Society." Pro¬
fessor Jameson was elected the first president ; Doc¬
tors Wright, Macknight, Barclay, and Thomson, the
vice-presidents ; Mr Walker, the treasurer ; and Mr
(now Dr) Neill, the secretary. Honorary and other
members were elected—and among the first of the
former, the society has the honour of enumerating
the illustrious names of Werner, Sir Joseph Banks,
Kirwan, and many other celebrated individuals. At
the same time, it was resolved that a charter should
THE WERNEKIAK SOCIETY.
45
be applied for ; and accordingly, this being done, the
Lord Provost and Magistrates of Edinburgh, by virtue
of authority vested in them, granted the charter on the
10th February 1808 ; thus solemnly incorporating the
Society.
The objects of this Society are simply the general
promotion of every branch of natural science. Some,
who are more disposed to cavil than to reflect, have
objected to the distinctive title assumed by the founders
of the Wemerian Society, as narrowing its scope.
Werner, it is true, is chiefly, if not exclusively, known
in Britain as a distinguished mineralogist. His know¬
ledge, however, extended to every branch of natural
science, and is regarded, by those who have possessed
the singular advantage of his instruction, as equally re¬
markable for its accuracy as for its extent.
The honourable compliment paid to Werner's me¬
rits, as a man of science, ought to be considered,
what it really is, as analogous to similar distinctions
bestowed on Linnieus in this country, and on other
eminent men on the Continent. The name implies
no determination blindly to support Werner's pe¬
culiar views—as may be shown from the published
memoirs, which contain undeniable proofs of free¬
dom of discussion.
The Society has now existed upwards of twenty-
seven years, during which period its records have
been graced with the names of all the most distin- ^
guished philosophers of Europe and America; and
46
THE WERNERIAN SOCIETY.
although unaided by the advantages of wealth, it has
has silently pursued its useful career, and has, both
directly and indirectly, contributed most essentially to
the well-doing of science. Most of the active mem¬
bers of this society are professional men, whose daily
engagements circumscribe the sphere of their scienti¬
fic utility; yet, notwithstanding this and other dis¬
advantages, they have explored a large portion of
country — have contributed several valuable papers,
which have been published, besides others of equal
importance, which will, in due season, appear at the
bar of the public. While the individual members
are thus co-operating in their efibrts, the society, as
a body, has not been negligent of its more imme¬
diate duties. Six volumes of memoirs, containing
several very valuable papers, have heen already pub¬
lished ; and the merits of these volumes are suffi¬
ciently known to the scientific world; and as ana¬
lyses of these volumes have been formerly given
elsewhere, it is unnecessary for us to enter into such
details.
The course hitherto adopted by the Wernerian
Society has been unquestionably good ; and upon
the whole, we are disposed to think that a quiet un¬
obtrusive career, in which solid foundations, for fu¬
ture distinction and lasting reputation, are laid, is to
be preferred to that rapid course which dazzles for
a while, but leaves no fixed and permanent impres¬
sion. When, indeed, we recall the circumstances
under which it was first established — when we re-
TUE WEKXEKIAN SOCIETY.
47
collect the odium which was attached to the very
name—we cheerfully offer the tribute so merited by
him, to whose intelligence, liberality, and unwearied
diligence, we owe all that true spirit of mineralogi-
cal inquiry now abroad, and which bids fair to place
our country among the first where such studies have
been successfully cultivated. While we thus bestow
praise where it is due, we cannot refrain from teià-
dering our mite to the Geological Society of Lon¬
don, which has done so much towards elucidating
the internal structure of England. Sincerely must it
be wished, by every true lover of science, that these
two societies may cordially co-operate in their com¬
mon objects. Let this be the case, and we shall
anxiously apply to them the spirit of the dying ad¬
dress of Father Paul to his country—" Estote per¬
petua."
LEPIDOPTERA.
INTRODUCTION.
Child of the sun ! pursue thy rapturous flight,
Mingling with her thou lov'st, in fields of light ;
And where the flowers of paradise unfold,
Quaff fragrant nectar from their cups of gold.
There shall thy wings, rich as an evening sky.
Expand and shut with silent ecstasy.
Yet wert thou once a worm, a thing that crept
On the bare earth, then wrought a tomb, and slept !
And such is man ; soon from his cell of clay
To hurst a seraph in the blaze of day I
Rogers.
The primary division, or Order, of the Class of
Insects, to the illustration of which the present vo¬
lume is devoted, acquires its name, like all the other
Linnean orders, from the characters presented by the
wings. These members have their entire surface
covered with a thick coating of minute imbricated
scales, which has caused the insects to be designated
by the name Lepidoptera, from Aew/?, a scale, and
wTijae, wings. This clothing, however, is not uni¬
versal in the group, as there are several genera par¬
tially denuded of scales, and others in which the
wings are clear and transparent, without any traces
of them. But these occasional deviations from the
11
50
INTRODUCTION.
prevailing structure indicate no essential disagree¬
ment, nor do they disturb the regularity of the or¬
der, which is perhaps the most natural and best de¬
fined of the whole.
The species which it includes are popularly known
as Butterflies, Hawk-moths, and Moths ; terms
which nearly correspond to the genera Papille, Sphinx,
and Phalsena, as originally constituted by Linnseus,
and to the sectional divisions of more recent writers,
founded on the seasons of flight, Diurnal, Crepus¬
cular, and Nocturnal. Many of these are among
our most common insects ; and the curious economy
of some, and the remarkable beauty of others, have
long attracted the notice of observers ; while their
varied forms, and gorgeous colouring, have afforded
subjects of the highest interest to the lovers of the
pictorial art. Their amount is so considerable, that
the Lepidopterous order ranks among the most ex¬
tensive with which we are acquainted. There is
reason to believe, that it is surpassed only by the
Coleóptera or Beetles ; and some authors are even
inclined to assign it a precedence in this respect over
that numerous order. In this country alone, al¬
though its variable and humid climate seems but
little adapted to the welfare of creatures formed
above all others for sunshine and calm, they fall very
little short of 2000. From this we may infer that
their numbers are very great in countries every way
adapted to their increase.
The diurnal Lepidoptera, or such as fly during
INTRODUCTION.
51
the day, to which the present notice must be re¬
stricted, are the kinds which are known in this coun¬
try by the name of Butterfly. This term is a lite¬
ral translation of the Saxon word Buttor-fleoze, and
is supposed to be applied because the insects first
become prevalent in the beginning of the season for
butter. They are distinguished from the other scaly-
winged kinds, by possessing antennae with a knob or
club at the summit, * and holding their wings, when
in a state of repose, erect or very slightly inclined.
They are the most generally and familiarly known
of our insect tribes, and, by their conspicuous ap¬
pearance, seldom fail to attract the notice even of
those whose perceptions are least alive to the beauty
of natural objects. The graceful curves of their out¬
line—their gay and fitful flight — the splendour of
their colouring and decorations, which present every
variety of tint found in the different kingdoms of
nature, distributed in markings and delineations of
the most beautiful and diversified character, seem to
confer on them a kind of superiority over other insects.
Some naturalists have accordingly considered them
as entitled to stand at the head of the Insect Class ;
and if, as Mr Kirby remarks, beauty, and grace,
and gaiety, and splendour of colours were the great
requisite, and the law enjoined Detur pulchriori—
* Certain foreign genera, however, such as Morpho and
Urania, form an exception to this rule, as they have an¬
tennas either of equal thickness throughout, or tapering
slightly to the summit.
52
INTRODUCTION'.
they are doubtless deserving of tins preference.
Their wings are augmented to a size that seems
quite disproportioned to that of the body, as if na¬
ture had wished to enlarge the surface on which she
was to employ her pencil, that it might admit of
more varied and profuse decoration. Even the un¬
der face of the wings, contrary to what is observed
in other flying animals, is usually as much adorned
as the surface, and often in an entirely different man¬
ner. Each wing, therefore, presents what may be
called two different pictures. No kind of ornament
found among other insects is omitted in this favoured
tribe; and so many new modes of embellishment are
employed, that Nature seems to have made them the
objects of her peculiar care, and designed them, as
has been remarked by the learned and pious Ray,
for the adornment of the universe, and to form de¬
lightful objects for the contemplation of man, bear¬
ing conspicuous marks of the hand of a Divine Art¬
ist. *
The habits of these insects are well fitted to con¬
firm the preference we assign to their beauty. Un¬
like many others of this class, which delight to riot
among substances most offensive to our senses, or
• Usus Papilionum—ad ornatum universi, et ut homi-
nibus spectaculo sint ; ad rura illustranda velut tot brat-
teas inservientes. Quis enim eximiam earum pufchritudi-
nem et varietatem contemplans mira voluptate non afficia-
tur ? Quis tot colorum et scbematum elegantias naturae
sius d ivinae artis vestigia eis im pressa non agnoscat et mi-
retur ?—Raii, Hist. Insect. 109.
INTRODUCTION.
53
«rliich destroy the property and lives of their less
powerful companions, butterflies derive their suste¬
nance from the nectareous juices and secretions of
fruits and flowers. Instead of grovelling on the
" dungy earth," they are generally seen either sport¬
ing in the air, or resting on the disk of some expanded
flower, and all their habits are such as beseem " pure
creatures of the element." They are seldom noticed
but in fine weather, and never in profusion but when
the season is in its highest bloom, and their appear¬
ance thus becomes associated in our minds with the
chai'ms of external nature, and is connected with
those images of life and beauty which give rise to
many of the genial influences of summer. Several
species also contrive to outlive the winter, although
their frail forms seem but ill adapted to resist the
rigours of that inclement season, and issuing from
their retreats in the first warm days of spring, are
among the earliest and not least interesting heralds
of the " purple year These circumstances, to¬
gether with tlie very striking manner in which they
exhibit the phenomena of transformation, have long
rendered them general favourites, and caused their
history to be investigated with gi-eater attention than
" In the sunny clime of Italy, where it may be said that
nature never dies, and probably also in other southern
countries of Europe, most of the species which with us re¬
tire on the approach of winter into the erevices of walls,
and other sheltered situations, are seen upon the wing
throughout even the colder months—at least we know that
it is so with Van. cardai. Atalanta, and a few others.
54
IXTHOÜÜCTIOX.
has been bestowed on insects of a less conspicuous
and attractive kind.
The diurnal Lepidoptera are very numerous in
species, although but a limited number inhabit this
country. Between 2000 and 3000 have been de¬
scribed, and it is probable that no inconsiderable
number yet remain undiscovered. About 75 diffe¬
rent species are recorded as indigenous to Britain. A
great proportion of the largest and most highly or¬
namented kinds are natives of the new world, espe¬
cially of Brazil ; but they abound in all tropical
countries, and some of these exotics present the
most sumptuous examples of insect beauty. " I
should undertake an endless task," say Messrs Kir-
by and Spence, or one or other of these authors,
" did I attempt to specify all the modes of marking,
clouding, and spotting, that variegate a wing, and all
the shades of colour that paint it, among the lepi-
dopterous tribes ; I shall therefore confine myself
to a few of the principal, especially those that dis¬
tinguish particular tribes and families. Of whole
coloured wings, I know none that dazzle the eye of
the beholder so much as the upper surface of those
of Morpho Menelaus and Telemachus. Linné just¬
ly observes, that there is scarcely any thing in na¬
ture that, for brightness and splendour, can be paral¬
leled with this colour ; it is a kind of rich ultra¬
marine, that vies with the deepest and purest azure
of the sky ; and, what must cause a striking con¬
trast in flight, the prone surface of the wings is as
INTRODUCTION.
55
dull and dark as the supine is brilliant, so that one
can conceive this animal to appear like a planet in
full radiance, and under eclipse, as its wings open
and shut in the blaze of a tropical sun. Another
butterfly (Papilio Ulysses), by its radiating ceru¬
lean disk, surrounded on every side by a margin in¬
tensely black, gives the idea of light firet emerging
from primeval obscurity : it was probably this idea
of light shining in darkness, that induced Linné to
give it the name of the wisest of the Greeks in a
dark and barbarous age. I know no insect upon
which the sight rests with such untired pleasure as
upon the lovely butterfly that bears the name of the
unhappy Trojan king f P. Priamus) s the contrast
of the rich green and black of the velvet of its wings
with each other, and with the orange of its abdomen,
is beyond expression regal and magnificent." *
Although our British butterflies can in no way
compete with the magnificent examples just referred
to, we yet possess many of great beauty, whether
as regards the brilliancy of their colour, or the har¬
monious manner in which these colours are distri¬
buted. The bluish-purple reflection that plays on
the wings of the Emperor of the Woods, has a rich¬
ness and brilliancy of tint, which is not often sur¬
passed. The prevailing hue among the Lycœnce, is
fulgid copper colour, of a high degree of resplenden¬
cy ; and the Polyommati, which are so abundant in
our pastures, are remarkable for exhibiting, in great
variety of shade, the most delicate and beautiful tints
* Introduction to Entomology, iii. p. 651.
PLATE 1-
INTRODUCTION.
57
scales on both sides of the wings. When they are
rubbed ofiF, the wing is found to consist of an elastic
membrane, thin and transparent, and marked with
slightly indented lines, forming a kind of groove for
the insertion of the scales. The latter are so mi¬
nute that they appear to the naked eye like powder
or dust, and as they are very closely placed, their
numbers on a single insect are astonishingly great.
Leeuwenhoek counted upwards of 400,000 on the
wings of the silk moth, an insect not above one-
fourth of the size of some of our native butterdies.
But how much inferior must this number be to that
necessary to form a covering to some foreign butter¬
flies, the wings of which expand upwards of half a
foot; or certain species of Moths, some of which
(such as the Atlas Moth of the east, or the Great
Owl Moth of Brazil), sometimes measure nearly a
foot across the wings ! A modern mosaic picture
may contain 870 tesserulse, or separate pieces, in
one square inch of surface; but the same extent of a
hutteifly's wing sometimes consists of no fewer than
100,736 !
In common with several other extensive races of
insects, butterflies derive their nourishment entirely
from liquid substances, and the structure of the
mouth is consequently very different from that of the
masticating kinds. They are hence classed among
the haustellated or suctorial tribes of insects. The
most conspicuous and elaborately constructed organ,
is the long flexible tube projecting from the mouth,
58
INTRODUCTION.
which forms a canal through which the ailmentary
juices are absorbed. This instrument, which is some¬
times of great length, is spirally convoluted when
unemployed, but it can he unrolled with great ra¬
pidity, and is admirably fitted to explore the tubular
corollas and deep-seated nectaries of flowers, for the
purpose of extracting their sweet secretions. It is
of a cartilaginous substance, and owes its great flexi¬
bility to its being composed of numerous rings or
transverse fibres, bearing some resemblance to the
annulose structure of earth-worms and some other
animals. It is formed of two distinct pieces, which
admit of being separated throughout their whole
length. Each of these pieces is traversed longitu¬
dinally by a cylindrical tube, and being grooved on
their inner side, they form when united another ca¬
nal in the centre, of a somewhat square form, and
wider than either of the two lateral ones. The junc¬
tion of the two parts is so close that the enclosed tube
is perfectly air-tight ; and this union is effected by
means of an infinite number of filets, resembling
the laminœ of a feather, which interlace and adhere
to each other. Of these three tubes, the central
one alone serves for the influx of the alimentary
fluids, the two lateral ones being probably employed
in transmitting air in aid of respiration, which, how¬
ever, is mainly carried on by means of stigmata or
lateral pores. The outer extremity of the proboscis
is frequently beset with many membranous papillse,
resembling leaflets, which have been regarded by
INTRODUCTION.
59
some authors as absorbents. From having observed
them chiefly in long and slender trunks, Reaumur
was led to conceive, that their only use is to render
that organ more steady, by affording numerous points
of support, and adhering in some degree to the sub¬
stances into which it is inserted ; — an explanation
rendered highly probable by the fact, that the long
and slender ovipositors of Ichneumons, and many
other insects, are generally provided with some point¬
ed projections near the tip, evidently intended for
this purpose.—Several of the figures on Plate I. are
designed to illustrate the structure of the organ just
described. Fig. 9, is a magnified view of the trunk,
showing its general form, and the projecting points
near the tip (a). Fig. 10, is a highly magnified sec¬
tion, exhibiting the two portions (a, b) of which it is
composed, each of them tubular (d, d), and forming
by their junction a central canal (e). Fig. 11, is
another section, representing the under side.
The two portions of which the proboscis is com¬
posed, seem to be analogous to the maxillte or un¬
der jaws of the mandibulated tribes, and to receive
their great development at the expense of the other
oral appendages, most of which are small and incon¬
spicuous. This is not the case, however, with the
labial palpi, which ai'e generally of considerable size,
and curved upwards in such a manner as to form two
projecting points in front of the head. These or¬
gans are covered with hair-like scales, are usually of
a somewhat conical shape, and consist, for the most
part, of three articulations. (See Fl. 1. fig. 12 a
60
IN'TKODUCTION.
They are attached to a triangular plate, which must be
regarded as the labium or under lip, as it closes the ca-
v;ty of the mouth, immediately below the insertion of
the trunk. On each side of the latter, not far from the
base, there is a minute tuberculiform projection, formed
of two or three indistinct joints, which together seem
to represent the maxillary palpi. The representative
of the labrum or upper lip, is a minute membranous
piece, usually approaching to a triangular shape ; and
two other small projections, more or less ciliated in¬
ternally, and placed one on each side of the probos¬
cis at the base, are analogous to the mandibles of
gnawing insects. Most of these parts, however, ex¬
ist in a very rudimentary condition, and afford an¬
other example, in addition to many already familiar
to us, of nature adhering to a particular form of struc¬
ture, after it has ceased to be subservient to any es¬
sential function ; for, if some of these parts are de¬
signed for the same purpose which they serve so ef¬
fectively when fully developed, it is not easy to see
how they could be employed by the insect, or in any
way prove serviceable to its economy.
Both the different kinds of eyes which occur among
insects, are to be found in the diurnal Lepidoptera.
The ordinary, or compound eyes, are large and he¬
mispherical, occupying greater part of the head, and
no fewer than 17,325 lenses have been counted in
one of them. As each of these crystalline lenses
possesses all the properties of a perfect eye, some
butterflies may therefore be said, if M. Puget's ob¬
servations are correct, to have no fewer than 34,660,
INTRODUCTION.
61
The stemmatic, or simple eyes, in the form of pel¬
lucid spots, are usually two in number, and placed
on the crown of the head. They are probably of¬
ten awanting, and, when present, are so indistinct,
from being covered by the hairs and scales that clothe
the surface, that their existence in any case among
the diurnal Lepidoptera has been sometimes denied.
The antennae are of moderate length, and consist
of a great number of joints, which usually increase in
thickness towards the extremity, where they form a
club or knob. (PI. I. fig. 12, b). They are greatly
more uniform in appearance and structure than in the
coleopterous or most other tribes, or in the nocturnal
species of the same order, which often have them beau¬
tifully branched, and plumose. The shape of the ter¬
minal knob, however, varies considerably, and as its
diflPerent forms afiford useful characters for distin¬
guishing genera, they will be afterwards particularly
indicated.
The thorax—that portion of the body interme¬
diate between the head and abdomen — is composed
of three segments, so closely united as apparently to
form a single piece. Its most ordinary form ap¬
proaches to cubical, any apparent deviation from that
shape being chiefly caused by the greater length and
density of the hairs and scales with which it is co¬
vered. Befoie the insertion of the upper wings,
two corneous scales may be observed, covered with
tufts of hairs, so as to make them resemble an epau¬
let : these have received the name of patagia, or
62
IXTRODUCTION.
tippets. The scutellum—a triangular piece in the
hinder part of the thorax, which is very conspicuous
in beetles and many other tribes — likewise exists in
butterflies, but it is very minute, and has its point
directed forwards. The thorax is always shorter
than the abdomen, and generally more robust, as it
supports all the organs of motion, and contains the
muscles by which the latter are actuated.
These important appendages are of course the
wings and legs, of which it is necessary to give some
account. The latter, as in all other genuine insects,
are six in number, and composed of the same amount
of pieces as in most of the class. They are inserted
pretty close to each other, without any inequality in
the size of the intervening spaces. The thigh is of¬
ten fringed with long hairs, and the tibia is frequent¬
ly armed with a spur near the middle, and two others
at the tip. Tbe tarsi in all the perfect legs are five-
jointed, and furnished with two claws at the extre¬
mity, which are often bifid. (PI. I. fig. 13.) Many
of these insects, however, have the anterior pair of
legs imperfect, or not adapted for walking, being too
short to reach the plane of position, and usually
drawn close to the sides of the thorax, the long hairs
of which in a great measure conceal them from our
view. These spurious legs have only one joint in
the tarsus, which, in some cases (as in Vanessa, &c.),
is without claws ; and the species so circumstanced
are named tetrapod, or four-footed butterflies.
The wings are of much greater extent, in proper-
INTRODUCTION.
63
tl'on to the size of the body, than in any other tribe
of insects. The forms which they assume are very
various ; but the most ordinary shape of the upper
pair is triangular, with the apex of the triangle to¬
wards the body, while the outline of the under wings
approaches to circular, They are traversed by nume¬
rous nervures, which give a great degree of strength
to the wing, and hold in tension the thin elastic
membrane of which it is composed. These nervures
are tubular, and are permeated by an aërial and
aqueous fluid, the action of which expands the wing
when in a moist and corrugated state after the in¬
sect has emerged from the pupa. The principal
branches rise from the point where the wing is at¬
tached to the body, and they divide towards the
other extremity into numerous ramifications. The
spaces into which the wing is divided by these ner¬
vures, are denominated areolets byKirby and Spence ;
and these authors regard the upper wings as divisible
into three larger longitudinal sections, which they
term areas. The costal area occupies the anterior
margin : the anal area, a narrow space along the
posterior margin ; and the intermediate area, all that
part of the wing lying between the two others. The
most conspicuous areolet in butteitlies is towards
the centre of the wing, at the hase, and is usually
closed on its outer side by transverse nervures. In
many instances, however, there are no transverse
nervures, and all the areolets are open towards the
outer side.
64
INTRODUCTION'.
With such an extent of " sail-broad vans," it is
easy for butterflies to support themselves for a long
time in the air ; but their mode of flight, at least in
Reaumur's opinion, is generally not vei'y graceful.
They seldom fly in a direct line, but advance by rising
and falling alternately, in a succession of zig-zags, up
and down, and from side to side. By flying in this
manner, they are supposed to elude more easily
the pursuit of the smaller birds, which often make
them a prey. " I one day watched with pleasure,"
says Reaumur, " a sparrow pursuing a butterfly on
the wing for a considerable time, without succeed¬
ing in catching it. The flight of the bird was not¬
withstanding much more rapid than that of the but¬
terfly, but the latter was always either above or be¬
low the point to which the bird directed its flight,
and at which it expected to seize it." * Many of
the species, however, differ so much from each other
in their mode of flying, thât a practised eye can re¬
cognise them by this means alone. Such as are pro¬
vided with strong wings, exercise a more steady and
continuous flight, nearly resembling that of a bird,
ascending high into the air, and often making their
way against a pretty strong cuiTent of wind. Of
our British species, the White Admiral is the most
celebrated for its manner of flying. " The graceful
elegance displayed by this charming species," says
Mr Haworth, " when sailing on the wing, is greater,
" Reaumur, Mémoires pour servir à FHistoire des In¬
sectes, i. p. 203.
INTBODDCTION.
65
perhaps, than can be found in any other we have in
Britain. Here was an old Aurelian in London, so
highly delighted at the inimitable flight of Camilla,
that, Jong after he was unable to pursue her, he used
to go to the woods, and sit down on a style, for the
sole purpose of feasting his eyes with her fascinating
evolutions !"
The hinder section of the body is the abdomen,
which presents nothing peculiar in its form or struc¬
ture. It consists of six or seven segments, and
is attached to the posterior part of the thorax by a
very small portion of its diameter. It is without
any appendage at the extremity, there being nothing
analogous to a sting or ovipositor among butter¬
flies.
Before acquiring their perfect form, these crea¬
tures, as is well known, pass through several diffe¬
rent states of existence, in which they are distin¬
guished by organs and properties of a wholly dissi¬
milar kind. Of these a somewhat detailed account
is necessary, in order to afford any thing like a com¬
plete view of their history.
All these insects originate from eggs, which are
carefully deposited on the leaves and other parts of
plants, by the parent fly, after accomplishing which,
she soon dies. These eggs are sometimes placed
singly, at other times in gi'oups containing consider¬
able numbers. They are always covered by a coat¬
ing of varnish, which serves the double purpose oí
E
66
INTRODUCTION.
attaching them to the plant and defending them from
the action of the weather. They differ essentially from
the eggs of birds, as no lime enters into their composi¬
tion, and, instead of being covered with a crustaceous
shell, they are merely enveloped by a thin membrane.
They are also very unlike each other in different
species, whether we regard them in respect to co¬
lour, form, or sculpture. Some of them are nearly
orbicular or oval, others cylindrical, and not a few
conical. The surface is often beautifully carved, as
will be seen by the accompanying figures, which re¬
present several varieties, as they appear when highly
magnified. Plate I. fig. 3, Egg of Vanessa urticœ,
with several longitudinal ridges. Fig. 4, Subcorneal
egg of Pontia brassicœ, with granulated longitudina.
ribs, connected by elevated cross lines ; the colour
bright yellow. Fig. 5, Egg of Hipparchia Tithonus.
Fig. 6, Of Hipparchia Jurtina, crowned with a se¬
ries of imbricated scales. Fig. 7, Globulai" egg of
Hipp. Hyperanthus, ornamented with regular rows
of minute elevated points. Fig. 8, Egg of Hipp,
eegeria, having the whole surface covered with hex¬
agonal meshes.
After the fly has fixed her eggs on a plant, she
takes no further care of them, but leaves them to be
hatched by the beat of the atmosphere. This gene¬
rally takes place in the course of a few days, but the
period varies according to the degree of warmth to
which they are subjected, and tbe greater or less
density of the shell or outer covering. Such, indeed.
INTRODUCTION.
67
as are laid late in autumn, do not produce their cater¬
pillars till the ensuing spring. To facilitate the egress
of the young larvae, the eggs of some species are
furnished with a kind of lid at one end, which is
pushed outwards by the pressure of the head.
Guided by an instinct which must excite the ad¬
miration of every reflecting mind, the butterfly, how¬
ever herself regardless of such pasture, never fails to
place her eggs either upon the plant which is to af¬
ford sustenance to her infant progeny, or in its im¬
mediate vicinity ; so that, upon their first exclusion,
they are surrounded by their appropriate food. Up¬
on issuing from the egg, the young larvae appear as
small cylindrical worms ; but their growth is ra¬
pid, and no very lengthened period elapses before
they attain theb- full dimensions. It is in this state
that they are termed caterpillars, a name which they
probably owe to their voracious habits.* They are
the most destructive of all the smaller animals to
living vegetation, and their ravages are sometimes so
extensive, as not only to occasion considerable loss
to the gardener and agriculturist, but even to render
* The origin of this word is not very obvious, but it no
doubt refers to their destructive propensities. The most
probable derivation is that which assigns it to the two old
French words, acat, food or provisions, more recently writ¬
ten cates, as in Paradise Lost,
alas ! how simple to these cates
Was the crude apple that diverted Eve !
and piller, to rob or plunder, whence also we have the word
pillage.
PLATE 2.
INTRODUCTION.
69
the thorax of the winged insect—and the others are
attached to the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and anal
segments. The form of the anterior or thoracic legs
is wholly unlike that of the others, and they seem
to be the principal instruments of locomotion. They
are of a horny substance, wide at the base, and gra¬
dually gi'owing narrower to the lower extremity,
where they terminate in a strong claw. Each of
them is divided into several segments, which corre¬
spond to the different parts that compose the leg of the
future fly. (Plate II. fig. 1, represents a pair of these
legs). The other legs, attached to the hinder or ab¬
dominal portion of the body, are soft and fleshy, and
therefore have been called the membranous legs, or
pro-legs. Their principal use is' to support the bo¬
dy, by adhering to the slender twigs and shoots
which the animals frequent to procure their food.
For this purpose they can be lengthened and short¬
ened at pleasure, and can even be drawn almost
within the body, like the horns of a snail. Their
general figure approaches to that of a truncated cone,
which is terminated by a fleshy foot of a construction
peculiarly fitted to cling to a smooth surface, or em¬
brace a slender twig. What may be called the sole
of the foot, expands into a somewhat triangular
plate, which is furnished on its inner edge with a
row of small horny hooks or claws, consisting of a
short and long one alternately, forming, as Reau¬
mur remarks, a kind of palisade round part of the
circumference. When the disk, or central plate of
70
INTRODUCTION.
the foot, is dilated, these claws are tunied outwards,
and their small curved points find inequalities to
which they can adhere even on a surface which might
appear to the naked eye almost smooth. Several
modifications of this curious prehensile foot occur
among the larvm of various kinds of moths ; but of
these it forms no part of our present puipose to give
an account. (Plate II. fig. 2, Represents the pro-
leg of the caterpillar of a butterfly, fi'om Reaumur.
Fig. 3, A pair of pro-legs, shewing the manner in
which they cling to a branch).
The head of caterpillars is of a harder consistence
than the rest of the body, and in most cases seems
to be composed of two oval lobes united. In that
of the Purple Highflier, these lobes are produced be¬
hind into two rather long occipital horns. (Plate III.
fig. 6). The conformation of the mouth of lepidop-
terous larvae in general, bears considerable resem¬
blance to that of several masticating insects in their
perfect state. See Plate II. fig. 4, which represents
the under side of the head of a caterpillar.) It con¬
sists of an upper lip, with a deep notch in the centre
(¿) ; two strong mandibles divided at the tip into
numerous sharp teeth, which cut the leaves that
serve as food (c, c) ; two small and indistinct organs
of a soft consistence, lying under the mandibles,
which may be regarded as the maxillae ; and an un¬
der lip (d). Near the summit of the latter, which
is usually of a pyramidal shape, is placed, according
to Reaumur, a small conical protuberance,perforated
introduction.
71
by a small hole, through which issues the silken thread
which serves so many important purposes in the re¬
markable changes these creatures undergo. This
organ has been named the spinneret. On each side
of the under lip, and connected with it at the base,
are two minute palpiform bodies (e, e), which may
be regarded as the labial palpi.
The efficiency of the organs just described, is well
evinced by the address and rapidity with which these
creatures consume the leaves which they select for
their food. They invariably begin to gnaw the margin
of the leaf, placing the body in such a position that
a portion of the edge passes between the anterior
legs, which support and keep it steady. Before ap¬
plying its mouth, the caterpillar stretches its body,
and advances its head as far as possible, that it may
command a larger extent of the leaf. The mandibles
are moved with great rapidity, and every time they
meet cut off a small piece, which is instantly swal¬
lowed. At every motion of the jaws, the head is
drawn nearer the legs, and after it has been brought
as far as possible, the body being contracted for the
purpose, it is again extended to the point where it
commenced to gnaw, and the same process repeated.
In this maimer the mandibles describe a succession
of arcs, and the leaf is cut in the segment of a circle,
somewhat resembling the circular incision made by
the leaf-cutting bees. It seems, also, that the notch
in the middle of the upper lip, formerly alluded to,
is of great service, as it is placed on a line with the
72
ÎKTKODCCTOON.
place where the jaws unite, and serres as a gi'oove,
both to give steadiness to the margin of the leaf, and
to guide it in the direction most favourable for the
jaws to act upon it.
The only remaining organs to which it is neces¬
sary to allude, are the eyes and antennae. The former
appear as small dark-coloured points, arranged in two
circles, containing six each, on the anterior part of the
head. These points vary in size, and seem to be of
the same nature as the simple eyes of spiders, and the
stemmata of various kinds of insects. The antennae,
often the most conspicuous appendages of the head
in perfect insects, are very minute in lepidopterous
larvae, usually consisting of two or three short joints.
They are almost always of a conical form, and many
species have the power of drawing the joints within
each other, like the tubes of a telescope, till they are
wholly concealed.
Many caterpillars of the day-flying Lepidoptera
are smooth on the surface, or covered only with a
very short matted pubescence ; but in some cases
they are furnished with rigid hairs, and numerous
long spines. These hairs are sometimes simple, but
more commonly they have a series of small pointed
pieces springing from each side, like leaves from a
stem. They are seldom planted irregularly over the
surface of the skin, but usually issue from a tubercle,
and diverge in all directions. These tubercular ele¬
vations vary greatly in number, and are placed in a
INTRODUCTION.
73
row across the middle of the segments. The spi¬
nous caterpillars indigenous to Britain are but little
remarkable when compared with many exotic spe¬
cies, but we have several which afford good examples
of this description of defensive armour ; such, for
instance, as the very common kinds that feed on the
nettle. In these, and most other instances, the spines
are sufficiently strong and sharp as readily to pierce
the skin of the hand. They are very often beset with
hairs, and frequently divide towards the top into se¬
veral small branches. Even when so numerous as
entirely to cover the body, they are not placed pro¬
miscuously, but arranged, like the tubercles formerly
mentioned, in a certain order. Each segment, with
the fi'equent exception of that next the head, is arm¬
ed with a transverse series, varying in number from
four to eight. The accompanying figure represents
a magnified section of the caterpillar of Cynthia
Cardui, exhibiting the number, mode of arrangement,
and structure of the spines. (Plate II. fig. 5.) These
appendages, in many foreign caterpillars, are said to
sting like a nettle ; and there can he no doubt, that,
in all cases, they are a powerful means of defence,
not only against the smaller birds, * hut even against
more formidable enemies.
* Few birds prey upon hairy caterpillars, although the
Cuckoo which is extremely fond of the larvae of Arctia caja
(called par excellence the hairy-worm) forms an exception
to the rule.
74
INTRODUCTION.
The history of insects, fruitful as it is in all its
branches, in instances of nice adaptations and in¬
genious mechanism, presents few topics more de¬
serving of consideration than are afforded by the
proceedings of these caterpillars when they change
their skin, and when they prepare to enter upon that
dormant state which precedes the development of the
perfect fly. The proximate cause of the moulting
or change of skin, is the internal growth of the body,
which thus becomes too bulky for the envelope in
which it is enclosed. The latter can scarcely be
said to grow, but is merely capable of being dilated
to a certain point, after which it offers so much re¬
sistance to the expansion of the enclosed animal,
that it becomes necessary to throw it off entirely.
It must be evident, however, that it is no easy task
to withdraw the body from a shell in which every
separate limb and articulation is closely encased,
without any assistance being derived from without.
This, however, the animal accomplishes so adroitly,
that the cast-off skin appears almost entire, and even
retains all the spines and other appendages with
which it may have been furnished. The operation,
which seems to be a painful one, and even at times
attended with fatal consequences, is thus described
by Reaumur :—
A day or two before the critical moment arrives,
the caterpillars cease to eat, and become very inac¬
tive, usually remaining stationary on a single spot.
They select some place where they may be in greater
INTRODUCTION.
75
security, and seldom leave it even though disturbed.
Although weak and languid, they are continually
giving various movements to the body, but without
shifting their station. The back is sometimes bent
outwards, and soon after resumes its natural position,
and the head is elevated, and speedily drawn down
again. At other times, the anterior part of the body
makes two or three very rapid vibrations to the right
or left ; while less perceptible motions are communi¬
cated to the different rings, some of which are consi¬
derably dilated, and others contracted. The effect of
these alternate swellings and contractions soon be¬
comes apparent, for the outer skin, now rendered dry
and rigid, by the subtraction of the juices by which it
was previously nourished, begins to split on the back
of the second or third segment, and discloses a por¬
tion of the new integument. The rent being once
commenced, is easily extended by the dilatation of
the body, from the first to the fourth segment, and
thus leaves a considerable part of the back unco¬
vered. This part of the body is no sooner free
than it is curved upwards, a movement by which the
head is disengaged from its old envelope, and raised
through the fissure. The head is then reclined on
the case that formerly contained it, and nothing re¬
mains but to withdraw the hinder part of the body,
ivhich is done by contracting the segments, and
drawing them towards the head till they reach the
opening.
All these operations, apparently so laborious, are
76
INTRODUCTION.
ar.coniplished iíi a very short time. As if exhausted
by its efibrts, the caterpillar continues for a while in
a state of inactivity, till the moisture evaporate from
its akin, and the newly exposed parts become suffi¬
ciently consolidated. The colours which, before
moulting, were pale and indistinct, soon become
bright and well defined, and are often distributed in
a manner diflferent from those which adorned the
rejected covering. Its strength and activity are soon
restored, and the renovated animal,
Nunc posltis nevus exuviis, nitidusque juventa,
returns to its wonted occupation with even greater
voracity than before.
These changes take place at least three difiFerent
times before the caterpillar attains its full maturity ;
and in many instances, it is probable that there are
not fewer than five or six moults. After continuing
in their reptile form for a longer or shorter period,
according to the species, they prepare to enter upon
a new state of existence, distinguished by attributes
very dissimilar to those they previously possessed.
This important and singular metamorphosis, by
which a long cylindrical worm, possessing all the
necessary organs of motion and nutrition, and em¬
ploying these with the utmost activity, is converted
into an inert mass, without external organs, and in¬
capable of locomotion, or of receiving food, is pre¬
ceded by some preparations similar to those that at¬
tend a change of skin. As if foreseeing its ap-
INTRODUCTION.
77
preaching incapacity either to defend itself or to flee
from danger, the caterpillar, having now completed
its full growth, generally abandons the plant on
which it fed, and seeks a secure retreat, or some
fixed and stable object to which it may adhere. It
is in consequence of this precaution that we so of¬
ten find chrysalides in the holes of old buildings, in
the fissures of timber, &c. or attached to walls, posts,
and trees, as the latter afford more permanent secu¬
rity than the weak and pei ishable herbaceous plants
which so many caterpillars frequent during their vo¬
racious days. Having selected a proper place, the
animal commences its curious proceedings, which
terminate in the ejection of its skin, the evolution
of the chrysalis, and the suspension of the latter by
means of a cord of silk. As chrysalides are sus-
pended in two diflereiit ways, either perpendicularly
by the tail, or horizontally by means of a band round
the middle, the proceedings of the caterpillars ne¬
cessarily vary accordingly, and it will therefore be
requisite to advert successively to each.
When the chrysalis is to be suspended by the tail
with the head downwards, the first operation of the
caterpillar is to cover a portion of the surface to
which it is to attach itself with a layer of silken
threads, which readily adhere in consequence of
their viscosity. £ach successive layer covers a
smaller space than that which preceded it, so that
they form, when completed, a little hillock of silk,
approaching to the figure of a reversed cone. Into
78
INTRODUCTION.
this the animal pushes its hinder pair of pro-legs,
which immediately get entangled among the threads
by the small hooks which project from a part of the
outer edge of the foot. (Plate II. fig. 2.) The ante¬
rior part of the body is then permitted to fall down,
and it therefore hangs in a vertical position, with the
head lowest. Soon after, it begins to hend the head
upwards, in such a manner that the convexity of the
curve is formed by the back : it retains this position
for a considerable time, then allows the head to fall
down, and again bends itself, always taking care to
do so in one direction. After this process has been
continued for some time, occasionally not less than
twenty-four hours, and in one instance mentioned by
Reaumur, it lasted for two whole days, the skin rends
in the back, and a portion of the chrysalis projects
from the opening. The latter is gradually enlareed
by the pressure and swelling of the chrysalis, which
acts as a wedge, both in splitting the skin and in
pushing it upwards to the tail. By alternate contrac¬
tions and expansions, the head, or lower portion of the
chrysalis, becomes wholly disengaged ; and the skin of
the caterpillar, now dry and shrivelled, is pressed toge¬
ther into a small bundle which surrounds the tail of
the chrysalis. This, however, is still the only means of
support, and the difficult task which yet remains for
the chrysalis to perform, is to extricate itself from the
skin, and suspend itself to the silken mooring, which is
now considerably above it. In order to accomplish
this, which seems to require an effort beyond the
introduction.
79
pow«r of a creature unprovided with ai'ms or legs,
it seizes on a portion of the skin between two seg¬
ments, holding it as with a pair of pincers, and thus
supports itself till it withdraw the tail from its
sheath. It then elongates the rings of its tail as
much as possible, and seizes a higher portion of the
skin, repeating the same manœuvi'e till the extremity
touch the hillock of silk, to which it immediately ad¬
heres by means of a number of hooks with which it
is provided for the purpose. " These operations of
withdrawing the tail from its case," says Reaumur,
to whom we have been chiefly indebted for the pre¬
ceding account, " climbing up the skin, and finally
attaching the extremity to the silken web, are very
delicate and perilous manœuvres. It is impossible
not to wonder, that an insect which executes them
but once in its life, should execute them so well.
We must necessarily conclude that it has been in¬
structed by a Great Master ; for he who has ren¬
dered it necessaiy for the insect to undergo this
change, has likewise given it all the requisite means
for accomplishing it in safety." * In order to get
quit of the slough, which is still suspended by its
side, the chrysalis curves its tail in such a manner as
partly to embrace it, and then, by whii'ling rapidly
round, sometimes not fewer than twenty times, and
jerking suddenly against it, it generally succeeds in
disengaging it fi-om its fastenings, and throws it to
the ground.
* ßeaumur, vol. i. p. 4:13, 424.
80
IVTRODCCTION.
VVhen the chrysalis is to be suspended horizon¬
tally, or in an inclined position, the caterpillar com¬
mences, as before, by fixing its hinder pro-legs to a
button of silk spun for the purpose. But as some
additional support is necessary in this case, it pre¬
pares a band of the same material for encircling its
body near the middle. DiflFerent methods are prac¬
tised by caterpillars for fixing this cincture. The
most simple, and least liable to accidents, is that
adopted by the larva of the common Cabbage But¬
terfly, and other allied species. Availing themselves
of the great flexibility of their bodies, they bend the
head backwards to the point where the girdle is to
')e placed, and, after fixing the threads on one side,
carry them over to the other, • merely by turning
the head in the opposite direction. Other caterpil¬
lars, of which that of the Swallow-tail (P. Machaon,
Pi. III. fig. I.) may serve as an example, spin their
suspensory band, and fasten it at each end, allowing
it to hang down in a loop, into which they insinuate
their bodies after it is completed. But the threads
not being agglutinated, or twisted into a compact cord,
the creature could scarcely avoid being entangled
among them in its passage, but for the dexterous
use it makes of its fore-legs, which it employs to
keep the band extended and in a proper position.
Some time after the caterpillar has been thus at¬
tached to the under side of a branch, or some other
object, the skin is cast nearly in the same manner
as formerly described, being ruptured on the back
INTRODUCTION.
81
by the contortions and annular contractions of the
animal, while the band is too loosely girt to form
any material hinderance to its being slipped down¬
wards to the tail, vvhere it is ultimately thrown off
altogether.
When the chrysalis is first disclosed it is soft and
tender, and covered with a viscid transparent liquor,
through which many portions of the future butterfly
may be pretty distinctly discerned. As this liquor
dries, it acquires the consistency of an opaque mem¬
brane, wbich envelopes all the parts, binding them
more firmly together, and forming a protection from
the weather. It so closely encases the different
limbs and organs, that the disposition of many of
them can be traced by the ridges and other promi¬
nences they form on the surface. This will be seen
by the accompanying figures of the chiysalis of the
larger Tortoise-shell Butterfly ( V. polychloros J,
which may likewise serve to exemplify the general
appearance of the diurnal Lepidoptera in their pupa
state. Plate II. fig. 6, represents the natural size of
the chrysalis, which is one of those distinguished by
a kind of mask, in which some authors have had the
ingenuity to discover a striking resemblance to the
human countenance. Fig. 7, a magnified view of
its under side : a, a, the wing-cases (Ptero-theca,
Kirby) ; be, he, the antennae; de, the trunk or
sucker ; J^J", two trigonal pieces, forming the eye-
caises. In consequence of their being so completely
enclosed by this rigid integument, Linné termed these
F
82
INTRODUCTION.
pupee obtected. In this state, they are of course in¬
capable of moving from the place to which they are
6xecl, and indeed of making a movement of any kind,
save twisting the abdomen to one side, which they
geneitilly do when disturbed. Scai'cely any other
symptom of animation is perceptible, but during the
continuance of this apparent torpor some important
changes are taking place internally. The milky fluid
which at first filled nearly the whole of the interior,
is gradually absorbed and assimilated by the growing
embryo, while the watery portions pass ofF by eva¬
poration. In this way the germ of the future fly is
enlarged and matured, till it ultimately fill the whole
cavity of the puparium or pupa-case. The process
of respiration is likewise carried on, though to all
appearance in a very languid manner, through the
medium of a series of spiracles or air-holes placed
on the sides of the abdominal segments.
The greater number of butterfly chrysalides are
of an angular figure, wide and obtuse at the head,
and tapering to the tail in the form of a cone.
Besides having various angular projections on diffe¬
rent parts of the surface, the head terminates in a
conical projection, which is very frequently double.
In a pretty extensive group, however, (comprising
the genera Thecla, Lycœna, &c.) the chrysalides are
without any protuberance, and of a conical shape,
the anterior extremity being simply rounded. The
prevailing colour is brown, often inclining to black ;
but, in some instances, they are adorned with very
INTRODUCTION.
agreeable bues. Those of the Swallow-tail and
Purple Emperor are of a fine green, resembling their
respective caterpillars : the ground colour of that of
the common Cabbage Butterfly is greenish-yellow,
marked with small black points, somewhat arranged
in lines ; while that of the Black-veined White
(Plate III. fig. 4.) is yellow, streaked and spotted
with black. But many chrysalides are decorated in
a more sumptuous manner, some of them appearing
entirely covered, and others spotted with golden-
yellow of the highest metallic lustre. It is this co¬
lour which caused the Greek name Chrysalis, and
the Latin one Aurelia, to be applied to the kinds so
distinguished, although these terms are now used
indiscriminately in relation to the whole. Among
British chrysalides, the kinds that exhibit most of
this metallic brilliancy, are those that produce flies
belonging to the genera Argynnis and Vanessa. Tiiat
it is not a superficial application, is proved by its
disappearing as soon as the enclosed fly escapes.
The observations of Reaumur have shewn that it i«
owing to the transparency of the outer skin, which
is of a yellow colour, and gives a golden tinge to
a shining white membrane lying immediately be¬
neath it. A similar effect is sometimes produced by
artificial means.
The duration of the pupa state varies greatly in
different species, and even in the same species, ac¬
cording to circumstances. Thus, the chrysalis of
the Swallow-tail Butterfly f P. Machaon J, when the
84
INTRODUCTION.
caterpillar enters upon that state in July, produces
the butterfly in thirteen days ; but when the chry¬
salis is formed in the end of autumn, the perfect in¬
sect is not evolved till the succeeding June. Such
variations were conjectured by Reaumur to depend
on the temperature to which the chrysalides are ex¬
posed ; and he proved this to be the fact by a series of
very simple and conclusive experiments. By placing
a variety of chrysalides in an atmosphere artificially
heated, he succeeded in bringing out several broods
of butterflies in the very middle of winter, which, if
left to natural influences, would not have appeared
till the ensuing summer. He found that when the
temperature was rather high, the chrysalides made
as much progress to maturity in five or six days as
they would have done in ordinary circumstances in
an equal number of weeks. Having thus proved
the influence of heat in hastening the exclusion of
these insects, he next tried the effect of cold in re¬
tarding it ; and the result was equally satisfactory.
He preserved several pupte ft'om heat, by keeping
them during summer in an icehouse, in consequence
of which the butterflies were not disclosed till a year
after their ordinary and natural time. *
When the butterfly is fully matured, it extiicates
itself from the puparium, by bursting that portion of
it which covers the thorax, an operation which is ea¬
sily accomplished, as the membrane has by that time
become weak and friable. On its first exclusion, it
• Reaumur, ii. 10.
INTRODt'CTIOK.
85
is feeble and languid, and usually fixes itself on the
exuviae from which it has just emerged, or on some
neighhouring object, till it acquire some degree of
strength. All the parts Me soft at first, and covered
with moisture, but this speedily evaporates, the or¬
gans become firm, and every symptom of debility
soon disappears. In this process, the development
of the wings is not the least interesting object. Hi¬
therto compressed within a very narrow space, they
at first appear as small crumpled packets, affording
no indication of the extension and beauty which they
ultimately acquire. But their folds and corrugations
soon begin to give way to the pressure of the ner¬
vures, which are tubular vessels ramifying through
the whole extent of the wing, and which are them¬
selves excited and dilated by having an aqueous fluid
impelled into them from the trunk of the insect.
As the nervures diverge, the inteijacent spaces gra¬
dually become tense, the animal assisting greatly in
extricating the folds, hy frequently shaking its wings
with a tremulous motion. The spots and other
markings are by degrees unfolded, and after the ex¬
panded wings have been for a short time exposed to
the sun, the new-born fly launches into the air with
as much apparent ease and confidence as if it had
been long familiar with such an exercise.
The appearance of these creatures in their various
states of caterpillar, pupa, and butterfly, is so strik¬
ingly dissimilar, that it was long a general belief that
they underwent, at each successive stage, a complete
86
INTRODUCTION.
transmutation, or change from one being to another
Such an opinion presented no difficulties to those
who, like Virgil, imagined that a swarm of honey¬
bees might be generated from a piece of putrid flesh ;
or, like Kircher, that a crop of sei-pents might be
reared from cut pieces of snakes, roasted, and sown
in an " oleaginous soil and may even now seem
not untenable by such as believe that a horse-hair
placed in the water of a spring, will, in process of
lime, be transformed into a hair-worm, or young
eel ! The accurate investigations of Malpighi and
Swammerdam were the first to show this subject in
its true light, by demonstrating in what the trans¬
formations of butterflies essentially consist. By the
dissection of caterpillars — an operation which they
performed with astonishing skill and delicacy—they
were able to discover the parts of the future butter¬
fly folded up within the body, in the same manner
as an embryo flower may be detected in the interior
of an unexpanded bud. " It is clearly and distinct¬
ly seen," says Swammerdam, " that within the skin
of the caterpillar a perfect and real butterfly is hid¬
den, and therefore the skin of the caterpillar must
he considered only as an outer garment, containing
in it parts belonging to the nature of a butterfly,
which have gi'own under its defence by slow degrees,
in like manner as other sensitive bodies increase by
accretion." * In every caterpillar, therefore, there
exists, from the earliest period of its life, the germ
• Book of Nature, ii. 26.
rXTRODUCTlON.
87
of the future fly, which is gradually developed by
the accretion of new matter; and its various enve¬
lopes are thrown oiF as they successively become su¬
perficial, till it is fully matured and perfected. When
in the state of pupa, the embryo having then advanced
another stage towards completion, the parts of the
perfect insect are even more easily discerned than
in the previous condition; and for some time.before
the final change they may even be perceived through
the membrane in which they are enclosed.
Even when viewed in this light, as a series of de¬
velopments without any absolute change of identity,
the metamorphoses of these creatures are sufficiently
wonderful to be ranked among the most remarkable
and interesting natural operations with which we are
acquainted. So striking did they appear to the an¬
cients, that they regarded the butterfly as aflbrding
a most lively and beautiful emblem of the soul ; and
according to this idea, the Greeks often used the
word Psyche, which properly means the human soul,
to signify also a butterfly. With greatly more ac¬
curate notions of the real nature of these transfor¬
mations, few modern writers on the subject have
failed to notice and dilate upon the general symbo¬
lical analogy which subsists between tbem and the
changes which the human body is destined to un¬
dergo. The caterpillar—chiefly occupied in pro¬
viding for its bodily wants and appetites — is regard¬
ed as representing the ordinary condition of human
life ; the chrysalis the intermediate state of death ;
88
INTRODUCTION'.
and the perfect animal, the renovated body when- it
rises from the tomb to enter upon a more exalted
state of existence. " But although the analogy be¬
tween the different states of insects and those of the
body of man is only general, yet it is much more com¬
plete with respect to his soul. He first appears in
this frail body, a chiltTof the earth, a crawling worm,
his soul being in a course of training and prepara¬
tion for a more perfect and glorious existence. When
it has finished this course, it casts off this vile body,
and goes into a hidden state of being in Hades,
where it rests from its works, and is prepared for its
final consummation. The time for this being ar¬
rived, it comes forth with a glorious body, not like
its former, though germinating from it ; for thougb
" it was sown an animal body, it shall be raised a
spiritual body," endowed with augmented powers,
faculties, and privileges, commensurate to its new
and happy state. And here the parallel holds per¬
fectly true between the insect and the man. The
butterfly, the representative of the soul, is prepared
in the larva for its future state of glory ; and if it
be not destroyed by the ichneumons, and other ene¬
mies to which it is exposed, symbolical of the vices
that destroy the spiritual life of the soul, it will come
to its state of repose in the pupa, which is its Hades ;
and at length, when it assumes the imago, break
forth with new powers and beauty to its final glory
and reign of love. So that in this view of the sub¬
ject, well might the Italian poet exclaim,
INTRODUCTION. 89
Non v' accorgete voi, che noi siam' vermi
Nati a formar 1' angelica farfalla ?" "
Lepidopterous insects, like most others of their
class, are liable to be attacked by various parasitical
assailants, which effect a lodgment in the interior of
their bodies, the substance of which they speedily
consume, and thereby destroy them in great num¬
bers. In none of their different stages are they ex¬
empt fi-om these attacks, excepting perhaps in their
winged state ; but they are particularly exposed to
them when caterpillars. The parasites are hyme-
nopterous flies belonging to the genus Ichneumon of
Lirmaeus ; and perhaps the most destructive are those
minute kinds which compose the modern generic
group named Microgaster. As an example of the
latter, we have represented the species which de¬
stroys the caterpillar of the common Cabbage But¬
terfly : it is the Ichneumon glomeratus of Linn.
(Plate II. fig. 8, greatly magnified.) The size is
very diminutive, the largest specimen seldom ex¬
ceeding two lines in length. The general colour of
the body is deep black, and the legs reddish-yellow.
The wings are somewhat longer than the body, and
pubescent, each of the upper pair having a triangular
black spot near the middle of the anterior margin (the
stigma), three discoidal cells, and a triangular areolet,
rather imperfectly formed. The abdomen is furnished
with an ovipositor, consisting of two flat valves, and
a curved horny sheath, terminating in a point. The
* Introd. to Entomology, i. p. 70'.
90
INTRODUCTION.
use of this instrument is to pierce the skin of the
caterpillar, and to form a conduit for conveying the
eggs into the hole thus prepared for their reception.
When the fly has selected a caterpillar fitted for her
purpose, she alights upon its back, and plunges her
weapon into its body, chiefly at the incisures of the
segments, depositing an egg at every insertion. This
operation is repeated till no fewer than thirty or forty
eggs are sometimes laid in the body of a single ca¬
terpillar. These are soon hatched in their singular
nidus, and the grubs which they produce imme¬
diately begin to feed on the substance of the living
animal. They do not, however, devour every part
indiscriminately, but are taught by a wonderful in¬
stinct to abstain from injuring any vital organ, as if
aware that their own existence depended upon that
of their unwilling foster-parent. In consequence of
this, the caterpillars survive for a considerable time,
and sometimes retain sufficient strength to assume
the pupa state, in which, however, they invariably
perish. But most frequently the gi'ubs arrive at
maturity before that change takes place, and in that
case they escape from the body of the caterpillar by
gnawing a passage through its sides. Having in
this way effected their liberation, they an-ange them¬
selves round the sides of the caterpillar, which is
now so exhausted that it soon dies, and spin cocoons
of a fine yellow colour, in which they ai-e transformed
into pup». When the perfect fly is ready to emerge,
it pushes open a small lid at one end of the cocoon,
INTRODUCTION*.
91
and after it has been for a short time exposed to the
air, it is ready for flight.
Other minute ichneumons deposit their ofFspring
in the eggs, or in the pupa of butterflies, and such
numbers are destroyed in this way, that it is evident¬
ly one of the means employed by Providence to keep
within due limits a tribe of creatures which, if left
to propagate without restriction, would occasion in¬
calculable mischief, by destroying almost every kind
of vegetable produce.
Having thus attempted to sketch the general his¬
tory of Butterflies, a subject of sufficient extent to
admit of much further detail, we now proceed to de¬
scribe the species which have been ascertained to
inhabit Britain, reserving such additional historical
notices as may be necessary for the full elucidation
of the subject, till we come to treat of the genera
and species to which they respectively refer.
92
Lo ! the bright train their radiant wings unfold.
With silver fringed, and freckled o*er with gold.
On the gay bosom of some fragrant flower,
They idly fluttering live their little hour,
Their life all pleasure, and their task all play.
All spring their age, and sunshine all their day.
Barbauld.
Genus PAPILIO.
The word Pafilio was used by Linnaeus in the
comprehensive sense which he was accustomed to
attach to such terms, to designate generically all the
diurnal Lepidoptera. As the amount of known
species increased, and their structural differences
were more carefully noted, they were arranged in
numerous generic groups, both for the purpose of
affording a more accurate view of their affinities, and
facilitating the identification of species. The origi¬
nal term thus became greatly restricted in its appli¬
cation, and is now confined to such butterflies as
present the following characters : — Antennae rather
long, with a slightly curved club, which is not com¬
pressed, and of an ovate form, terminating in a point :
palpi short, not projecting beyond the head, the third
or terminal joint minute and indistinct : legs all
formed for walking, the hinder tibiae with two small
PAPILIO.
93
spines at the apex, and the claws undivided : hinder
wings scolloped, and furnished with a long narrow
projecting lobe like a tail ; their interior edge con¬
cave or grooved, to receive the abdomen. The ca¬
terpillars are smooth and naked, and often ornament¬
ed with very beautiful colours. They have the power
of protruding from the neck a soft fleshy horn, whicii
divides near the middle into two branches, like the
letter Y. This appendage might be supposed to
serve the same end as the horns of the snail, to which
it bears much resemblance, but, unlike that animal,
the caterpillars are said to push it forth only when
alarmed, and it has therefore been regarded as a
means of defence, the more especially since it dif¬
fuses a penetrating and disagreeable odour. The
caterpillar of P. Machaon, with the horns exserted,
is represented on Plate III. fig. 1.
The chrysalis is angular, and fixed by a silken
band round the middle.
These insects composed the section which Lin-
naäus distinguished by the name of Equités. Nearly
200 species have been described, many of which are
the largest papilionaceous insects known, and re¬
markable for the variety and richness of their colours.
They abound in the tropical regions of both hemi¬
spheres, but occur very sparingly in temperate cli¬
mates. Besides the two which we have figured, only
one other species is known to inhabit Europe, viz.
P. Alexanor, which, though observed of late years
more frequently than formerly, is still extremely rare.
94
swallow-tail butterfly.
Papilio Machaon,
plate iv. fig. 1.
Hun. Donovan, \i. 75, pi. 211.—Lewings Injects oj fijcat
Britain, pi. 34.
This elesjant insect is the largest of our indige¬
nous butterflies, the female being sometimes found
to measure upwards of three inches and a half be¬
tween the tips of the wings. The base of the up¬
per wings is black, powdered with yellow ; a large
portion of the apex is of the same colour, and adorn¬
ed with a row of eight semicircular yellow spots, pa¬
rallel with the outer margin, which is naiTowly edged
with yellow : the central portion of the wings is yel¬
low, spotted with black, the latter colour forming
three large patches towards the anterior margin, and
running in a broad line along the nervures. The
basal half of the under wings is yellow, except the
inner side, which is black, and covered with yellow
hairs, and the curved nervure on the under side of
the discoidal cell, which is defined by a black streak :
the other nervures are dusky. Beyond the yellow
portion there is a broad black band, ornamented with
F I.ATE 4.
SWALLOW-TAIL BCTTERPLY.
95
a series of imperfectly defined blue spots, and a row
of six large yellow crescents externally ; the outer
edge is also yellow, interrupted with black at the
nervures. On the hinder angle of each of the un¬
der wings there is a large round spot of red, streaked
with light blue anteriorly, and nearly surrounded by
a black ring. The under side resembles the upper,
the most considerable differences being in the yellow
outer border of the upper wings, and the presence of
two or three faint red spots behind the discoidal cell,
and another on the outer edge of the under wings.
The body is black above, and clothed with yellow
hairs, the latter forming a line on each side of the
thorax ; the under parts are chiefly yellow.
The caterpillar is not of large size compared with
the perfect insect. It is smooth, of a greenish co¬
lour, with t^ incisures and a band on each seg¬
ment deep black, spotted with red; the retractile
organ on the neck of the latter colour.* (Plate III.
fig. 1.) It is a solitary feeder, and usually fre¬
quents umbelliferous plants, preferring fennel, and
the wild carrot. It also feeds on the latter plant in
a cultivated state, and sometimes occasions consi¬
derable injury to it in France, where the insect is
very common, and hence known in certain districts
by the name of Grand Carottier. The chrysalis is
green, with a streak of yellow along each side, and
an inegnlar row of yellow spots on the back.
• For an accurate and moro detailed description, re¬
ference may be made to Ray's Hist. Insect, p. 111. 1.
96 SWALLOW-TAIL BUTTERFLV.
Although somewhat local in Britain, this species
seems to be pretty widely distributed throughout
the southern parts of England, and has been found
as far north as Beverley in Yorkshire. It probably
does not extend beyond that place, as it certainly
has never been observed in Scotland ; nor have we
heard of its occurrence in Ireland. The fenny dis¬
tricts of Cambridgeshire produce it in considerable
abundance ; it has been often found in Norfolk, and
occasionally in Hampshire and Middlesex. Ray ob¬
served it both in Sussex and Essex ; and in the days
of Wilkes (who has given a good representation of
the caterpillar), it was rather plentiful near Westram
in Kent. It is generally diffused over the continent
of Europe : it occurs plentifully in Egypt and Syria;
and specimens are said to have been brought to this
country from the Himalayan mountains. It appears
in this country about the end of May, and sometimes
continues till the middle of August.
97
SCARCE SWALLOW-TAIL BUTTERFLY.
Papilio Podalirius.
' PLATE IV. Fig. 2.
Linn.—Donovan, iv. 1, PI. 109.—Lewin, Pl. 35.
The ground colour in this conspicuous insect is
yellow ; the anterior edge and outer margin of the up¬
per wings are black, and there are six transverse
tapering bands of the same colour on each, the third
and fifth from the base scarcely reaching the middle,
and the fourth and sixth not extending to the hinder
margin. The under wings are likewise marked with
several parallel black streaks ; a large portion of the
hinder extremity, as well as the elongated tail, are of
the same colour, and there is a series of large blue
crescents near the margin, which is itself edged with
yellow. The anal angle of each of the hinder wings
is ornamented with a red spot, bounded in front by
a black crescent, and behind by an oval black spot
bearing a curved streak of blue. The markings on
the under side do not differ materially from those of
the surface, the principal difference consisting in a
reddish line between the two largest bars on the
under wings. The body is yellow, black on tlie
c
98 SCARCE SWALLOW-TAIL BUTTERFLY.
back, and having a row of black spots on each side
of the abdomen.
The caterpillar is widest at the head, and tapers
considerably to the hinder extremity. It is smooth,
of a bright green colour, with three longitudinal
white lines, and indistinct oblique white streaks,
spotted with red on each side of all the segments,
except that next the head and tail. It feeds chiefly
on the various species of the genus Prunus, seeming
to be most partial to the sloe-thorn.*
Numerous notices are on record of this species
having occurred in Britain, but all of them have been
found, on strict investigation, to be of so unsatisfac¬
tory a nature, as to leave it in some measure doubtful
whether it is really indigenous. In some instances,
the preceding insect appears to have been mistaken
for it ; and in others, examples have been introduced
into collections as British, without that fact having
been fully ascertained. Mention is first made of it
by Ray, who states that he found it during his tour
in Italy ; and also, if he recollected rightly [ni male
memini, is the expression) in England. Berkenhout
has admitted it into his Synopsis ; and it is figured
by Donovan, Lewin, and others, among our native
species. In a list of rare British Insects, published
in 1827, there is an announcement of its having been
discovered in the New Forest ; but subsequent in-
* Mr Stephens, following Fabricius, says that its food con¬
sists of the different kinds of brassica ; but this statement is
at variance with recent and more accurate observation.
SCARCE SWALLOW TAU- BUTTERiLV. 99
quiry has thrown saspicion on the authenticity of
this account. The Rer. F. W. Hope informs Mr
Stephens (Illus. of Brit. Ent. 145), that he pos¬
sesses a specimen of P. Podalirius which was taken
at Netley, Salop. This statement has not, as far
as we know, been controverted, and seems to form
the only unexceptionable authority for regarding the
insect as an inhabitant of this country. It is very
common in some parts of France, where it is named
Le Flambe, from a supposed resemblance in the
pyramidal shape of the black stripes to the form of
flames.
100
BRIMSTONE BUTTERFLY.
Gonepteryx Rhamni.
PLATE V. Fig. 1.
Pap. Rhamni, Linn.—Donovan, v. ], PI, I4S.
This insect, and a few otiiers, were first formed
into a distinct genus by Dr Leach, on account of the
peculiar shape of the wings, which are large and an-
gulated.* The antennae are rather short and robust,
thickening gradually near the summit into an obtuse
club : the palpi project a little beyond the head,
and are compressed, the radical joint longest and
curved, the terminal one minute and conical : all the
legs are perfect, and alike in both sexes ; the claws
bifid (PI. I. fig. 13.). Under wings grooved to re¬
ceive the abdomen.
The male is entirely bright sulphur-yellow above,
and the female gi-eenish-white, both sexes with a
small round orange spot near the middle of each
wing, those on the upper wings being smallest, and
a few minute rust-coloured dots along the outer
edge. The under side is paler than the upper, and
the central spots rust-brown round the margin, and
* Named from yovtot an angle, and -rri^vs a wing.
BRIMSTONE BUTTERFLY.
101
pale in the centre. The body is black above, and
clothed with fine white silky hairs ; the under pans
and the legs yellow. The antennae are reddish,
and the anterior part of the head and thorax are
faintly tinged with rose-colour.
The caterpillar is elongated and naked, of a light
green colour, with numerous black scaly dots on
the back, and a pale line along each side of the belly.
It is said to feed on the buckthorn (Rhamnus cath-
articus), and the beiTy-bearing alder {R.frángula).
It changes into a short angular chrysalis with a single
conical beak, which is attached by the tail, and has
a loose girth round the middle.
This insect is generally distributed over the
southern parts of England ; it likewise occurs pretty
far to the north, as it is abundant at York, and has
been observed by Mr Wailes on the magnesian lime¬
stone district near Newcastle, and by Mr Wilson on
the banks of Windermere. It has not, however,
been noticed in Scotland, a circumstance perhaps to
be attributed to the rarity of the plants from which
the larvte derive their sustenance. It very often sur¬
vives the winter ; and its early appearance (some¬
times before the middle of February), together with
the gay tint of its colour, and the graceful outline of
its wings, render it one of the most interesting he¬
ralds of the " grata vice veris et Favonii." " The
very first butterfly," says Mr Knapp, " that will
aloft repair,
And sport and flutter in the fields of air,
10-2
BRIMSTONE BÜTTERFLY.
is the sulphur butterfly, which, iu the bright sunny
mumings of March, we so often see under the warm
hedge, or by the side of some sheltered copse, undu¬
lating and vibrating like the petals of a primrose in
the breeze."* There are two broods, the first ap¬
pearing in May and June, the last in autumn. It
occurs in great profusion in all the continental coun¬
tries of Europe, and often in company with another
species so closely resembling it, that the one might
readily be taken for a variety of the other. The
latter is named G. Cleopatra, and presents scarcely
any other distinctive mark, but a suffusion of bright
orange-red on the middle of the primary wings of
the male. Mr Curtis has figured, with his usual ac¬
curacy and elegance, what he regards as a variety of
G. Rhamni, taken many years since in the neigh¬
bourhood of London, and possessing characters al¬
most intermediate between the two species.
* Journal of a Naturalist, PS.
I'LATL 3
\ Ooneptervx lüuüruii. 2. Colías etúisa
Snr/Li ùjrie B CloïuÏL'd yellow B.
103
CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY.
Colias Edusa.
PLATE V. Fig. 2.
Colias edusa, Fab.—Donovan, vii. PI. 238, Fig. 2, female,
and ii. PI. 43 (C. hyale), male Pap. Electra, Lewin, Pl.
32.—Clouded yellow or Saffron B., Harris^ Aur. C. He.
lice, Haworth, Jermyn, var.
In the form of the antennse, oral organs, and most
other parts from which generic characters are usually
drawn, Colias presents no very important difference
from the preceding genus. The wings, however,
are of a different shape, the primary pair being tri¬
angular, and the secondary ones rounded. The spe¬
cies are not very numerous, and none of them, even
of the exotic kinds, are beyond the middle size.
They are remarkable for the uniformity of their tints,
the ground colour being some shade of yellow, often
tinged with green, and a portion of the wings more
or less marked with black. This general resemblance
has led to some confusion in their synonymy. The
male of C. edusa is fulvous above, or pale orange-
yellow ; the upper wings with a wide black border
at the extremity, which is waved on its inner edge,
and a rounded spot of the same colour in the middle
104 CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY.
of each. The hinder wings are likewise margined
with black, the ground colour slightly mixed with
green, and there is on each a round discoidal spot of
deep yellow. On the under side, the upper wings
are pale tawny on the disk, and greenish at the ex¬
tremity, with a central black spot, and an obsolete
series of blackish spots parallel with the outer edge :
the under wings greenish, with a central silvery ocel¬
lus, having another small one adjoining, and a curved
row of faint rust-coloured dots posteriorly. The body
is yellowish-green, dusky on the back : the antennsc
reddish. The female is distinguished chiefly by hav¬
ing a few yellow spots on the black marginal band
of the upper wings. Examples of this sex sometimes
occur, in which the parts, usually yellow, are greenish-
white, a circumstance which has led some authors to
describe it as distinct, imder the name of C. helice.
Varieties of both sexes have been found in Britain,
of a considerably smaller size and paler colour than
ordinary specimens, and presenting at the same time
so many other minute points of difference, that they
have been figured and described as examples of the
species named chrysotheme by continental naturalists.*
The caterpillar is deep green, with a white line
along each side of the beUy, marked with yellow
spots and minute bluish dots. On the Continent it
is found chiefly on the Cytisus austriacus, but as,
* See Stephen's Illas, of Entom. Haustellata, vol. 1. p. 11,
PI. II.*, figs. 1, 2.
CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY. 105
that plant is not indigenous to Britain, it probably
feeds in this country on some diadelphous herb per¬
taining to the same natural order. The butterfly
occurs in the south of England in considerable plenty
in particular years, while in others scarcely an ex¬
ample is to be met with. It seems to prefer the vi¬
cinity of the sea, having been found more copiously
than elsewhere along the south-east coast, particu¬
larly in the neighbourhood of Dover. It is likewise
seen occasionally in the midland counties. Over
foreign lands C. edusa is characterised by a very ex¬
tensive range. It is well known in most portions
of the continent of Europe. Mr Burchell found it
in the south of Africa, and Mr Swainson has seen
specimens from the mountains of Nepaul.
106
PALE CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY.
Colias Hyale.
PLATE VI. Fig. 1.
Pap. Hyale, Linn. Donovan, vii. 238, Fig. 1.—Curtis, Brit.
Ent. vi. 242 Pale Clouded Yellow, Harris' Aurel.
Lewin, Pl. 33.
This fine species is generally somewhat larger
than the preceding, the male of a fine sulphur-yel¬
low (sometimes, however, nearly white) ; the female
white, faintly tinged with sulphur. The upper wings
are greyish at the base, marked with a black spot
near the middle anteriorly, and having at the extre¬
mity a broad black border, which is attenuated at the
hinder angle, and almost divided by a series of nearly
continuous spots down the middle. The under
wings have a large orange spot on the disk, with a
small one attached to it ; the margin next the upper
wings is dusky, and there are a few dusky spots re¬
mote from the outer edge, and nearly parallel with
it. Beneath, the upper wings are whitish-yellow,
suffused with orange at the tip, having a discoidal
black spot with a yellow centre, and a row of small
dusky marks at some distance from the outer mar-
PLATE ü.
1. CoUas HyaU. '¿. Coh'/is Et/roponu.
rale cloiide^jyeHow. Scar ce clondeilyellcw ß
PALE CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY. 107
gin : the under wings dull orange, with a large and
small silvery spot in the centre, cinctured with rust-
red, and a curved row of small black spots. The
fringe of the wings and the antennae are rose-red.
The caterpillar is green, with two white lines on
the sides, each segment marked with two irregular
transverse series of black spots. (Plate III. fig. 2.)
Its appropriate food is said to be the Coronilla varia,
but in this country it must often content itself with
other fare, and probably has recourse to dififerent kinds
of diadelphous plants. The butterfly is considerably
rarer than C. edusa ; and, like that species, is found
chiefly on the sea-coast in the south-east corner of
the island, as in Kent, Sussex, and Sufiblk. There
is a pale variety, nearly pure white, of which examples
of both sexes have occurred, chiefly in the vicinity
of Dover. Indeed, the insect may almost be said
to be a maritime fly, so rarely has it been noticed at
any distance from the sea-coast.
108
SCARCE CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY.
Colias Enropome.
PLATE VI. Fig. 2.
Stephen's Illus. ii. PI. 1 *, Figs. 1,2, and 3.—Eurymus Euro-
pome ; Clouded Sulphur, Swainson's Zool. Illus. 2d ser.
No. 15 Haworth, Lep. Brit. 13. No. 12.
" Both sexes of this fine insect are of a fine sul¬
phureous-yellow above ; the male has the hinder mar¬
gin of both wings deeply edged with black, an ovate
spot of that colour on the disk of the anterior, and
an obsolete fulvous spot on that of the posterior ; the
border on the latter is irregularly sinuated within :
beneath the anterior wings are paler, with the tips
rather deeper, the discoidal spot is whiter, with a
black or dusky iris, and parallel with the hinder mar¬
gin is a very obsolete row of dusky spots ; the pos¬
terior wings are of a deeper yellow, minutely irrorated
with black, with a discoidal silvery ocellus, having a ful-
vescent iris, and a secondary silver spot adjacent ; they
have also an obsolete row of dusky spots parallel with
the hinder margin, and forming a continuous series
with those of the anterior wings, and a larger some¬
what triangular fulvescent spot on the upper edge.
The female differs in having the black border of the
SCARCE CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY. 109
hinder margin of the anterior wings, iiTsgularly spot¬
ted with yellow, and in wanting the border to the
posterior wings, having in its place some obsolete
triangular dusky spots. Both sexes have the extreme
edge, both above and below, and the cilia, rose-co¬
lour."
Having never seen authentic specimens of this in¬
sect, we have introduced the description of the au¬
thor by whom it was first made known to the public
as British. Many doubts have been expressed as to
its being strictly indigenous, and perhaps the evidence
which at first led to its being regarded in that light,
might not unjustly be considered somewhat incon¬
clusive. But since the means of identifying the spe¬
cies became accessible to all, several announcements
have been published of its having been found in
England. It has been observed near Ipswich, in
Suffolk, and also in Sussex. " Has been noticed in
the meadows near the confluence of the Avon and
Severn, flying with great swiftness, in August, but
it is a rare insect."
no
Genus PONTIA.
This genus comprehends the white butterflies,
which are so common in gardens, and which are
so well known for the depredations they commit
in their caterpillar state, on cabbages and other ole-
raceous plants. The species are by no means nu¬
merous, but they are so prolific, that even in those
seasons which are most unfavourable to the increase
of insects, we seldom fail to see them flitting about
in every transient gleam of sunshine. Till lately
our native species were not thought to exceed three,
but an indefatigable naturalist, who has laboured most
successfully in elucidating the entomology of Bri¬
tain, has described four others, which he regards as
distinct, and which he names P. Chariclea, Metra,
Napaeœ, and Bryoniœ. " It yet remains to be seen,
however," says the Rev. W. T. Bree, " whether, in
the judgment of entomologists in general, these early
whites (as they are termed), will eventually maintain
their, place as genuine and distinct species. For my¬
self, I may say that I have not been unobservant of
these insects for some years past, and have more par¬
ticularly attended to them during the spring and
summer of the present year ; and as far as my obser¬
vations go, they lead me to the conclusion, that P.
Chariclea and Metra are mere varieties respectively
QENDS PONTIA.
Ill
of P. Brassicœ and Rapas. P. Rapœ is avowedly
a very variable insect, and being too, as well as P.
Brassicœ, a most abundant species, there is conse¬
quently the more scope,—there are so many more
chances—for variation to take place in the individuals.
It must be admitted, indeed, that when a small and
perfectly immaculate specimen of P. Metra is com¬
pared with a full sized and strongly marked one of
P. Rapœ, the prima facie diflference is so wide, that
any one would at once pronounce them distinct.
But then, on the other hand, we find that interme¬
diate specimens occur, which, presenting every pos¬
sible shade and gradation of diflference, appear natu¬
rally to connect and identify the two extremes ; and
it would be next to impossible to decide, in many
instances, to which of the two these intermediate
links should with more propriety be referred. The
same observations apply also to the kindred species P.
Napi, the earliest spring specimens of which are
smaller than those of the summer brood, paler in their
markings above, and sometimes also entirely destitute
of them ; and this species too, like P. Brassicœ and
Rapœ, is subject to endless variations. No material
diflference has yet been observed in the caterpillar or
chiysalis of the early whites, to distinguish them from
P. Brassicœ and Rapœ ; and the distinctions in the
markings, &c. pointed out by Mr Stephens in proof
of their being genuine species, seem scarcely sufficient
to outweigh what maybe urged on the other side."*
• Loudon's Mag. of Nat. History, ill. 242.
112
GENUS PONTIA.
The judiciousness of the above observations, few vviio
have had an opportunity of examining the insects to
which they refer will, we think, hesitate to acknow¬
ledge ; and, taken in connexion with other points of
agreement subsequently pointed out, they seem to
leave little doubt about the propriety of regarding
the reputed new species as mere varieties. Several
competent observers, however, being still inclined
to consider them distinct, it may be as well in tho
meanwhile to regard them in that light, till it be seen
whether further investigations tend to confirm or
confute this opinion. With the view of aiding such
inquiries, we have described P. Chariclea, Metra,
and Sabellicce, and given figures of them from cha¬
racteristic examples procured from the cabinet of the
eminent naturalist by whom they were first named
and described as likely to prove genuine species.
The true Pontia may be known by the following
characters : Antennae long and slender, terminating
in a somewhat abrupt, compressed, obconic club,
consisting of seven or eight joints, and grooved on
one side ; palpi clothed with scales, and fringed with
hairs externally, the terminal joint longer than either
of the preceding; anterior wings nearly three-cor¬
nered, the apical angle not very acute ; the posterior
wings rounded and not variegated beneath : legs alike
in both sexes, the claws slightly forked. The chi^'-
salis terminates anteriorly in a single beak, and is
attached by the tail, and has a loose band round the
middle.
113
COMMON CABBAGE BUTTERFLY.
Pontia Brassicœ
PLATE VII. Figs. 1 and 2.
Pap. Brasslcae, Linn Don. xiii. 29, 446.—Lewin, Pl. 25
Large Garden White, Harris.
In this well known insect the wings are white
above, with a large patch of black, somewhat indented
on its inner edge, on the tip of the anterior pair :
the male has no other mark on the upper surface,
except a black spot near the middle of the anterior
edge of the secondary wings ; but the female, besides
the spot just mentioned, has two others on the disk
of the upper wings, and an elongated patcli at their
hinder margin. On the under side, both sexes are
nearly alike; the colour inclines to yellow, especially
on the hinder wings, which appear as if sprinkled
with black, owing to an intermixture of dark-co¬
loured scales ; the upper wings hear two conspicuous
black spots on each, and there is an indistinct dusky
mark on the anterior margin of the hinder pair. The
fringe of the wings is yellowish, slightly waved with
black. The body and antennae are white beneath,
II
114
COMMON CABBAGE BUTTERFLY.
and black above, tbe former clotbed with boary pu¬
bescence on tbe thorax. Males sometimes occur
spotted with black on tbe upper wings, somewhat
in a similar manner to the female.
The caterpillar is green, having a narrow line of
yellow along the back, and another on each side of
the belly ; tbe body pretty thickly covered with black
tubercular points, each of them with a hair in tbe
centre. Besides consuming the different varieties of
the common cabbage (brocoli, cauliflower, &c.), this
destructive caterpillar has been often found to attack
the turnip, and its voracity is so great, that these
useful vegetables would often be completely destroy¬
ed, were it not for the numerous enemies which
prevent its superabundant increase. Of these, the
most formidable are the parasitical ichneumons, es¬
pecially the minute species formerly described,* and
others allied to it. The small birds likewise destroy
great numbers. " I once observed a titmouse {Pa¬
rus major)" says Haworth, "take five or six large
ones to its nest in a very few minutes. In inclosed
gardens, sea-gulls, with their wings cut, are of infi¬
nite service. I had one eight years, which was killed
by accident, that lived entirely all the while upon the
insects, slugs, and worms he found in the garden.
Poultry of any sort will soon clear a small piece of
ground ; but unless they are of the web-footed kind
they do much mischief, by scratching the earth.'
But perhaps the most effectual method would he to
* Page 89.
COJIMON CABBAGE BDTTERFLY.
115
destroy the parent flies when they first begin to ap¬
pear in May, before they have had time to deposit
their eggs.
The butterfly is first seen on the wing about the
middle of Mav. but in the south of England it often
appears much earlier. It occurs abundantly in all
parts of Britain, and seems to be equally plentiful
throughout Europe.
PLATE Ö.
1 CAí¿rú:/^a.J/a/^ 2 PontitiMtU'a.Malf o PonPaSnlwllir.h'.FfinT'''.
Early U7ii/r Cahha^cB. Hownrdv Wlu'fa. Dnsh' v-'ú' f ''7r/'
117
SMALL WHITE BUTTERFLY.
Pontia Rap<E^
PLATE VIL Fig. 3.
Pap. Rapse, I,inn Lewin, Pl. 26.—Pap. alba media, Bali,
Hist. Insect Small Garden White, Harris.
ÏHE expansion of tlie wings is from one inch and
eight lines to two inches five lines ; it is therefore
considerably smaller than the preceding, to which in
other respects it bears a strong resemblance. The
upper surface is white, slightly inclining to yellow ;
the primary wings have a dusky spot at the tip, ex¬
tending a short way along the anterior border ; in the
male there is a single rounded spot on the disk, and
two in the female, with an oblong patch behind, as
in the same sex of P. Brassica ; the hinder wings
with the usual black mark on their anterior border.
Beneath, the anterior wings bear two discoidal black
spots, the tip is yellow, and the base slightly sprinkled
with dusky ; the under wings are rather bright yel¬
low, with dark scales intermixed, making them ap¬
pear as if powdered with black dust ; on the anterior
edge at the base, there is a narrow streak of orange-
yellow.
Although this butterfly bears so much resemblance
118
SMALL WHITE BUTTERPI.V.
to the lárice cabbage species, the complete distinction
of the two IS well evinced by the appearance of the
respective caterpillars. That of P. Rapes is light-
green, with a pale line along the back, and a whitish
streak, somewhat punctured with yellow, on each
side of the belly. It feeds <fti cabbages, turnips, &c.
and is often found associated with the larva of P.
Brassicœ in devastating our garden produce. It ge¬
nerally insinuates itself between the folded leaves in
the centre of cabbage and cauliflower plants ; hence
it is named in France ver du cœur. The butterfly
is very common in all parts of this country, and in
most quarters of Europe. It appears in the end of
April or beginning of May, and a second flight takes
place in July. But the insect is at all times so
abundant, that there is probably a succession of broods
throughout the summer and autumn. The markings
vary considerably.
119
HOWARD'S WHITE BUTTERFLY.
Pontia Metra.
PliATE VIII. Fig. 2.
Stephen's Illus, Haust, i. 19.
The wings of this insect expand from 20 to 25
lines. The colour is entirely yellowish-white, the
base of the wings blackish, and the tip of the ante¬
rior pair, which is more acute than in the allied spe¬
cies, slightly suffused with light brown ; in the male
there is a single dusky spot, and in the female two,
which, however, are always very obsolete, and some¬
times, as in the variety figured, entirely wanting. The
hinder wings are wholly white, with the usual dusky
spot anteriorly. The tip of the upper wings is yel¬
low beneath, and two faint spots are observable on
the disk ; the hinder wings beneath rather bright
yellow, especially on the anterior edge at the base,
and sprinkled with black points. The fringe of the
wings is nearly pure white.
Occurs early in April, and there appears to be a
second brood in June. It has been noticed chiefly
in the south of England, but is probably to be found
120
Howard's white butterfly.
in most parts of the country. " Found near New¬
castle early in spring, but whether specifically dis¬
tinct I have been unable to satisfy myself; thus
much I may say, I never took it in the autumn."—
G. Wailes, Esq.
PLATE 9
Zliar.rsc
J21
BREEN-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.
Pontia Napi.
PLATE IX. Fig. 1,
Pap. Napi,Linn Lewin, pl. 27—Donovan, viii. 23. pi. 280.
fig. 1.—Green-veined white, Harris.
The wings of this species expand from 17 to 22
lines ; the colour white, inclining to yellow. The
tip of the primary wings is dusky, and in the male
there is a round black spot near the middle, not very
remote from the outer margin, the female having two
such spots on each wing. The hinder wings are
free from marks, except the ordinai-y dusky spot on
the anterior margin. On the under side, the tip of
the primary wings, and the whole of the secondary
pair, are sulphur-yellow, the nervures strongly mark¬
ed with a dilated line of dusky green ; and there are
two black spots on the upper wings, near the hinder
margin. The body and antennae are nearly as in the
preceding species.
The caterpillar feeds on tetradynamous plants,
paiticularly those belonging to the genus Brassica.
It is of a dull green colour, lighter on the sides, with
122 GREEN-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.
yellow stigmata, and covered with white warts, which
are blackish at the tip, and tufted with short hairs.
The chrysalis is greenish-yellow, the angles very
acute and prominent.
This butterfly is one of the most common species
both in this country and throughout Europe. Its
first time of appearance is about the middle of May,
and it is again abundant in the beginning of July.
It presents numerous variations in its size and mark¬
ings, of which it is unnecessary to give a particular
account. One of the most remarkable has been re¬
garded as a species by Esper and others, and de¬
scribed under the name of Napœœ. It is of larger
size than ordinary specimens of P. Napi, the upper
wings with a black spot, the tip and some triangu¬
lar patches being of the same colour : the secondary
wings rather pale, and having only the three first
nervures dilated and greenish. This variety seems
to occur not unfrequently.
123
DUSKY-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.
Pontia Sabellicce.
PLATE VIII. Fig. 3.
Stephens, lUust. Haust, i. pl. Ill • fig. 3 (î ; fig. 4 $.—Pap.
Bryoniœ, Godart, Eney. Meth. No. 146.
Upper surface of the wings, which are short and
considerably rounded, yellowish-white ; the base, an¬
terior margin, and the tip, dusky black, all the ner¬
vures with a broad stripe of the same colour, the
male having a single dusky spot towards the tip, and
the female two. On the under side, the hinder
wings, and the tip of the anteiior pair, are tinged
with sulphur-yellow, and ail the nervures are broadly
margined with dusky.
The larva of this insect, which may eventually
prove to be a distinct species, is not known. The
fly has been frequently taken in the vicinity of Lon¬
don. " Not rare in some seasons near Newcastle."
—G. Wailes, Esq.
124
Gents MANCIPIÜM.
So close a coiiriexion subsists between tijis and
the preceding genus, that the species have been ge¬
nerally grouped together under a common generic
name. But the structural differences of M. Carda-
mines and Daplidice are too considerable to admit
of their being associated with the true Pontics, how¬
ever much they may be allied in habit and general
appearance. The principal distinctions consist in
the relative proportion of the joints of the palpi,
which, in Mancipium, have the terminal joint shorter
than either of the two others ; in the rounded form
of the tip of the anterior wings ; and in having the
under side of the secondary pair variegated—cha¬
racters sufficient to constitute a subgenus. The
chrysalis (at least in M- Cardamines), is boat-shapeu
being widest in the middle, and naiTowing gradually
to both ends.
125
BATH WHITE BUTTERFLY.
MancijÁum DapHdice.
PLATE IX. Fig. 2.
Pap. Daplidice, Linn Lewin, pi. 23—Donov. vi. U. pi.
200.—Bath White, Lewin, 1. e.—Green chequered ^V hite,
Haworth, Curtis, B. E. i. pi. 48.
The male of this rare British insect is nearly
white above ; the superior wings have a large black¬
ish patch at the tip, interrupted by large spots of
white, and a dusky spot near the middle, with a
faint white streak across the centre of it. The se¬
condary wings are unspotted in this sex, but in the
female they are widely bordered with black, which
is sinuated and divided by large spots of the ground¬
colour of the surface : the female has likewise an
additional black spot on the upper wings, near the
hinder angle, and is usually larger than the male.
The markings on the under side of the primary
wings nearly correspond to those on the upper side,
but instead of being black, they are greenish. The
hinder wings are green beneath, sprinkled with mi¬
nute black points, with a row of large white spots
on the hinder margin, an irregular cross band
of white, and three spots of that colour towards
126
BATH WHITE BUTTERFLY.
the base. The antennse are whitish, variegated witti
black.
The caterpillar frequents the different species of
Brassica ; also wild Mignonette (Reseda lutea],
Thlaspi arvense, and other cruciferous plants. It
is of a dull blue, according to Godart's description,
bordered with yellow, and covered with black points ;
the head clear green, with yellow spots and black
points. The chrysalis is at first greenish, but af¬
terwards becomes grey.
Although recorded from a remote period as a na¬
tive of Britain, this insect still continues to be classed
among our rarest kinds. It is noticed by Ray as
having been found near Cambridge : it has likewise
occurred at Hampstead in Middlesex, and in the
neighbourhood of Bristol. More recently it has
been taken, both by Mr Stephens and Mr Le
Piastrier of Ramsgate, in the meadow under Dover
Castle, in the month of August. We are told by
Lewin, that it was named the Bath White, from a
piece of needlework, executed at Bath by a young
lady, from a specimen of this insect, said to be taken
near- that place.
IL ATI: 10
127
ORANGE-TIP BUTTERFLY.
Pontia Cardamines.
PLATE X. Figs. 1. & 2.
Pap. Cardamines, Linn Donovan, v. pi. 169—Lettin,
pl. 30 Orange-tip, or Lady of the Woods, Harris, Aurel.
pl. 32.—Pontia Cardamines, Steph. Illus.—Mancipium
Cardamines, Hubner.
This delicate and warmly tinted species seems to
occur in considerable plenty in all parts of Britain,
and it is not unfrequent in Ireland. Its ordinary
time of appearance is near the end of May, but
when the weather is mild it is on the wing mnch
sooner, especially in the southern parts of England,
where it has been sometimes seen by the middle of
April. It frequents lanes and open glades in woods,
and sometimes enlivens our gardens by its gay and
fitful flight. The sexes are so dissimilar, that they
were mistaken by Ray and some other authors for
distinct species. The expansion of the wings varies
from an inch and a quarter to nearly two inches.
The primary wings are white, dusky at the base, with
a small black crescent-shaped spot in the middle,
and an interrupted patch of black round the tip : the
123
wood white butterfly.
outer half of the wing is deeply tinged with orange
in the male, but there is no trace of that colour in
the female. The hinder wings are alike in both
sexes ; on the upper side they are dusky at the base,
the outer margin bears a few blackish points, and
the surface presents faint traces of the markings on
the under side ; the latter consist of irregular mar-
morated spots of green, powdered as it were witli
yellow. The antennse are white, with dark rings.
The caterpillar feeds on several cruciferous plants,
especially those of the genus Cardamines ; also on
Turritis glabra, Brassica campestris, &c. It i.s of
a green colour, with a whitish line along each side,
just above the insertion of the legs. The chrysalis
is also greenish-yellow.
WOOD WHITE BUTTERFLY.
Leucophasia Sinaph.
PLATE X. Fig.
Pap. Sinapis, Linn—Donovan^ vii. pi. 280.—Pontia Sina-
pis. Leach., Jermyn Wood White, Harris'' Aur. pi. 20.
—Leucophasia Sinapis, Steph.—Leucoph. Loti, Rennte.
The present genus (named from àsvkoç, •white^
and <pce,triÇy an apparition or appearance)^ is distin¬
guished by the structure of the palpi, which are
WOOD WHITE BUTTERFLY. 1 29
short and flat, with the basal joint large and conical,
the«econd short and quadrate, and the third or ter¬
minal one minute, and almost globular ; and by the
shape of the wings, which are very narrow, and al¬
most elongate-oval, the surface wholly covered with
scales. The antennae have an abrupt compressed
club, and the legs, which are alike in both sexes,
terminate in bifld claws.
It is much the smallest of our white Butterflies,
and the narrow elongated wings give it, as has been
well remarked, something of the appearance of a
Dragon-fly. The colour is nearly milk-white, the
base of all the wings somewhat dusky, and the tip
of the anterior pair with a large brown spot. On
the under side the latter are faintly tinged with green
at the tip, and the costa is sprinkled with black
points from the middle to the base. The under
side of the hinder wings is tinged with yellowish-
green, and sprinkled with ashy points, which form
indistinct clouds and bands.
The caterpillar is usually found on the Bird's-foot
Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), and Meadow Vetch-
ling (Lathyrus pratensis). It is green, with a deep
yellow line along each side of the body.
There are two broods of the butterfly each season,
one in May, the other in the end of July. Although
an abundant speciës in most parts of Europe, it is
rather scarce in Britain. In certain localities, how¬
ever, it has been found in plenty;—as in Dai-enth
I
130
WOOD WHITE BUTTERFLY.
wood, Hartley and Bromley woods, Essex ; also in
Surrey, Kent, Devonshii-e, &c. We have not heard
of its occurrence in Scotland. It has been taken
by Mr Heysham near Carlisle, the most northern lo¬
cality hitherto ascertained.
131
BLACK-VEINED WHITE, or HAWTHORN
BUTTERFLY.
Pteris Cratteni-
PLATE XI. Fig. 2.
Pap. Crateegi, Linn Lewin, pl. 24 Donovan, xiii. pi.
454 Hawthorn Butterfly, Kirhy ^ Spence.
In this genus the antennse are rather slender, and
the club is formed gradually: the palpi have the two
lowest joints robust, the radical one being twice the
length of the second, while the terminal one is about
the length of the second, and very slender ; the up¬
per wings are nearly diaphanous, being sparingly
clothed with scales ; the claws are strong and bifid,
and have a slender appendage on the outside at the
base.
" The black-veined white is one of the few
butterflies that cannot be mistaken for any other
species, and it is remarkable for having both sides
very similar, which is scarcely the case in any of the
other British Papilionidœ. In this respect, as well
as in the semitransparent wings and short cilia, it
approaches Doritis (Parnassius, pL 11, fig. 1.) The
same characters will distinguish it at once from Pon-
132
HAWTHORN BUTTERFLY.
tia, which it is further separated fi'om by the equal
length of the second and third joints of the palpi,
and the shortness of the former joint compared with
the basal one. The strong nervure that surrounds
each wing has never before been noticed." •
The English name suflBciently describes this spe
cies, and readily distinguishes it from all its asso¬
ciates. It is about the size of the Common Cabbage
Butterfly, the wings somewhat transparent, and of
a uniform white colour, with the nervures black.
There is also a black line round the outer edge of
the wings, and generally a few dusky triangular
marks on the outer margin of the upper pair. The
caterpillars are black for some time after they are
hatched, but soon become partially clothed with
hairs, and striped with reddish-brown on each side
of the body. (Fig. 3, PI. III. represents a full-
grown caterpillar of this species.) They are grega¬
rious, and live fur a time under a net-work of silk,
which they spin for their protection. Their favou¬
rite food is the leaves of the Hawthorn, but they like¬
wise attack fruit-trees, and have been known to
commit considerable damage in orchards. This but¬
terfly is by no means generally distributed through
England, and is wholly unknown in Scotland ; but
it has occuiTed plentifully in the following places,
and is occasionally observed elsewhere:—New Fo¬
rest, Hampshire, Chelsea, Coombewood, Enbome,
Berkshire, Dorsetshire. It is by no means a scarce
• Curtis, British Ent. viii. 360.
HAWTHORN BUTTERFLY.
133
insect on the Continent ; and Pallas relates that he
saw such extensive flights of them in the vicinity of
Winofka, that he at first conceived them to be flakes
of snow. The female, indeed, is very prolific, and
covers her eggs, which she deposits on the extremity
of a hawthorn branch, with a coating of varnish, so
efiectually weather-proof, that they remain in secu¬
rity (sometimes, it is said, for several years), till cir¬
cumstances favour the exclusion of the larvae. The
chrysalis is very obtuse anteriorly, and of a yellow
colour, streaked and spotted with black. (PI. III.
fig. 4.)
134
APOLLO BUTTERFLY.
Parnassius Apollo.
PLATE XI. Fig. 1.
Pap. Apollo, Linn.—Haworth.—Donovan, xiii. pl. 433.—
Crimson-ringed Butterfly, Haworth—Doritis Apollo,
Fab Sleph.
In this genus the antennae are rather short, with
the club narrow, nearly oval, and not compressed ;
palpi rather long, and rising considerably beyond the
head ; wings nearly free from scales, especially at
the apex, where they are transparent, the hinder pair
concave on their inner edge. The females are pro¬
vided with a small corneous hag, at the hinder extre¬
mity of the abdomen. The caterpillars have the
power of protruding a retractile tentaculum from the
neck, similar to that found in the larvae of the genus
Papilio, formerly described ; but, unlike the latter,
they form a kind of cocoon when about to change
into chrysalides, by connecting a few leaves together
by means of silken threads.
The expansion of the wings is nearly three inches ;
the colour white, slightly tinged with yellow, each
APOLLO butterfly.
135
ot tne upper wings bearing five pretty large black
spots, and each of the hinder ones two large round
crimson spots, with a white pupil, sun'ounded exter¬
nally by a black circle. The extremity of the wings is
naked and transparent, appearing as if varnished, pretty
thickly sprinkled with minute black dots, which form
a faint flexuose cross band at some distance from
the margin, and parallel with it. The base and an¬
terior edge of the primary wings are covered with
black dots ; the abdominal margin of the hinder pair
with similar points and long whitish hairs, as far as
the extremity of the abdomen, beyond which there
is a curved patch of black. The markings on the
under side nearly correspond to those just described :
some of the black spots on the upper wings, how¬
ever, have occasionally a red mark in the centre ;
and on the hinder pair there are four red spots, bor¬
dered with black, forming a kind of cross-band near
the base, while the anal black patch often has a red
streak in the middle. The body is black, with whit¬
ish hairs on the abdomen, and reddish ones on the
front of the thorax : the antennae white, with a black
knob.
The caterpillar is of a beautiful velvet-black co¬
lour, with two rows of deep orange spots on each
side, one near the back, the other towards the helly :
the incisures are glossed with blue, and the whole
body is clothed with short black hairs. It feeds on
the Orpine ( Sedum telephium J, and various kinas
of Saxifrage, particularly Saxífraga pyramidalis.
136
APOLLO BUTTERFLY.
This insect was first introduced into our British
lists, in consequence of it having been supposed,
through some mistake, that a few continental speci¬
mens in the possession of Lord Seaforth, were pro¬
cured from the Island of Lewis, one of the Hebrides.
Since that time, it has been oftener than once figured
and described as a British species ; but no authentic
instance is on record of its having been observed by
any one — a circumstance which may fairly be as¬
sumed, in the case of such a marked and conspicu¬
ous object, as a sufiicient indication that it is not an
inhabitant of this island. We have been assured,
however, that it was noticed on the wing last sum¬
mer in some part of the west coast ; and, though in¬
clined to think that this must be a mistake, we will¬
ingly avail ourselves of the excuse which it affords
for retaining, in the mean while, such an ornamental
insect among our indigenous species. On the Con¬
tinent, it inhabits the Alps, Cevennes, the mountains
of Auvergne, and various parts of Norway and Swe¬
den, in considerable numbers. Its flight is said to
be slow and heavy.
PLATE 12
1 Xeiruobius Lucitia. 2 Melitam Adiúlia
7)ul'^<^ßurowidyTritülivy bmAertA íik/'jLt.\
I^iiûrssc.
137
DUKE OF BURGUNDY FRITILLARY.
Nemeobius Lucina.
PLATE. XII. Fig. J.
Pap. Lucina, Linn Lewin, pl. 15—Donovan, viii. 70.
pi. 242. f. 2 Duke of Burgundy Fritillary, Harris—
Hamearis Lucina, Hübner.—Curtis, B. E. vii. .Î16.—Ne-
meobius Lucina, Stephens Horsf
This and several of the following genera may be
readily distinguished from any of the preceding, by hav¬
ing the anterior legs more or less imperfect, being very
short, and destitute of tarsal joints, by which they
are rendered unfit for walking. In the present in¬
stance, this imperfection is found only in the male,
the fore-leg of the female presenting the ordinary
structure. Nemeobius (from a grove, and ßmi,
life), is further characterised by having the club of
the antennae rather large and abruptly formed ; palpi
very sbort and horizontal, the second joint much the
longest, and the third, or terminal one, minute and
oval. The anterior wings are nearly trigonate, and
the inferior rounded; the posterior tibiae without
spurs, and the claws simple. The species above re¬
ferred to, is the only one known to inhabit Britain.
The expansion of the wings seldom much exceeds four-
138 DÜKE OP BURGUNDY FRITILLARY.
teen or fifteen lines. The surface is dark brown, the
upper wings with three transverse series of irregular
spots of light yellow or straw colour, the outer or
marginal row having a black mark in the centre of
each spot : the hinder wings have likewise an iiTegu-
lar transverse series of yellow spots, and the margin is
similai' to that of the other pair. The under side
is much paler than the upper, approaching some¬
times to orange, the superior wings with several light
spots on the disk, interspersed with black streaks,
and a series of light spots along the margin, with a
small dusky mark in the centre of each ; besides
having the margin similar, the hinder wings have
two pale bands, composed of continuous oval spots,
the outer one edged internally with black. The
antennse are white, marked with black above, the
club black, tipped with orange.
According to Hühner, the caterpillar is long, oval,
and depressed, resembling those of the Lycœnœ,
which, from their resemblance to wood-lice (Onisci),
are named onisciform. It is of a pale olive-brown
colour, with a large black dot on each segment, and
the head and legs rusty-red. It feeds on the Cow¬
slip and Primrose. The butterfly appears to be
somewhat local, but it occurs not unfrequently.
Coombe and Darenth woods have occasionally af¬
forded it in abundance, and it has been found in
most of the south-eastern counties of England. We
have not heard of its occurrence to the north of Car¬
lisle, in the neighbourhood of which it has been taken
by Mr Heysham.
139
Genus MELITíEA.
The genus Melitcea, which approximates pretty
closely to the following one in its characters, has an¬
tenas with a very abrupt knob, which is large and
flattish ; palpi long and projecting, rather slender in
some of the species, with the terminal joint ending
in a point, and nearly half the length of the second ;
somewhat thickened in others, with the terminal
joint ovate and minute ; wings of moderate size, the
anterior pair elongate-triangular, and the anterior
legs spurious in both sexes, the claws in the other
legs being either double, or simple, with a short
cushion. The majority are without silver spots be¬
neath, M. Silene and Euphrosyne being the only
kinds possessing that ornament. The caterpillars are
generally spinose, and the chrysalides are suspended
by the tail.
140
PEAEL-BORDERED LIKENESS.
MelUœa Athalia.
PLATE XIL Fig. 2.
Pap. Athalia, Esper Pap. Dictynna, Lewin, pl. 14. fig. 5.
and 6 Pearl-bordered Likeness, Harris.—Melitœa Atha^
lia, Stephens.
The expansion of the wings is from sixteen lines
to two inches : the colour tawny orange, marked
with black, the latter running in several undulating
lines across the surface, the base blackish. Beneath,
the anterior wings are pale brownish-yellow, with a
few transverse streaks of black ; the posterior pair with
several pale angular spots near the base, edged with
black ; behind this there is a continuous curved band
of large pale spots, also edged with black ; and near
the margin two series of black crescents. The fringe
is yellowish-white, spotted with black.
The caterpillar is hlack and spiny, with two rows
of small white dots on each segment, and tubercles
of a similar colour on the sides. It feeds on the
narrow and hroad leaved plantain, and also, accord¬
ing to Wilkes, on the common heath. The butter¬
fly is not uncommon in Devonshire, and many other
PEARL-BORDERED LIKENESS.
141
parts of the south of England ; but it appears to be
very rare in the north. It presents several varieties,
of which the most remarkable is that named P.Py.
ronia by Hübner, represented on our 13th Plate,
fig. 1. It has the upper wings blackish at the base,
with a few yellow spots, the rest of the surface, as
far as the black border, likewise yellow, the nervures
alone being black. The hinder wings are entirely
dark brown, with a row of small yellow spots towards
the margin, and a few others in the male near the
base. The under side of the upper wings is yellow
at the base, with large spots of black, tbe middle
also black, and the extremity yellow ; of the hinder
pair, black at the base, with yellow spots, and a broad
central band of white intersected by black veins.
This beautiful variety has been found near London.
ST
GKEASY FRITILLARY.
143
anterior wings only. The other parts are nearly as
in the allied species.
The caterpillar feeds on the two common species
of Plantain, and also on the Deril's'bit Scabious.
The body is black above, armed with spines of the
same colom', and the under side is yellow. A line
of very minute white dots is drawn along the back,
and another on each side. The legs are reddish.
The butterfly first appears on the wing towards the
middle of May, and, like most of the Fritillaries, it
presents a considerable number of varieties. It owes
its English name to the glistening appearance of the
wings, especially on the under side, which look as if
they had been rubbed over with grease. It appears
to occur in most of the southern counties of Eng¬
land, and is said to be particularly abundant near
Brighton, and at Enhorne in Berks. It likewise
occurs pretty far to the north, as we are informed
by Mr Andrews that it has been found near Dur¬
ham ; and P. J. Selby, Esq. has taken it near Bel-
ford, in the county of Northumberland.
144
GLANVILLE FRITILLARÍ.
MelitíBa Cinxia.
PLATE XIV. Fig. 2.
Pap. cinxia, Linn Lewin, pl. 14 Haworth, 36.—Glan-
ville Fritillary, Harris—Melitœa cinxia, Steph.
Bears considerable resemblance to the preceding
species, but is usually larger, and the markings are
dissimilar. The colour is orange-tawny above, and
the whole surface is reticulated and spotted with
black, the posterior wings having a series of five or
six black spots, forming a row parallel with the hinder
margin, and at some distance from it. Beneath, the
colour is much paler than above, the primary wings
with a few transverse black streaks, and a series of
black crescents towards the tip ; the hinder pair with
three irregular bands of pale spots, edged with black,
and a row of black spots, with an ochreous iris.
The fringe is whitish-yellow, spotted with black.
The caterpillars are black, with rows of white
dots on the incisures, and along the sides ; the head
and prolegs rust-red. They feed on the Narrow-
leaved Plantain (Plantago lanceolata), Mouse-ear
Hawk-weed, and the Common Germander Speed-
glanvjlle fritillary.
J45
well ( Veronica chamœdrys). They generally issue
from the egg towards the end of the autumn, and
pass the winter before they undergo their final me¬
tamorphosis. To protect themselves against the ri¬
gour of that season, they assemble in little colonies,
and form a kind of tent, by drawing together a few
of the leaves of the plant on which they feed, and
covering the whole with a web of silk. The butter¬
fly appears in June, but in this country it is by no
means of frequent occurrence. It has been found,
however, rather plentifully in the Island of Wight,
also near Dover, and in a few other places in the
southern parts of England. It is abundant on the
Continent.
PEARL-BORUERED FRITTLLARY.
Melitœa Euphrosyae.
PLATE XV. Fig. 2.
Pap. Euphrosyne, Linn.—Leu-in, pi. 13 Donovan, xi.
pi. 312,
The expansion of the wings varies from 18 to
22 lines. All the wings are of a reddish-yellow co-
Jour above, blackish near the base, and variegated
with transverse streaks or spots of black ; each of
them having a row of black spots towards the apex,
and a band of the same colour along the outer mar¬
ie
146 PEARI.-BOBDERED FRITILLARY.
gin, which forms on the inner side a triangular point
in the centre of each areolet, and encloses a row of
pretty large round spots, corresponding to the ground
colour of the surface. The primary wings are ra¬
ther bright yellow beneath, the black spots smaller
than the corresponding ones on the surface, and the
tip spotted with light yellow. The hinder wings
bear several large yellowish-white spots at the base,
some of them slightly glossed with silver, the spaces
between being rust-red ; the latter colour forms a
large spot in the middle, ornamented with a central
ocellus. Beyond this, there is a long quadrate sil¬
very spot, forming part of a very irregular band of
yellowish-white ; the space between which and the
hinder margin is variegated with rust-brown and yel¬
low, and a row of dark spots. The hinder margin
is adorned with a row of large triangular silvery
spots, bounded on all 'sides by a deep black line.
The fringe of the wings is yellowish, spotted with
brown ; the antennae ringed with white, and the
knob tipped with reddish-brown. Several varieties
occur, of which the most remarkable are those ha¬
ving only one silvery spot on the disk of the inferior
wings ; and such as have the basal half of the upper
wings black, spotted with yellow, and their under side
marked with large black spots.
The caterpillar is black and spinose, with macular
lines of orange along the back. It feeds on diffe¬
rent kinds of Violet, particularly the Dog's Violet,
and Viola lutea. The butterfly is apparently dis-
PEARL-BORDERED FRITHLLARY. 147
tributed over the whole island, as we have seen no¬
tices of its occurrence in most parts of England ;
and numerous specimens have been received from
Perthshire, Ross-sbire, Sutherland, and others of the
more northern counties of Scotland, while it is not
rare throughout the lowlands. It is a double-brood¬
ed species, first appearing in the end of May, and
again in autumn.
148
SMALL PEARL-BOKDERED FRITILLARY.
Melitœa Silene.
PLATE XIII. I'ió. S.
Pap. Silene, Fabr. Haworth. — Melitaea Silene, Jermyn,
Sleph.—Pap. Euphrasia, Lewin, pi. 13 Small pearl-bor¬
dered Fritillary, Haworth.
Rather smaller than the preceding, which it
greatly resembles on the surface : the characters by
which it is distinguished on the under side, consist
in the ground colour of tHe secondary wings being
ferruginous, or rust-brown, with the transverse band
at the base and middle not of so light a yellow as in
M. Eupkrosyne : in having three silvery spots in the
central band, and five others, three of which are
placed in a line on the anterior border, and the other
two near the inner edge ; in having only six triangular
spots of silver on the border ; and, lastly, in having
the ocular spot towards the base black, with a red
pupil.
The caterpillar is described as being black and
spiny, the one-half of the spines yellow, and the
sides of the body marked with a light-coloured stripe.
The butterfly is of frequent occuiTence, but seems
SMALL PKARL-BORDEBED FRITILLARY. 149
to be less generally distributed than the preceding.
In Scotland it is much scarcer than M. Euphrosyne.
" Not at all rare near Newcastle, appearing in the
beginning of July, while M. Euphrosyne usually
appears in the beginning of June."—G. Wailes, Esq.
" Both these species are abundant near Durham."
—G. Andrews, Esq,
150
Genus ARGYNNIS.
Although constituted by a very limited number
of species, this genus ranks among the most import¬
ant we possess, as comprehending a few of the lar¬
gest and most richly ornamented of our native butter¬
flies. When viewed from above, however, there is
no appearance of much embellishment, the surface be-
"iig rather remarkable for uniformity of tint, consist¬
ing of some shade of reddish-brown, streaked and
chequered with black ; a mode of colouring which
has probably caused the old name of Fritillary to be
applied to them, from their bearing some resemblance
to the tessellated markings of that flower. But the
under side is decorated with large spots and streaks
of beautiful silver white, which renders them very
conspicuous objects, even when contrasted with
species most richly coloured in other respects, but
destitute of this metallic brilliancy. They are the only
British insects of their kind that exhibit this " silvery
glitterance," besides the two last species of the pre¬
ceding genus. To the latter, indeed, they approxi¬
mate very closely in other particulars, but may be
distinguished from them, as well as from other cog¬
nate genera, by the following characters:—Antennœ
rather long and slender, with a very abrupt, spoon-
GENÜS ARGYNNIS.
151
shaped club, ridged on the under side ; palpi with
the middle joint very long, the basal and terminal
joints short, the latter very slender, acicular : wings
very ample, slightly scolloped, the hinder pair gene¬
rally extending beyond the abdomen ; anterior legs
imperfect in both sexes ; the four posterior legs with
claws and two appendages at the base. The chry¬
salis is suspended by the tail.
152
QUEEN OF SPAIN FRITILLAEY.
Argynnh Lalhonia.
PLATE XVI. Fiu. 2.
Pap. Lathonia, Linn Lewin, pi. 12 Donovan, iii.
pi. 73—Queen of Spain Fritillary, Harris.
The surface is yellowish-brown, with numerous
insulated black spots, most of them of a rounded
form. Beneath, the ground colour of the primary
wings is paler than above, hut they are marked with
black in a similar manner, and have a few silvery
spots towards the tip. The under side of the se¬
condary wings is ornamented with upwards of
twenty silvery spots, very unequal in size, seven of
them of a semicircular shape, forming a row near
the hinder margin, before which there is a transverse
series of ocellated spots of a brownish colour with a
silver pupil. The fringe is pale yellow, interrupted
with black. The caterpillar, according to Godart's
account, is greyish-brown, spinose, with a white line
along the hack. It is solitary, and feeds on the
Heart's ease ( Viola tricolor), a kind of Saintfoin
(Hedysarum onobrychis), and Anckusa officinalis.
r
QUEEN OF SPAIN FRITILLARY. 153
Although abundant in all the middle and southern
countries of Europe, this butterfly is among the rarest
inhabiting Britain. It is sometimes not seen for
many successive seasons, while in others specimens
have been procured in several places. This was the
case particularly in 1818, a year which appears to
have been especially favourable to the increase of
many species, which in ordinary seasons are seldom
to be met with. The following localities may be
mentioned :—Gamlingay and Wisbeach, Cambridge¬
shire ; Castle-meadow, Dover ; Halvergate, Norfolk;
Stoke near Nayland, Suffolk ; Birchwood, Kent.
HIGH BROWN FRITILLARY.
Argynnis Adippe.
PLATE XVI. Fig. I.
Pap. Adippe, Linn.—Lewin, pl. 10 Donovan, xlii. pi. 448.
—High Brown Fritillary, Harris.
The wings generally expand about two inches
and a half, and are of a bright yellow, inclining to
brown on the upper surface, with transverse undu¬
lating streaks, and round spots of black, together
with a series of black crescents near the outer mar¬
gin, which is itself black. On the under side, the
primary wings are of a lighter hue, without the black
external border, and having a few silvery spots near
154
HIGH BROWN KRITUXARY.
the tip ; the secondary pair Rre brownish-yellow, with
about twenty-four silvery spots, six or seven of them
placed irreffularly near the base, the others forming
two transverse bands, one near the centre, somewhat
interrupted in the middle, the other lying along the
outer margin, and composed of triangular spots edged
internally with rust-red ; between the central and ex¬
ternal band there is a series of small round rusty-
brown spots, most of them having a silver pupil.
The body is blackish above, with reddish hairs, and
pale yellow beneath : the antennae brownish, with the
extremity of the club brownish-yellow.
The caterpillar is reddish, becoming olive-green
with age, having a white dorsal line and white dots
on the sides. It feeds on the pansy and sweet smell¬
ing violet ( Viola odorata).
Not so plentiful as either of the following species,
but found occasionally in many places in the southern
parts of England. It is observed on the wing in the
end of June and in July, and generally frequents
heaths and the borders of woods. Many varieties
have been described, some of them having the upper
wings almost wholly black.
PLATE IS.
l^rnyrun.^-jáolMt/ . '¿~^eIifnPXL Etiphrnym ^ '
Dark ûree/7 Frifi///irv Pearl hurderedFriiiUurv
155
DARK GREEN FRITILLARY.
Argynnis Aglaia.
PLATE XV. Fig. 1.
Phg. Aglaia, Linn.—Lewin. pl. 11 Donovan, ix. pl. 302,
—Dark Green Fritillary, Harris.
Very like the preceding on the upper side, hut
usually rather paler, the individual figured being a
dark coloured example of the female. The principal
marks of distinction are to be found on the under
side of the wings, which are of a fine yellowish-green,
especially the hinder pair ; the anterior with several
silver spots on the hinder margin ; the posterior with
six or seven scattered silvery spots near the base, a
curved hand near the middle, and another consisting
of seven spots of equal size parallel with the hinder
margin, without any intervening row of ocellated
spots. The anterior margin of the costal areolet, a
portion of the abdominal one, and that lying next to
it, are also glossed with silver.
The caterpillar feeds on the dog's violet. It is
brownish-black, yellowish on the back, and having a
row of quadrate red spots along the sides, one on
each segment, excepting the two next the head.
156
DARK OREEN FRITILLARY.
The chrysalis is reddish, with waved streaks of
brown.
This is rather a plentiful species in most parts of
the country, it is said to be abundant throughout
the south of England, and we have often procured
specimens from the middle and northern districts of
Scotland. It is rather rare, however, in the neigh¬
bourhood of Newcastle ; but occurs abundantly near
Durham, in the beginning of July. It has been oc¬
casionally observed in the vicinity of Edinburgh, but
it must be regarded as somewhat scarce in that neigh¬
bourhood, as well as throughout the south of Scolr
land,
1. Argynms Faphiœ. 2 MeJ/tam Cuixia..
Silver Washed Frit il kin ' Ohmville Friälhiry.
Lnarí sc
157
SILVER-WASHED FRITÍLLARV.
A'ryjfniüi Pa¡jhia.
PLATE XIV. Flu. 1.
Pup. Paphia, Linn Donovan^ vii. pl. 247,5.—Lewin^ pl. ií.
This species is usually of a largei' size than either
of the two preceding, but it bears considerable re¬
semblance to them in the colour and markings of the
surface. The upper side is a bright yellowish-brown
(tinged with green in the female), variously streaked
and spotted with black. Beyond the middle of all
the wings, there are three series of black spots, which
are of a rounded form in the two innermost rows,
and angular in the marginal one. The primary
wings are paler on the under side, many of the black
spots indistinctly marked, and the tip slightly tinged
in certain places with green. The secondary wings
are green, with a brassy lustre, and ornamented with
four transverse streaks or irregular bands of silver-
white, the two next the base abbreviated, and the
fourth occupying the hinder margin ; the space be¬
tween the two hinder bands is tinged with yellow,
and bears traces of the two superficial rows of spots.
The body is covered with hairs the colour of the
158 SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY.
wings, changing into yellowish-green in certain
lights. The under side of the antennae, and the
apex of the club, are ochre-yellow.
The caterpillar is light brown, yellowish on the
back, with two dark lines along the sides ; the spines
are long and hairy, and two placed on the first seg¬
ment just behind the head, are considerably longer
than the rest. (See Plate III. Fig. 5.) It feeds on
the dog's violet and raspberry. The perfect insect is
not uncommon in neai'ly all parts of England, and
is found also in Scotland, but much less frequently.
159
Genus VANESSA.
In this genus the antennae terminate in an oval
club ; the palpi approximate at the extremity, and
project obliquely, forming a kind of beak in front of
the head : the basal joint is short and curved, the se¬
cond very long and tapering, and the terminal one
slender and conical : the wings angular, or having
projecting points on the hinder margin ; legs alike in
both sexes ; the anterior pair not formed for walking,
the tarsus being composed of a single compressed
spatulate piece, and densely clothed with long hairs ;
the four posterior tarsi terminating in double claws,
with a minute heart-shaped appendage between them.
The caterpillars are armed with long spines, but
have the segment next the head naked. The chry¬
salis is angular, with two projecting points on the
head, and is suspended by the tail. Several of the
Vanessse are among our most common insects, and
they are surpassed by few in the beauty and variety
of their colours. The wings are thick and of a rigid
texture, and the body so much more robust than in
the generality of their tribe, that they frequently pass
the winter in a kind of dormant state, and again take
wing on the returning warmth of spring. They pre¬
sent some differences in the structure of their oral
organs, and ought perhaps, in strict propriety, to
form two or three subgenera.
160
COMMA BUTTERFLY.
Vanessa C-album.
PLATE XVII. Fig. 1.
Papilio C-album, Linn—Donovan, vi. 45, pl. 199.
This is the smallest species of the genus inhabit¬
ing Britain, and differs considerably from the otiiers
in the form of the wings. The colour of the upper
side is reddish-yellow, generally darker in the male
than in the female, irregularly spotted with black,
and having the hinder margin dark brown ; two of
the largest spots on the upper wings are placed on
the anterior border, the others, four or five in num¬
ber, occupy the disk ; on the under wings there are
usually three irregular black spots or patches. The
colour of the under side is dark brown, often inclin¬
ing to yellow, the basal half of the wings and the
apex being darkest ; on the paler portion of the an¬
terior pair there is an obscure band of green, and
two indistincï rows of greenish ocelli may be traced
across both wings, not very far from the outer mar¬
gin : the hinder wings have a short curved line of
pure white near the middle, resembling the letter C
reversed, from which the species derives its name.
COMMA BCTTERFLy.
161
The antennse are black above, and brown with white
rings beneath ; the club tipped with yellow.
The colour of the caterpillar is brownish-red,
with a broad dorsal band of white extending from
before the middle to the hinder extremity. The
head is nearly heart-shaped, and bears two large
hairy tubercles, one on each side, resembling ears.
It consumes the foliage of various trees, shrubs, and
herbaceous plants, such as the elm and willow, the
cuiTant, hazel, honeysuckle, and the common nettle.
The fly is by no means of frequent occurrence in
Britain, at least in certain years, and does not ap¬
pear to extend far north, although we have heard of
its having been seen in Fifeshire in Scotland. It
has been found abundantly near Hertford, in Suffolk,
in the neighbourhood of York, and occasionally in
most of the midland counties of England. The first
brood appears in the end of June or beginning of
July, and the second in September. Such as are
produced late in the year, are usually of a much
paler colour than those of the early summer. The
insect is very common in most parts of the Conti¬
nent, and is known in the French provinces, and has
been described by Geoffroy, under the name of Ro¬
bert le diable !
1,
162
GREAT TORTOISE-SHELL.
Vanessa polychloros.
PLATE XVII. Fig. 2.
Pap. polychloros, Linn Donovan, riii. 69, pi. 278.
This species bears considerable resemblance to
V. Urticœ in its colour and markings, but it is usual¬
ly much larger, the expansion of the wings some¬
times exceeding two inches and a half. The upper
side is dark orange, inclining to ochre-yellow towards
the anterior margin, and at the sides of some of the
spots. The upper wings have two large quadrate
black spots, like abbreviated hands, on the anterior
margin ; two smaller spots, placed obliquely, towards
the base ; two small rounded ones on the disk, and
another near the hinder angle. The hinder wings
are marked with a single black spot of considerable
size near the middle of the anterior margin. Both
wings have a deep border of black externally, orna¬
mented with a series of crescents, which are pale in
the anterior pair, but blue iu the others, and bounded
by two parallel lines of pale yellow. On the under
side, the basal half of all the wings is dark brown,
the remainder yellowish-grey, finely marked with
GREAT TORTOISE-SHELL.
163
undulating lines of brown, and an obscure row of
bluisb crescents towards the tip. Three pale spots
are observable on the anterior part of the upper
wings, and one near the middle of the hinder pair.
" The caterpillar is bluish or brownish, with a
lateral stripe of orange ; the spines are slightly
branched and yellowish. While young, these larvae
live together under a silken web, which they spin
for their protection ; but they disperse after they
have changed their first skin. They feed oit the
willow and elm, and also on some kinds of fruit-
trees, particularly the cherry. The, chrysalis is
flesh, coloured, with golden spots near the neck."*
Although abundant in most parts of the conti¬
nent of Europe, the Great Tortoise-Shell (or Elm
Butterfly, as it is sometimes called), cannot be rank¬
ed among the most common of our day-flying Le-
pidoptera ; at least, it is scarce in many districts,
and appears in plenty in others only in certain years.
It occurs in all the southern counties of England,
and in the Isle of Wight ; we have traced it as far
north as Dunkeld, and have seen notices of its ha¬
ving been frequently observed in many of the inter¬
mediate counties. There seems to be but one flight
in the season, which usually takes place about the
middle of July. On the Continent, it appears both
in spring and towards the close of summer.
• Eiicyclop. Méthodique : Pa|Sillon, p. 305.
164
SMALL TORTOISE-SHELL.
Vanessa Urtica.
PLATE XIX. Fig. 1.
Pap. Urticœ, Linn. &c.
The pvevailing colour of the upper side is orange-
red, inclining to yellow, especially on the anterior
margin ; the latter is marked with three large quaa-
rate black spots, placed obliquely, beyond which
there is a small white mark ; towards the middle of
the hinder margin there is another large black spot,
and two small round ones on the disk ; the hinder
margin is widely bordered with black, and ornament¬
ed with a series of blue crescents, and two undulat¬
ing lines of pale yellow : the basal half of the under
wings is black, the rest orange red, except the hin¬
der margin, which resembles that of the anterior
wings. On the under side the anterior wings are
pale yellowish, with three large patches of dark
brown towards the base ; the tip mottled with brown
and marked with an indistinct row of dusky cres¬
cents : the basal portion of ttie under wings is dark-
hrown beneath, with a small white dot in the middle,
the rest light-grey, mottled with brown, and marked
with an indistinct row of bluish-black triangular
pr.A'ri: IP
SMALL TORTOISE-SHKLL.
165
spots. The body and base of the wings are clothed
with long brownish hairs, and the antennse are va¬
riegated with white.
The caterpillars of this species feed on the nettle,
and for some time after they are excluded from the
egg, live together in little family associations, but
disperse as soon as their increasing size renders a
larger supply ot food necessary. They are of a
blackish colour, with four yellowish stripes, two
along the back, and one on each side ; the body be¬
set with strong branched spines.
This is by far the most common insect of the
genus, occurring abundantly in all parts of England,
and extending to the northern extremity of Scotland.
Considerable numbers pass the winter in a torpid
state, and issue from their retreats on the first warm
days of March. In the south of Scotland, where
it is known by the name of the Devil's Butterfly,
and Witch's Butterfly, we have occasionally observed
it on the wing even before that period, and it has
been noticed in the Isle of Wight on the 8th of Ja¬
nuary.* There appear to be at least two broods
annually, one in June, and another in September.
In the south of Europe it is likewise a prevalent
species, and in Italy it continues on the wing in
fine weather the whole winter. Its metamorphoses
are admirably delineated by Swammerdam under
the name of the Common Dutch Day Butterfly.f
• Loudon's Mag. of Nat. Hist. v. p. 595.
+ Book of Nature, pi. xxxiv. and xxxv.
166
PEACOCK'S EYE.
Vanessa lo.
PLATE XVIII. Fig. 1.
Pap. lo, Linn Donovan, vi. 67, pl. 206-
The colour of this elegant insect is deep brown¬
ish-red, inclining to purple, with a large eye-like
spot on each wing. On the anterior wings, this spot
is placed near the apex, and is composed of a yellow
crescent on the inner side, a semicircular patch of
blue externally, and a large reddish-brown pupil,
which becomes darker anteriorly, where it unites
with the black margin. On the outer side of the
pupil, there are three small spots of a whitish-blue
colour, forming an irregular line with two others
placed in the red portion of the wing. The ocellus
is bounded internally by a triangular patch of black,
next to this is a yellow spot, succeeded by a black
triangular one, which does not reach the anterior
margin ; the latter towards the base is yellowish,
with transverse lines of black. The ocellus of the
hinder wings consists of a large black central patch,
spotted with blue, and encircled by a zone of pale
silky-brown, which is bounded anteriorly by a large
lo. 2.■ '
Feacock ß. Camberwellbeau^
peacock's eye.
167
black crescent. The under side of the wings is
shining dark-brown, with transverse undulating lines
of deep black, the five bluish-white spots of the up¬
per wings appearing as pale points, and another si¬
milar spot is observable in the middle of tlie hin¬
der wings. The body is blackish, and clothed with
rust-coloured hairs : the legs dull yellow.
The caterpillar feeds on the two common species
of stinging nettle. It is of a shining black colour,
with numerous white points somewhat disposed in
transverse lines, and having the hinder legs rust-red.
This highly beautiful insect, which the earliest of
our British naturalists styles " omnium regina," is
much less extensively distributed than the preceding
species. Although abundant in most parts of Eng¬
land, there appear to be certain districts even in the
south where it is not common, and it gradually be¬
comes scarce as we advance northwards. The most
northern place where it has occurred in plenty, is
the vicinity of York, and it probably does not extend
beyond the Frith of Forth. Throughout the south
of Scotland, indeed, it is seldom seen, although it
has been stated, through some mistake, to be a com¬
mon species in that quarter. We know it to have
occurred sparingly near Edinburgh, and also in Rox¬
burghshire and Dumfriesshire.
168
CAMBERWELL BEAUTY.
Vanessa Antiopa.
PLATE XVIII. Fig. 2.
Papilio Antiopa, Linn Donovan, iii. 45, pi. 89.—Lewin,
pl. 1 ^The WiUow Butterfly, Wilke^s English Butter¬
flies, pi. 113.—Curtis, B. E. ii. 96.
This is one of the largest of our indigenous but¬
terflies, the expansion of the wings sometimes ex¬
ceeding three inches. The upper side of both wings
is a uniform deep purplish-brown, having the ap¬
pearance of velvet, bounded externally by a broad
band of velvet-black, in which are placed a series of
pretty large violet-blue spots, of an oblong shape on
the hinder wings, but usually with a tendency to a
crescent form in the anterior pair : beyond this there
is a broad cream-coloured border, slightly waved on
the inner side, and sprinkled with minute black
points, especially on the salient angles. The ante¬
rior border has two cream-coloured spots beyond
the middle, and is mottled with yellow towards the
base. The under side is shining dark brown, with
transverse waved lines of deep black, and a small yel¬
lowish spot near the middle of each wing, and two
larger ones on the anterior border.
CAMBERWELL BEAUTY.
169
The caterpillar, like most of those belonging to
this genus, is gregarious, and consumes the foliage
of various trees, particularly the birch, willow, and
poplar. The colour of its body is black, with a se¬
ries of spots along the back, and the eight interme
diate legs red.
" This fine species," says Mr Curtis, " is render¬
ed rare and remarkable in this country by its pe¬
riodical appearance, the cause of which has never
hitherto been ascertained. The most probable con¬
jecture is (as Mr Haworth has observed), that ' then-
eggs in this climate, like the seeds of some vege¬
tables, may occasionally lie dormant for several sea¬
sons, and not hatch until some extraordinary but
undiscovered coincidence awake them into active
life.' Until four or five years since, V. Antiopa
had not been seen for nearly forty years, when it
was exceedingly abundant in different parts of the
kingdom. In the year 1819, a few were taken in
Suffolk, and Mr Samouelle captured one the follow¬
ing spring that had lived through the winter, since
which period it has not been seen. It has received
its English name from having been first observed at
Camberwell, whither it might have been attracted
by willows, upon which the larvas feed. The but-
tei-fly is found in the beginning of August. It fre¬
quents woods, and is strong and rapid in flight."*
" This species has been once taken in Scotland,
near Beith in Ayrshire." James Wilson, Esq.
• British Entom. ii. 96.
170
ADMIRAL REI).
Vanessa Atalanta.
PLATE XX. Fig. 1.
Pap. Atalanta, I.inn Donovan, viii. pl. 260—Lewin, pl. 7.
—Pap. major nigricans, &c. The Admiral, Ray^s Ins.
126 ^The Admirable, Albin, p. 3 Admiralis Atalanta,
the Alderman, Rennie.
The upper side of this beautiful insect is deep
black, with a fine silky gloss : the upper wing.s
hare a broad band of red running from tlie anterior
margin obliquely across the surface nearly to the
hinder angle, where it is considerably incurved, be¬
yond which are six white spots, small and rounded,
except the two at the anterior margin, of which the
inner one is large and quadrate, and the other some¬
what crescent-shaped ; beyond these there is a faint
bluish streak parallel with the apical margin : the
under wings have a broad border of red behind, in
which there is a series of small angular black spots,
and two semicircular patches of blue at tiie inner
angles. On the under side of the anterior wings the
oblique band is ochreous-red, becoming paler at the
hinder extremity ; towards the base of the wing there
is a naiTow waved streak of blue, and two others of
\yaness'a Atalanta . ZLñrivitii.'i Camilla
Red AdmUral. \V?iLte Admiral.
ADMIRAL RED.
171
red, one of which is united to the central band ; be¬
yond the latter are two irregular blue streaks, and
the extreme tip of the wing is of a tawny colour, in
which are two of the smaller white spots surrounded
with a dusky ring : the hinder wings are finely
marbled with undulating lines and spots of black,
brown, and yellowish-grey, the latter forming a large
patch near the middle of the anterior edge. The
fringe of the wings is white, inteiTupted with black.
The caterpillar is solitary, and feeds on the nettle.
It prefers the seed of that plant to the leaves, and
u jally protects itself from the weather by drawing
a few leaves around it, which it secures by silken
threads. It is greenish, or nearly black, with a ma¬
cular line of yellow along each side.
It is common in England, and occurs in some
plenty apparently in all parts of Scotland. It is most
firequently seen towards the end of autumn, and de¬
lights to alight on the flower of the dahlia, or some
late flowering aster. It is found in all parts of Eu¬
rope, in the United States of America, and the coun¬
tries of Africa skirting the Mediten-anean. In the
East Indies, and in the island of TenerifFe, it is re¬
placed by a very closely allied insect, which beau¬
tifully exemplifies the nice and occasionally almost
imperceptible gradations by which nature sometimes
passes from one species to another. The latter is
named V. vulcania, and the distinctive marks which
it presents are so slight, that they might seem rather
between those few days that intervene from the end
172
ADMIRAL RED.
a casual modification of the characters of V. atalanta,
than the indication of any specific difference ; yet the
two have a totally different range of geographical
distribution.* " This insect very rarely appears,'"
says a popular writer, speaking of V. atalanta, " un¬
til late in September, and then so perfect and fresh
in its plumage, as to manifest its recent production
from the chrysalis. In some years they abound, and
we may see twenty of these beautiful creatures ex¬
panding and closing their brilliant wings under the
fruit trees on our walls, or basking upon the disc of
some autumnal flower; and at another, perhaps,
hardly a specimen is to be obtmned ; nor do they
seem, like the wasp, to be scarce or abundant ac¬
cording to the deficiency or plenty of the season, but
influenced by other causes. Many of our butter¬
flies are produced by successive hatches, supplying
the places of those which have been destroyed, and
here it is difficult to mark the duration of an indivi¬
dual ; and others, as the nettle, peacock, and wood
tortoise, in many instances survive the winter, hidden
in some recess or sheltered apartment, appearing in
the spring time-worn and shabby. But V. atalanta
appears only in the autumn, not as a preserved crea¬
ture, but as a recent production ; and hence we can
ascertain the duration of its life to be comprised only
• A figure of V. Vulcania will be found in Loudon's Mag.
of Nat. Hist., V. p. 7S2, where it is described by an intelli¬
gent observer as intermediate between V. Atalanta and C.
Cardui. Both Cramer and Herbst have figured it as a va¬
riety of V. atalanta.
ADMIRAL RED.
173
of September to tlie end of October, by which time
its food in our gardens has pretty well disappeared.
Some sheltered wall, garnished with the bloom of the
ivy, may prolong its being a little longer, but the
cold and the dampness of the season soon destroy it,
rendering the life of this creature, the most beautiful
of our lepidopterous tribes, of very brief duration."*
* Journal of a Naturalist, u. 290.
174
PAINTED LADY.
Cynthia Cardui.
PLATE XIX. Fig. 2.
Pap. Cardui, Linn.—Donovan, ix. pi. 292.—Lewin, pl. 6.—
Vanessa Cardui, Samou.—Curtis—The Painted Lady,
Wilkes, pi. 107 Harris, Aur. pi. 11.
The genus Cynthia approaches so closely to the
foregoing, that if it is held to be distinct, it can only
be regarded with propriety as a subgenus. The
chief difference is in the form of the wings, which
in Cynthia are scarcely angular, and the hinder pair
are rounded and simply scolloped without any pro¬
jecting lobe. The club of the antennae is very
short and abrupt, and the palpi are long, gradually
narrowing to a point. The upper wings of the only
species found in Britain are tawny-brown at the
hase, the middle ochre-red, inclining to carmine,
with a very irregular transverse patch of black, and
a large portion at the apex black, adorned with five
white spots, the inner one largest, and placed
obliquely, the others somewhat rounded, and the
two in the middle rather minute. Near the margin
PAINTED LADY.
175
there is an indistinct series of white crescents, be¬
yond this a row of faint yellow spots, and the fringe
is white, interrupted with black. The secondary
wings are tawny brown at the base and inner side,
and black anteriorly, the remaining portion ochrey-
l ed, spotted with black, the latter forming three rows
behind ; the first consisting of five round spots, some
of them indistinctly ocelliform ; the second of a se¬
ries of crescents, and the third of pretty large patches
placed on the projecting points of the hinder border.
The anal angle is ornamented with a pretty large
black spot, with a streak of blue behind. On the
under side, the primary wings are whitish at the base,
and have a large spot of that colour anteriorly, in
addition to those that correspond to the upper side ;
the tip is light hrown, the two smallest spots en¬
circled with black, which makes them resemble
ocelli ; and the whole disk is tinged with a beautiful
tint of carmine, deepest towards the base, and inter¬
mixed with ochre-yellow externally. The under
side of the hinder wings is delicately variegated with
light-brown, greyish-white, and yellow; the darker
portions intersected with white ramifications, in such
a manner as to produce in some places the appear¬
ance of leaves springing from a stem. Towaids the
hinder extremity there is a row of five ocelli, the
outer one small and obsolete, that next to it and the
innermost one being largest, and powdered with blue
in the middle, the intermediate two powdered with
green : a row of purplish-blue crescents is placed be-
176
PAINTED LADY.
Lind these, and the extreme margin is brownish-yel¬
low. The body is clothed with reddish-brown hairs
above, and with white beneath.
The caterpillar is very spiny, of a brownish-grey
colour, with interrupted yellow lines a^ong the sides.
It is solitary, in this respect difiFering from all those
of the genus Vanessa except V. atalanta, and feeds
on different species of thistle, also on the nettle, mal¬
low, artichoke, and several other plants. The chry¬
salis is nearly of the same hue as the larvse, and
thickly spotted with gold.
This species is generally scarce, but appears in
certain indefinite periods in considerable numbers.
It was veiy abundant near London in 1826, but has
been less frequently met with since. " Near Dur¬
ham, but not common," G. Andrews, Esq. In Scot¬
land it is seen occasionally throughout the southern
division of the countiy ; and we once saw several
individuals in the Edinburgh Botanical Garden, in
the end of March, which had evidently just issued
from their winter retreat. It is very widely spread,
being found in America, the two extremities of
Africa, and in Java.
177
PURPLE EMPEROR.
Apatura Iris.
PLATE XXI.
Pap. Iris, Linn.—Donovan, pl. 37. cJ—Lewin, pl. 16—The
Purple Emperor, Harris Purple Highflyer, Willces.
Antenn® long, the club elongate-ovate and con¬
cave : palpi long, and projecting beyond the head,
where they meet and form a kind of beak ; the basal
and terminal joints nearly of equal length, the latter
conical, the intermediate one very long, slender, and
curved : wings somewhat triangular, the edge of the
primary pair nearly entire, the others slightly scol¬
loped : eyes not pubescent ; the anterior legs small
and imperfect in both sexes. The caterpillar has
the head divided behind into two long horns (PI. III.
fîg. 6). The chrysalis has the head piece bifid, and
is suspended by the tail.
The surface of the wings, in the species above
named, is dark brown, changing when seen in
certain lights into purplish-blue of a very rich
tint. This brilliant reflection is not visible in the
female, and that sex is also distinguished by the
wings being of a paler brown, and having two ad-
m
178
PÜRPLE EMPEROR.
ditiünal white spots towards the outer extremity
of the upper wings. In both sexes there are four
macular patches of white on the upper wings, the
two outermost consisting of two small spots each,
the two innermost more continuous, but somewhat
curved and interrupted at the nervures. The largest
of these patches is placed in a line with a bar of
white, which traverses the under wings in an oblique
direction, emitting a salient angle near the middle of
its outer edge. Midway between this band and a
pale tawny streak which circumscribes the wings not
far from the margin, there is a round black spot sur¬
rounded by a ring of ochre-red : a streak of the lat¬
ter colour is also observable at the anal angle, and on
the extremity of the adjoining nervure. On the under
side, the upper wings are rust-brown, inclining to
black in the middle, with a large ocellus towards the
hinder angle, and two black spots not far from the
base, in addition to the white marks corresponding
to those on the upper side ; the under wings have
the transverse white band rather broader than above,
and the ocellus appears smaller ; the base and hinder
portion ai'e greyish, with something of a pearly lustre,
and a faint undulating brown line runs along the
margin. The body is black above, the under side
and legs greyish-white.
Both the caterpillar and chrysalis are pale green ;
the horns of the former reddish at the tip, and hav¬
ing a yellow stripe down the outer side. It feeds
on the common sallow and oak.
Pl'RPLE EMPEROR.
1T9
This fine insect, which is highly prized by collec-
toi's both for its beauty, and the diiïiculty with which
it is obtained, has been occasionally found in many
of the southern counties of England, hut it does not
extend far to the north. It has been found in some
plenty in Coombe-wood, Great and Little Stour
Woods, in Essex, Dodnash and Raydon Woods, in
Suffolk, &c. Owing to the strength and thickness
of its wings it is enabled to fly with greater velocity
than any other British butterfly, and to maintain a
lofty and continuous flight almost like the soaring of
a bird of prey. Its habits have been so well de¬
scribed by Haworth in his Lepidoptera Britannica,
that we cannot refrain from extracting the passage.
" The Purple Emperor of the British Oaks is not
undeservedly the greatest favourite of our English
Aurelians. In his manners likewise, as well as in the
varying lustre of his purple plumes, he possesses the
strongest claims to their particular attention. In the
month of July he makes his appearance in the winged
state, and invariably fixes his throne upon the sum¬
mit of a lofty oak, fi-om the utmost sprigs of which,
on sunny days, he performs his aerial excursions ;
when the sun is at the meridian, his loftiest flights
take place, and about four in the afternoon he re¬
sumes his station of repose. He ascends to a much
greater elevation than any other insect, sometimes
mounting higher than the eye can follow ; especially
if he happens to quarrel with another Emperor, the
monarch of some neighbouring oak : they never meet
180
PURPLE EMPEROR.
without a battle, flying upwards all the while, and
combating with each other as much as possible, after
wbich tbey will frequently return again to the iden¬
tical sprigs from whence they ascended. The wings
of this fine species are of a stronger texture than
those of any other in Britain, and more calculated
for that gay and powerful flight which is so much
admired by entomologists. The females, like those
of many other species, are very rarely seen on the
iving; in three days I captured twenty-three (nine of
them in one day), and never took a female at all.
The males fly very high, and are only to be taken
by a bag-net, fixed to tbe end of a rod twenty or
thirty feet long. There have been instances, though
very rare, of their settling on the ground near puddles
of water, and being taken tbere. Wben the Purple
Emperor is within reach, no fly is more easily taken ;
for he is so very bold and fearless, tbat he will not
move from his settling-place until you quite push
him oflF ; you may even tip the ends of his wings,
and he suffered to strike him again."
181
WHITE ADMIRAL.
Umenitis Camilla.
PLATE XX. Fig. 2.
Pap. Camilla, Linn—Curtis, Brit. Ent. Iii, pl. \1i.~Dono.
van, viii. pl. 244 Lewin, pl. 8.—White Admiral, Petiver
and Curtis ^The White Admirable, Harris^ Aurelian,
pl. 30.
Antenna: thickening gradually from near the
middle almost to the apex, the club being slender
and elongated ; palpi not approximating at the tip,
the basal joint shortest and nearly oval, the second
one very long, and the terminal one elongate-ovate,
ending suddenly in a point ; wings not much longer
than broad, rounded and entire ; eyes pubescent ; legs
alike in both sexes, the anterior pair short and
slender, the tarsus formed of a single joint ending in
a small claw, the other claws nearly resembling those
of Vanessa. Caterpillar with obtuse fleshy projec¬
tions on the back, fringed with hair (PI. III. fig. 7).
Chrysalis bifid at the head, and suspended by the
tail.
This elegant insect is about the size of larger spe¬
cimens of the Small Tortoise-shell Butterfly, the ex¬
pansion of the wings being nearly two inches. The
182
WHITE ADMIRAL.
colour is (lull black above, variegated with obscure
dark spots. Both wings are traversed by a broad
oblique white band, which is very irregular on the up¬
per pair, being widely interrupted in the middle, and
divided by the nervures into separate spots, the ante¬
rior portion directed inwards ; where the band is in¬
terrupted, there is a minute white spot, and a larger
one on a line with it externally ; two others are
placed near the tip, and a fourth midway between the
white band and the base of the wing. On the hinder
wings the band is attenuated towards the anal angle ;
on the latter is a patch of rust-red surrounding two
black spots, and two rows of obscure dark spots oc¬
cupy the space between the band and the hinder ex¬
tremity. The prevailing colour on the under side
is brownish-yellow ; all the white spots of the upper
side are visible, with the addition of a few others,
and most of them have a faint pearly lustre. The
base of the hinder wings, and under side of the body,
are pale blue, and the yellowish-brown portions are
streaked and spotted with black. The fringe is
white, spotted with black ; the antennae rust-brown
on the tip and under side.
The caterpillar, which does not appear to have
been observed in England, is described by the con¬
tinental naturalists as green, with the head, dorsal
appendages, and sides of the belly reddish. The
honeysuckle is its favourite food.
Like the preceding species, this insect must be
placed among our rarer British Butterflies. Some
WHITE ADMIRAL.
183
of the south-eastern counties of England formerly
produced it in tolerable plenty, but of late years it has
been nowhere abundant, although it has been noticed
in a considerable number of places. The followdng
localities may be cited :—Woods near Rye, Susses,
New Forest, Coombe-wood, Hartley-wood, Essex,
Berkshire, and Suffolk. It does not appear to inha¬
bit the north of England nor Scotland. Few butter¬
flies are greater favourites with aurelians than this,
and none have been more highly eulogized for the
gracefulness of their flight. " The graceful elegance
displayed by this charming species," says Mr Ha-
worth, " when sailing on the wing, is greater perhaps
than can be found in any other we have in Britain."
" In its beautiful flight," says another writer, " when
it skims aloft, it rivals the Purple Emperor, which it
strongly resembles in appearance. It seems, how¬
ever (unlike the latter), to avoid the sunbeams, for
it frequents the glades of woods, where it rapidly in¬
sinuates itself by the most beautiful evolutions and
placid flight through the tall underwood on each
side of the glades, appearing and disappearing like
so many little fairies."* The insect is not rare on
the Continent, where there likewise occur four others
pertaining to the genus, some of them very closely
resembling the present species.
• Rev. Revett Sheppard, in Miss Jermyn's Col-
kctors' Vade Meoum, 2d edit. p. 121.
184
Gknus HIPPARCHIA.
With the exception of Polyommatus, which ap¬
proaches it in the number of species, this is by far
the most extensive genus among the British Butter¬
flies. As at present constituted, however, it is not
of a very homogeneous nature, several of the insects
which it includes not only differing considerably from
each other in habit, but also in the form of the
wings, the proportions of the joints of the palpi, and
other essential parts of structure. None of the in¬
digenous kinds are remarkable for the brightness of
their colours, the prevailing tints being deep brown,
relieved and variegated with ochre-yellow and brown¬
ish-red ; and the under side is often ornamented with
eye-like spots. The caterpillars are almost inva¬
riably of some shade of green, and are thus assimi¬
lated, no doubt with a view to their safety, to the
colour of the plants on which they feed, viz. the dif¬
ferent kinds of grasses. Their bodies are nearly
naked, or covered only with short hairs, and there
are two projecting points behind, which make the
anal extremity appear bifid. The antennae are va¬
riable in length, the club generally spindle-shaped,
or tapering at both ends, and curved ; in H. &emele.
GENCS HIPPARCHIA.
185
however, it is short and abrupt. The palpi are
longer than the head, rather remote from each other,
and not converging, the point curving downwards ;
the radical joint short, the terminal one, in certain
species, not half the length of the second, and ob¬
tuse, while in others it is more than one half longer
than the second, and acute at the apex. The ante¬
rior wings are sometimes angular, at other times
rounded, the hinder pair denticulated in most, but
entire in H. Cassiope,Davus, Hero, wiàPamphilus ;
the basal areolet of the secondary wings closed.
The fore-legs are very short in both sexes, the others
with bifid claws. The chrysalis is double-beaked,
and is suspended perpendicularly.
186
SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLY.
Hipparchia jEgeria,
PLATE XXIII. Fig. 4.
Pap. jEgeria, Linn Donovan, xiv. 77, pi. 498—Leixin, pL
19 Wood Argus, Wilkes.—Speckled Wood Butterfly,
Harris.
The upper side is brown, the anterior wings with
ten or eleven pale yellow spots on each, placed irre¬
gularly, and having a black ocellus with a white pupil
towards the apical angle. The hinder wings have
one or two yellow spots anteriorly, and a row of eyes
parallel with the hinder margin. These are four in
number, and consist of a round black spot, with a
white pupil, surrounded by a yellow ring ; the ante¬
rior one heing rauch smaller than the others, and
without a pupil. The fringe of both wings is pale
yellow, the dark colour of the wing interrupting it
at the nervures, and making it appear like a series
of crescents. The under side of the wings is pale
yellow, clouded and streaked with brown ; the binder
pair with undulating transverse lines, and a row of
five pale dots, encircled with brown, the space be¬
tween which and the outer margin is sometimes
SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLY.
187
glossed with violet. The upper and under sides of
the hody are concolorous with the corresponding
faces of the wings.
The caterpillar is covered with a matted pubes¬
cence of a green colour, and marked on tiie sides
with yellow or whitish lines. It feeds on various
grasses, hut prefers the common couch-grass.
The Speckled Wood Hipparchia is a vernal spe¬
cies, the first flight taking place in the beginning
of April. This is succeeded by two others, one in
June, the other in August. It appears to extend
over all Britain. It is included in a list of Papilio-
nidœ found near Dover ;* we have received it from
the north of Scotland, and have often seen it in the
neighbourhood of Edinburgh, in Roxburghshire, and
other southern counties, and it is far from scarce in
most parts of England. From the notices we have
received, however, it appears to be rather scarce in
the vicinity of Newcastle and Durham.
• lioudon's Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. S.
188
WALL BUTTERFLY.
Hipparchia Megœra.
PLATE XXII. Fig. 3.
Pap. Megaera, Linn. Donovan^ viii. pi. 279.—Orange Argus,
Lewin, pl. 21 Great Argus, Wilkes—Wall Butterfly,
Harris.
THE greater part of the anterior wings is orange-
yellow inclining to brown, with the hinder margin,
and several transverse irregular bands on the disk,
dark-brown ; each wing with a large ocellns towards
the tip, with a black iris and white pupil, sometimes
having a smaller one adjoining. The hinder wings are
dark-brown, with two transverse patches or bands
posteriorly, that next the margin broadest, and bear¬
ing a row of ocelli, vaiying from three to five in num¬
ber, the lateral ones frequently without a pupil. Be¬
neath, the upper wings are pale, with the brown
bands faintly marked ; the ocellus, however, is large,
and surrounded with a brown ring ; the under pair
nearly ash-grey, sprinkled with black points, and
traversed by two narrow undulating brown lines, be¬
tween which and the hinder margin there is a curved
series of six ocelli, that next the anal angle being
WALL BUTTERFLY.
189
double ; behind this there is a waved band of pale
yellow. The fringe of the wings is whitish and
brown alternately.
The caterpillar is pubescent, of a light green, with
a whitish line on each side.
Far from being a scarce species, and appai'ently
found in all parts of the country. It occurs in
April, July, and August.
190
1 HE GRAYLING.
Hipparchia Semele.
PLATE XXII. Figs. 1. & 2.
Pap. Semele. Linn.—Donovan, viii. pi. 259 ?—Lewin,
pl. 17.^—The Gravling Butterfly, Harris.
One of the larger species, the expansion of the
wing sometimes reaching two inches and six lines.
The greater part of the surface is brown, varying,
greatly in the intensity of the shade. Towards the
hinder edge of the anterior wings, the female has a
wide and irregular band or patch of pale yellow, ex¬
tending nearly across the surface, in which are placed
two remote ocelli, with a white pupil and blach
iris ; the male has merely a yellowish patch round
each ocellus. The basal half of the hinder wings,
as well as the posterior border, is brown in both
sexes, the intermediate portion being pale or reddish-
yellow, more or less obscured with dusky, and hav¬
ing a small ocellus with a white pupil towards the
anal angle. On the under side, the anterior wings
are tawny at the base, the anterior and posterior
margins brownish, the latter marked with white ; the
disk is pale-yellow, and the two ocelli are conspi-
n.MK 22
THE GRAYLING.
191
cuous : the posterior wings are clouded with white
and dark brown, the basal half darkest, and the dark
part terminating near the middle, in an irregular
sinuated line ; there is likewise a small ocellus cor¬
responding to that on the opposite surface.
The caterpillar and chrysalis are both light-green,
the former with brownish legs.
The butterfly frequents rocky and stony places,
and occurs rather plentifully in such situations in
most parts of the country. The rocky sides of Ar¬
thur's Seat, and similar localities throughout the
south of Scotland, afford it in considerable plenty in
certain years, and we have seen several examples
from Sutherland and other northern counties. Arnone;
the numerous localities cited by English entomolo¬
gists, we may mention Newmarket, Dartmoor, Nac-
ton Heath in Suffolk, and Lexden Heath in Essex.
In the neighbourhood of Newcastle, Mr Wailes in¬
forms us that it is almost confined to the magnesian
limestone, and another correspondent states that
it is not unfrequent in stony places near Durham,
and in Castle Eden Dean, during the month of
July.
192
MARBLED WHITE BUTTERFLY.
Hipparchia Galathea.
PLATE XXIII. Fig. J.
Pap. Galathea, Linn.—Donovan, viii. 15, pi. 258. cj
Lewin, pl. 28 Wilkes'' English Butterflies, pi. 100.
The colours of this handsome species are black
and greenish-yellow, each of them occupying almost
equal portions of the surface. The upper wings
have a large somewhat oval yellow spot at the base,
three large patches of the same colour near the
middle, divided into spots by the black nervures, two
small ones near the anterior angle, and a row of
small points parallel with the margin ; the fringe of
the latter with alternating spots of black and yellow.
There is likewise a large yellow spot at the base of
the under wings, a broad irregular band of the same
colour in the middle, traversed by the black ner¬
vures, and a row of small yellow spots near the
hinder extremity. The under side is paler than the
upper, the greenish-yellow colour greatly predomi¬
nating, all the wings having a row of large triangular
marks on the hinder mai-gin. There is a small ocellus
near the tip of the upper pair, and five others on the
hinder wings, forming an irregular row, interrupted
PLATE 25.
1. HipparchÙL Galuth&a
Marbled Wliih
2. KtpparcMd TitJwnus. Moh. 5 Fmitde,
Lcuae Heath.
4. Hipparchiti Caería.
Speéklíui Woo d £
Líxars sc.
MARBLED WHITE BUTTERFLY.
193
a little beyond the middle ; that next the anal angle
is double. The body is black aboYe, and densely
clothed, as well as the base of the wings, with yel¬
lowish hairs. Varieties occur in which one of the
colours occupies greater part of the wing : that in
which the black predominates has been taken near
Dover;* in the other, which has been named Leu-
comelas, the secondary wings are entirely white be¬
neath.
The caterpillar is yellowish-green, with a dark
line along the back, and another on each side. The
head is reddish-brown, and there are two small spines
of the same colour on the hinder extremity. It is
found in May on the Timothy grass (Phleum pra¬
tense).
This pretty butterfly is regarded as very local,
but its localities are pretty widely scattered over
the south of England. It is usually found in moist
glades, or in bogs and marshy ground, but some¬
times frequents places of a very different description.
The following are a few of the stations in which it
has been observed in greatest plenty. Near Dover,
Teignmouth, woods at Baylham Hall. Ipswich, Da-
renth Wood, &c. It is likewise abundant near
\ ork, which is probably its most northern residence,
as it is not known to occur in Scotland.
* This variety is figured by Esper (die Silimetterlinge,
tab. iii, fig. 1), and a.similar one is renresentcd in Loudon's
Mag, Nat. Hist. v. 335.
X
194
LARGE HEATH.
Hipparchia Tithonus.
PLATE XXIII. Figs. 2. & 3.
Pap. Tithonus, Linn Pap. Pilosellae, Fabr.—Donovan
xii, pi. 405.—The Gate Keeper,/larris' Aurel,, pl. 44.
Upper wings ochre-red, or reddish-yellow, with
the base brown, and the anterior and outer sides
widely margined with dark brown. On the outer
anterior angle of the reddish-yellow portion of the
wing there is a pretty large round ocellated spot of
black, with two minute white points in the centre.
The hinder wings are likewise brown, with a large
reddish-yellow mark in the centre, which bears a
minute ocellus on the side nearest the anal angle.
On the under side, the upper wings are coloured as
above, but the hinder pair are greyish-brown, with
a very irregular cross band of light grey behind the
middle, in which there are usually four minute white
points approximating in pairs, and surrounded by a
brown cloud. The male is considerably smaller
than the female, more deeply coloured, and has a
brown cloud in the middle of the coloured portion
of the fore wings.
LARGE HEATH.
]95
The caterpillar, which feeds on the annual meadow
grass (Poa annua), is of a green colour, with a red¬
dish line on each side, and a brown head. The but¬
terfly appears in June, and is of frequent occur¬
rence in England, and many places in the south of
Scotland.
196
MEADOW-BROWN BUTTERFLY.
Hipparchia Janira.
PLATE XXIV. Figs. 1. & 2.
Pap. Janira, Linn. S—Pap. Juitina $, Linn—P. Jurtina,
Donovan, ix. C9. pi. 320.—Lewin, pl. 18.
This species is considerably larger than the pre¬
ceding, the wings of the female sometimes expand¬
ing nearly two inches. The ground colour is hrown,
varying considerably in shade, but usually darkest
in the male. In that sex, the upper wings are in
general entirely brown, with a small ocellus towards
the apex encircled with reddish-yellow ; but in the
female, there is a large transverse patch of ochre-
yellow beyond the middle of the wing, in which is
placed a large black ocellus, with a white pupil, and
the spare between this patch and the base is very
obscurely tinged with reddish-yellow. The hinder
wings are usually unspotted in the male, but those
of the female have frequently an obscure yellowish
mark in the middle. The under side of the primary
wings is tawny-orange, with a paler band not far
trom the hinder margin, in which is placed an ocel¬
lus, as on the upper surface, sometimes having a
PLATE 24.
\ .3îf}pnrcJdc''0 Ja/lira.2 female-. Me<uiow browrijButti^rfly.
Cd.syiope-Mo/mtéa/i-rinplet ^M'ipp.Jfypcnt/tl/ius
LUtO-.t.er
I '
MEADOW BKOWN BUTTERFLY. 197
dotilile pupil. The hinder wings are tawny-brown
from the base to the middle, where the colour ter¬
minates in an angular line : the space beyond this is
pale, excepting the margin, which is of the same co¬
lour as the base. The pale portion sometimes bears
two or three small black eye-like sjrots, and the whole
surface seems as if dusted with black.
Both the caterpillar and chrysalis i.re light green,
the former with a white line along each side, and
the latter streaked with brown. It feeds on several
common grasses, particularly the Smooth-stalked
Meadow-grass (Poa pratensis). The butterfly is
first seen on the wing in the beginning of June, and,
next to the White Cabbage species, may perhaps be
regarded as the most common insect of its tribe in¬
habiting Britain. " Amid the tribes of insects,"
says Mr Kapp, " particularly influenced by sea¬
sons, there are a few which appear little aflfected by
common events : the Brown Meadow Butterfly, so
well known to every one, I have never missed in
any year ; and in those damp and cheerless summers
when even the White Cabbage Butterfly is scarcely
to be found, this creature maybe seen in every tran¬
sient gleam, drying its wings, and tripping from flower
to flower, with animation and life, nearly the sole
possessor of the field ami its sweets. Dry and ex¬
hausting as the summer may be, yet this dusky but¬
terfly is uninjured by it, and we see it in profusion
hovering about the sapless foliage. In that arid
summer of 1826, the abundance of these creatures
198 RINGLET BUTTERFLY.
was so obvious as to be remarked by very indiffe¬
rent persons." *
THE RINGLET BUTTERFLY.
Hyparchia Hyperantlins.
PLATE XXTV. Fig. 4.
Pap. Hyperanthus, Linn,—Donovan, viii. pi. 271.—The
Ringlet, Harris' Aurel, pl. 3.5.
The whole upper surface is of a uniform brown
colour, generally without eye-like spots, but not iin-
frequently having two or three on each wing not very
distinctly formed. The under side is pale brown,
the anterior wings with two or three ocelli towards
the tip, which are sometimes large and conspicuous,
especially in the females, and occasionally almost ob¬
literated : the hinder wings have usually five ocelli,
variable in size, two of them placed close together
towards the anterior margin, and three others in a
line behind, the inner one being usually smallest.
The body and base of the wings are clothed with
dark-brown hairs ; the fringe is light grey ; and the
antennae variegated with white, and having the club
of a rust-red colour.
The caterpillar feeds chiefly on the Annual Mea¬
dow-grass in this country : on the Continent it is
* Journal of a Naturalist, p. 288.
mountain ringlet.
199
also found on the Millium effusum. It is greyish-
white, with a naiTow brown line on the back ; some¬
times, however, it is entirely blackish.
This sombre-coloured, but not inelegant butterfly,
is pretty abundant in all parts of Britain, frequent¬
ing meadows, the open parts of woods, and the sides
of corn-fields. The variations which it presents in
the magnitude and number of the ocelli are very nu¬
merous.
MOUNTAIN RINGLET.
Hipparcliia Cassiope.
PLATE XXIV. Fig. 3.
Fabricius Pap. Mnemon, Haworth, Entom. Trans.—Ste-
phens''s Illus. Haust, vol. i. pl. 8 P. melampus, Herbst.
—P. Alci'one, Borkh.
Much less than the preceding species, the wings
expanding about 16 lines. The colour is dark brotvn,
with a silky gloss, the upper wings having a red
band towards the apex, somewhat interrupted at the
nervures, and marked with a row of from three to
five black spots : the short band of the hinder wings
consists of a few continuous red marks, each bearing
' O
a small black spot. The under side of the anterior
wings differs from the upper only in having the disk
¿00
MOUNTAIN RINGLET.
more or less tinged with rust-red : the hinder wings
are ash-brown beneath, at least in one oí the- sexes,
having three black spots behind, surrounded by a
reddish iris. The fringe of the wings is brown ; the
antennae black above and white below.
This species is readily distinguished from any of
its associates by its inferior size. The red band on
the wings varies greatly, and in some instances it is
without black dots in the upper pair. The insect is
very local in this country, almost the only localities
being in the mountainous districts of Cumberland
and Westmoreland. On the continent, it inhabits
Switzerland, and the mountainous countries of the
south of France, in considerable plenty.
201
ARRAN BROWN BUTTERFLY.
Hipparchia Ligea.
PLATE XXV. Fig. 1.
Pup. Ligea, Linn—Stephens' Illust. of Brit. Ent. Haust,
vol. i. pi. 6.
In this species, the expansion of the wings is
from eigliteen to twenty-two lines. The colour of
the u|)per side is brown, and there is an abbreviated
reddish band towards the extremity of each wing.
On the upper pair, this band bears four black ocelli,
with white pupils ; the latter, however, are wanting
in the male. The hinder band likewise bears three
ocelli, presenting the same sexual difference. The un¬
der side is somewhat paler than the upper, the mark¬
ings on the anterior wings not differing materially from
those on the surface : the most striking peculiarity
of the binder pair is an irregular white band, widest
near tlie anterior edge, wlîich extends nearly across
the wing; behind this are three round spots, com¬
posed of a red ring enclosing a black ocellus, with
a white pupil. All the wings are siuTounded with
a white fringe, spotted with brown. The antennîB
are white beneath.
202
scotch argus butterfly.
The caterpillar is green, blackish on the back,
and having longitudinal white stripes on the sides.
The butterfly is very rare in this country. We
have not heard of any other locality than the Isle of
Arran, where it was first found by Sir Patrick
Walker and A. MacLeay, Esq. It is not an un¬
common species in several northern countries of Eu¬
rope, freq ienting meadows and woods.
SCOTCH ARGUS BUTTERULY.
Hipparchic Blandina.
PLATE XXV. Fig. 2.
Pap. Blandina, Fabricius Donovan., xii. 87. pi. 426.
The colour is brown, generally of avery deep shade,
sometimes approaching to black. Each of the upper
wings has a red band externally, which usually bears
four ocelli, with bluish-white pupils, the two fore¬
most being united ; one of them is occasionally ob¬
solete, and they likewise vary in number. The red
band on the liinder wings is short and indistinct : it
is somewhat interrupted at the nervures, and has
usually three small black ocelli, with white pupils.
The markings of the upper wings nearly correspouu
ou both sides ; but the hinder pair, beneath, are
crossed behind the middle by a broad irregular band
SCOTCH ARGCS BUTTEKrLV.
¿03
of grey, incliniug to blue, in wliich one or two minute
ocelli are visible. In addition to this band, the fe¬
male has the base of the wings and the hinder mar¬
gin greyish. The fringe is light brown in the male,
but inclining to white in the female, and interrupted
with brown.
' The caterpillar is light green, with brown and
white longitudinal stripes ; head reddish. The egg
is ribbed, and of a whitish colour, speckled with
brown.
This insect was first discovered in the Island of
Arran many years ago, and has been found abun¬
dantly since in many parts of the country. It oc¬
curs in some plenty over a district of considerable
extent in Dumfriesshire—near Minto in Roxburgh¬
shire—occasionally near Edinburgh, and probably
in most of the southern counties of Scotland. In
England, it has been found abundantly in Castle Eden
Dean ; and Mr Walles informs us that it exists in
profusion in one or two places in the magnesian lime¬
stone district not far from Newcastle.
204
SCARCE SMALL RINGLET BUTTERFLY.
Ilipparchia Uavus,
PLATE XXVI. Fig. l.
Pap. Davus, iah.—Pap. Hero, Dmiovan, vi. pl. 186
Lewín^ pl. 23, figs. 5. G.
The expansion of the wings is from 15 to 20
lines ; the colour of the surface obscure ochrey-yel-
low, inclining to brown, the fringe and interior edge
of the hinder wings dull white : towards the hinder
margin of the upper wings, there are usually two
ocelli without pupils, and a curved row of three or
four others, likewise without any central dot, not far
from- the hinder margin of the secondary pair, lie-
neath, the upper wings are brighter yellow than
above, the apex greyish-white, each wilh a cross band
of white beyond the middle, and exterior to it two
remote ocelli, having a black iris and a white (rupil,
and occasionally a small imperfect one between them.
The secondary wings underneath are very pubes¬
cent, greenish-brown from the base nearly to the
middle, where that colour terminates in an irregular
line, and is succeeded by a narrow and very unequal
white band, usually interrupted ; the space behind
this is light brown, inclining to yellow, and oi'na-
PLATE 36.
1. HipparchLi. JJa/iis. Sr-iall Pim/^et.
2 PolvdoiTin Idarsh Pituíh't
3 Pimipltüu:- B.
f.Ljfs
marsh ringlet butterfly. 205
mented with six ocelli, consistiug of a black iris with
a small silver-white pupil, and surrounded externally
by a yellowish-white ring. In number and size the
ocellated spots vary considerably, and the anal one
on the secondary wings is sometimes double.
This scarce insect frequents marshes and moist
heaths, and has occurred more frequently than else¬
where in the vicinity of Manchester, and on Shorn
Moor in Yorkshire. Ashdovvn Forest has also been
cited as a locality.
MARSH RINGLET BUTTERFLY.
Hipparchia Folydama.
PLATE XXVI. Fig. 2.
Hip. Iphis & Polydama, Steph. Jermyti Pap. Typhon ;
Scarce Heath, Haworth Pap. Polydama, Haworth, Jer-
myn Pap. Tiphon, Esper.
This species is about the size of the preceding, to
which it is very closely related. The colour of the
surface is rusty ochre-yellow, obscured with brown,
the anterior wings frequently with one or two blind
ocelli towards the hinder margin ; the secondary
wings greyish-white on the abdominal edges and
round the outer margin, and fringed with rather long
whitish hairs, usually bearing a blind ocellus near
the anal angle, and occasionally one or two others
206 MARSH KINGLET BUTTERFLY.
on a line with it. Underneath, the primary wings are
greenish-brown at the base, rather bright yellowish-
brown in the middle, and greyish at the apex, mark¬
ed at some distance fi'om the hinder margin with an
abbreviated white bar, beyond which are generally
two remote ocelli, with a minute silver-white pupil
and black iris, encircled by a whitish ring ; one of
these ocelli sometimes obsolete. The basal half of
the hinder wings is brown, with long greenish hairs ;
beyond tins there is a very irregular whitish band,
sometimes interrupted, the space beyond which is
greyish-brown (often with a fulvous cloud in the fe¬
male near the middle), and five or six ocelli, some of
them usually small and indistinct, and the anterior
one sometimes plaçed in the white band. The an¬
tenna: are brown above, ringed with white, the club
tawny.
Caterpillar and chrysalis dark green, the former
with a dark line along the back.
This insect, which may ultimately prove to be
only a variety of the preceding one, occurs not un-
frequently on marshy heaths in the months of July
and August. Mr Wailes finds it frequently in such
situations near Newcastle: it also occurs near York,
in North Wales, &c. It was seen in great abun¬
dance last summer in Sutherlandshire, as well as in
others of the more northern counties of Scotland ,
and we have received it from Argyll and Perth¬
shire.
207
SMALL HEATH BUTTERFLY.
Hipparchia Pamphilus.
PLATE XXVI. Fig. 3.
Pap. Pamphilus, Linn.—Lewin, pl. 23.—The Small Heath
or Gate Keeper, Harris, Aurel, pl. 21—Golden Heath
Eye, Petiver.
This pretty little butterfly is very common in all
parts of the country, on heaths and upland pastures.
Tt appears first in the beginning of June, and there
is a second flight in September. The expansion of
the wings is usually about 13 or 14 lines: the co¬
lour of the upper side light ochre-yellow, the outer
margin of the wings slightly dusky, and surrounded
with a fringe of rather long whitish hairs. The pri¬
mary wings on the under side are ash-coloured on
the anterior edge and at the tip, the latter ornament¬
ed with a conspicuous black ocellus, with a white
pupil, and a pale ring externally : the situation of
this ocellus is indicated on the upper side by a dusky
spot. The secondary wings are pubescent, green¬
ish-brown at the base, the centre ash-coloured, and
the hinder part brownish-grey, with a few whitish
points encircled by a yellow ring, which, however,
are always indistinct, and often obliterated. The
antennae are brownish, with white rings.
208 SILVER RINGLET BUTTERFLY.
Both the cateqiillar and chrysalis are greenish ;
the former somewhat dusky on the back, and ha¬
ving a white line on each side. It feeds on the
Crested Dog's-tail Grass (Cynosurus cristatus).
Besides the above species of Hipparchiœ, the
names of two others have been inserted in our indi¬
genous lists, viz. H. Hero and H. Arcanius, on the
doubtful authority of a single specimen of each, said
to have been found many years ago by Mr Palstead.
As both species are abundant on the continent, ex¬
tending even to the more northern parts of Sweden,
it is not improbable that they may likewise inhabit
this country, and we have therefore subjoined their
distinctive characters.
SILVER RINGLET BUTTERFLY.
Hipparchia Hero.
Pap. Hero, Linn Pap. Sabacus, Fab,—Hipp. Hero, Cur¬
tis, B. E. V. pi. 205.
Brown, inclining to yellow. Upper wings pale
anteriorly, with an orange stripe close to the posterior
margin, near which are two small remote ocelli ;
the hinder wings with an orange stripe posterior¬
ly, and four large ocelli, with black irides. On
the under side, the primary wings are orange at the
posterior margin, which is adorned with a silvery
line, and two small remote ocelli ; the secondary
wings with a broad orange posterior band, enclosing
hipparchia arcanius.
209
five- large and two small ocelli, forming a curved
line, behind which there is a narrow stripe of silver.
Taken near Wythyham, on the borders of Ash-
down Forest, Sussex.
Hipparehia Arcanius.
Pap. Arcanius, Linn.—Hipp. Arcanius, Jermyn.—Curtis.,
B. E. v. 205. •
" The superior wings are fulvous on both sides,
with the terminal border of a dark brown above,
but lighter beneath, and having opposite the apex
a small ocellus with a white pupil and yellow iris.
The surface of the inferior wings is obscure brown,
with a small yellow spot placed at the anal angle, and
surmounting a yellow crescent. Their under side is
reddish, tinged with green at the base; the middle
traversed obliquely by a white angular band, which
bears at its commencement on its inner side a black
ocellus, having a pupil of bright white, and on its
outer side four or five similar ocelli, the two anterior of
which, and the anal one, when present, are smaller
than the others. There is, besides, a curved silvery
line along the posterior border.
" The caterpillar is green, with dark dorsal lines
and yellow lateral rays. It lives on the Mélica ci-
liata." *
The only British example that has occurred was
found in the same place as H. Hero.
' Godart, Pap. de France, i. 174.
O
210
The three following genera compose the family
Lycœnidœ of Dr Leach, and the Polyommatidœ of
S wainson. Most of them are insects below the middle
size, but all are distinguished by delicate markings,
and many by great brilliancy of colour. The ca¬
terpillars are oval and depressed, and termed onisci-
form, from their resemblance to the small Myria¬
podes of the genus Oniscus. The genus Thecla
has antennse gradually thickening to the apex, palpi
with the terminal joint short, slender, and oval, eyes
pubescent, and the claws undivided and very mi¬
nute. The upper wings are triangular and entire,
hut the secondary pair produce one or two caudal
appendages near the anal angle. All the species
are brown above, and usually have the under side
adorned with narrow undulating lines of pale yellow
or white. The larvae are never found on herbace¬
ous plants, but confine themselves to trees and
shrubs.
PLATÎ: 27
1 Jnali' 2frTTL. 5.2'Ââcài f<nn. ^.îiujlà.
ßj't'wn Jídtr síri^.ik. TurpIC'Ilinr s'¿/'tJczÁ\
211
BROWN HAIR-STREAK.
Thecla Betulœ.
PLATE XXVII. Figs. I & 2.
Pap. Betulse, Linn.—Lewin, pl. il—Donovan, viii. pl.
250. Ç—Brown Hair-Streak, Harris.
This is the largest British species of the present
group, the expansion of the wings sometimes reach¬
ing eighteen lines. The colour of the upper side is
dark brown, with a silky gloss, the fringe whitish ;
towards the middle of the anterior wings there is a
blackish ill-defined mark, usually with a faint yellow
cloud beyond it in the male, and a large kidney-shaped
orange patch in the female. The secondary wings
ill both sexes are covered with fine silky hairs inter¬
nally, and the two projecting lobes at the anal angle
are marked with reddish-yellow. The under side is
entirely tawny yellow, inclining to red at the hinder
extremity, particularly of the posterior wings, witii
two narrow transverse undulating white lines, edgeu
with black, the anterior one abbreviated, and Imm¬
ing only a dusky streak on the upper wings, edged,
with white. The antennae are ringed with white
and the apex of the club is rust-red.
212
BROWN HAIR-STREAK.
The caterpillar is green, with yellow streaks along
the back, and transverse rays of the same colour on
the sides. It feeds on the common birch, blackthorn,
plum, &c. The fly appears about the beginning of
August, but it is not often met with in this country,
although abundant in most other parts of Europe.
The following English localities may be mentioned,
a few of which have afibrded it in some plenty.
Coombe-wood, woods near Ipswich, Heyden wood,
Andover, Dartmoor, Devonshire.
PURPLE HAIR-STREAK.
Thecla Quercus.
PLATE XXVII. Figs. 3 & 4.
Pap. Quercus, Linn.—Lewin, pl. 43.—Donovan, xiii. pi.
460.—The Purple Hair-Streak, Harris.—Thecla Quercus,
Steph., Jermyn, &c.
Rather a smaller species than the preceding, the
extent of the wings being generally from thirteen
to fifteen lines. The colour of the upper side is dark
brown, the entire surface, in one of the sexes, faintly
glossed with purple, and in the other there is a large
oblong patch of deep glossy blue at the base of the
upper wings, divided posteriorly into two branches,
the hinder one being prolonged towards the anal
angle. On the under side the wings are pubescent,
of an ash-grey colour, with a silky lustre, and tra-
PURPLE HAIR-STREAK.
213
versed by a continuous undulating white streak,
edged with brown anteriorly ; beyond this there is a
double series of faint whitish crescents, with a few
dusky dots on the primary wings, and the secondary
pair are ornamented with two fulvous spots, one ou
the anal angle, and the other forming an ocellus with
a yellow iris and a hlack pupil.
The caterpillar, which invariably feeds on the oak,
is of a greyish-brown colour, with a dark brown head ;
the incisures and a row of dots along the back yellow.
The most common species of Thecla in this island,
especially in the southern districts of England, where
it may be found abundantly in every oak wood. It
extends northwards in considerable plenty as far as
Newcastle, in the neighbourhood of which, Mr Wailes
informs us that it is far from uncommon. Beyond
that locality, however, it seems to become scarce,
and in Scotland it may be regarded as a rare species.
The only Scotch examples that we have seen were
from Koxhurghshire, and the oak woods in the vi¬
cinity of Inverary in Argyllshire.
214
BLACK HAIR STREAK
Thecia Pruni.
PLATE XXVIIL Fig. 1.
Pap. Pruni, Linn.—Ochsenheimer, Pap. Eur., torn, i—Po.
lyommatus Pruni, Godart, Lepid. de France—Thecia
Pruni, Curtis, Brit. Ent. vi. pl. 264.
Expansion of the wings somewhat more than an
inch, the surface brownish-black, the upper wings
with a small oblong spot near the middle anteriorly,
and the hinder pair with a series of three or four
crescent-shaped red marks near the posterior border.
The under side is yellowish-brown ; the primarj
wings with a transverse silvery line towards the hin¬
der margin, beyond which, and parallel with it, there
is a series of reddish spots, each of them bounded
by a small black streak ; the secondary wings have
an iiTegular silvery line nearly across the middle,
behind this a row of black spots, edged with white
anteriorly, and a marginal series of black cres¬
cents.
The caterpillar is green, with longitudinal whitish
rays, and numerous short transverse lines. Tlie
head, as in all the larvse of this group, is small, and
PLATE 28.
i. Therhi-hvui. Bhwk luùr-A-nr^ik. 'Í.ThcYhi Vlhîihum -WiifeZetter?n7i/sf7C47k
Z.Ihcehi Iî!ibù'-(kren Jinir-stT'eak.
Zuwvse.
BLACK HAIR STREAK.
215
of a yellow colour, with two black points in the form
of eyes. (Plate III. Fig. 8.)
This species has been very often confounded with
the following, which is of much more frequent oc¬
currence in this country, and has been generally re¬
garded as the true T. Pruni. Authentic indigenous
examples of the latter were, we believe, first figured
and described by Mr Curtis, who states that the in¬
sect was found by Mr Seaman, in Yorkshire, in such
abundance, that it is now to be seen in almost every
cabinet. It is well known on the Continent, in some
parts of which it is rather common.
WHITE LETTER HAIR STREAK.
Thecla W-album.
PLATE XXVIII. Fig. 2.
Pap. Pruni, Lewin. pl. 44—Donovan, xiii. pi. 4.37 Thecla
Pruni, Jermyn,—Stephen''s Illus. Haus. i. 77 Dark or
Black Hair Streak, Harris.—Polyommate W-blanc, Go-
dart, Hist, des Pap. de France Pap. W-album, Hubner.
Upper side dark brown, with a silky gloss, the
upper wings of the male having a greyish spot near
the middle, towards the anterior border. The un¬
der side is light brown, with a narrow transverse
slightly interrupted white line, placed towards the
hinder margin in the primary wings, but near tbe
216 WHITE LETTER HAIR STREAK.
middle in the secondary pair, and forming two acute
angles posteriorly, in such a manner as to resemble
the letter W ; behind this there is an irregular band
of oiange-red, widest towards the anal angle, and
bounded on the inner side by a black line, which is
sometimes edged internally with white ; the margin
itself, as well as the projecting tailed point, is black,
sometimes tipped with white.
The caterpillar is green, with three spots of deep
red on each of the posterior segments of the belly,
and a double series of small dots along the back.
When about to undergo its metamorphoses it be¬
comes brown. According to some authors it feeds
on the elm, while others mention the black thorn as
its appropriate food.
This insect, as already mentioned, has been de¬
scribed by most British Entomologists as the P.
Pruni of Linnaeus, who does not appear to have been
acquainted with it. Of late years it has occurred
in great plenty in some districts, but in general it
may be accounted scarce, particularly in the northern
parts of the kingdom. " The boundless profusion,"
says Mr Stephens, " with which the hedges, for
miles, in the vicinity of Ripley, were enlivened by
tbe myriads that hovered over every flower and
bramble blossom, last July (1828), exceeded any
thing of the kind I ever witnessed. Some notion
of their numbers may be formed, when I mention
that I captured, without moving from the spot,
nearly 200 specimens in less than half an hour, as
green hair-streak.
217
they successively approached the bramble-bush,
where I had taken up my position. How to account
for their prodigious numbers I am perfectly unable,
as the same fields and hedges had been carefully ex¬
plored by me at the same and different periods of
the year for several preceding seasons, without the
occurrence of a single specimen in either of its
stages ; and it is worthy of remark, that the hedges to
the north and north-west of the village, were perfect¬
ly free, although the brambles, &c. were in plenty."*
GREEN HAIR-STREAK.
Thecla Rubi.
PLATE XXVIII. Fig. 3.
Pap. Rubi, Linn—Lewin, pl. 44—Donovan, xiii. pi. 443.
—The Green Butterfly, Wilkes, pi. 118 The Green Fly,
or Bramble Fly, Harris.
Expansion of the wings about an inch, the
surface of a uniform brown tint in both sexes, with
the nervures, somewhat darker, the female sometimes
having a faint whitish oval dot near the middle of
the upper wings, not far from the anterior border.
Tbe under side is " fine green, with a transverse
row of white dots, often more or less obliterated, be¬
hind the middle of the secondary wings."
* Stephen's Illus., Haust, i. 77.
GREEN HAIR-STREAK.
The caterpillar is pubescent, light green or green¬
ish-yellow, with a row of triangular yellow spots on
each side, and a white line just above the feet. It
feeds on brambles, broom, and many other plants.
The fly appears in the end of May, and beginning
of June; a second brood takes flight in August.
It is not a very common species, but its ascertained
localities indicate that it is pretty generally distri¬
buted throughout England and the southern division
of Scotland. It occurs in Darenth Wood, Bromley
Thickets in Essex, in Devonshire, &c. We have
seen many specimens from the neighbourhood of
Raehills, and other parts of Dumfriesshire, and have
observed the butterfly occasionally in some of the
central districts of Roxburghshire, " Keswick, and
some of the Yorkshire Wolds," G. Wailes, Esq.
219
Gencs LYC^NA.
The species of this beautiful group are readily
distinguished by the following characters. Antennfe
with a slender stalk, the club rather thick, abrupt,
and orate, sometimes a little compressed at the
apex ; palpi longer than the head, the two lower
joints scaly, the apical one, which is slender, point¬
ed, and about half the length of the second, ap¬
pearing naked ; legs all formed for walking, and alike
in both sexes ; eyes naked. The secondaiy wings
are nearly straight on the abdominal edge, and some¬
what divergent, the anal angle slightly toothed, but
not projecting like a tail as in the Theclœ. All the
species are remarkable for the brilliant coppery hue
of their wings, whence they are known in this country
by the name of Copper Butterflies. Most of them
frequent marshy places, and the caterpillars feed on
herbaceous plants.
220
LARGE COPPER.
Lyeœna dispar.
PLATE XXIX. Figs. 1 & 2.
Curtis, Brit. Ent. i. pi. 12 Pap. dispar, Haw Pap. Hip-
pothoë, Donovan, vii. pi. 217 Lewin, pl. 40 Lycœna
Hippothoë, Jermyn.—L. dispar, Swainson's Zool. Illus.
pi. 132.
The male of this fine insect is bright shining cop¬
per colour aboce, with a black margin round all the
wings, which is crenated in the hinder pair ; the base
of the primary, and the abdominal margin of the se¬
condary wings is likewise blackish, and on the disk
of the former are two small black spots, and near the
middle of the latter a narrow curved black streak.
The female has the upper wings broadly margined
behind with black, two or three spots of the same
colour arranged longitudinally on the disk, and a
transverse row of six or seven black spots a little be¬
yond the middle ; the hinder wings are almost en¬
tirely black, except the nervures, and a broad band
near the apex, which are coppery red. Beneath,
both sexes are similar ; the upper wings coppery, but
with less lustre than the surface, having three black
spots placed longitudinally, and a transverse row be¬
yond the middle, all of them surrounded with a yel¬
low ling ; near the posterior margin there is anothei
FL.\TE -Jii.
LARGE COPPER.
221
transverse series of simple black spots, beyond which
the colour is ash-grey, inclining to blue ; the under
wings are ash-coloured, slightly tinged with light blue,
and having a bright coppery hand at the hinder mar¬
gin, with a row of black spots on each side of it ; be¬
fore this there is an irregular row of black spots,
cinctured with bluish-white, then a transverse black
streak, and five remote black spots near the base.
The fringe round the external margin and abdominal
edge of the wings is white.
The caterpillar is described to be of a green colour,
with white dots, and is said to feed on a kind of
dock.
" This splendid species," says Mr Curtis, " was
first discovered in Wales by the celebrated botanist
Hudson. It has subsequently been captured in
considerable abundance by Messrs Standish, who
went to Wittlesea Meer, Huntingdonshire, in expec¬
tation of finding it. They inform me that the end
of July is undoubtedly the right season for this in¬
sect, although they met with it the beginning of
August, flying among reeds, about the centre of the
Meer near Yaxley ; that it is very active, and in
windy weather conceals itself amongst the highest
reeds. Upon these the caterpillar probably feeds, as
they found the butterfly upon that plant just emerged
from the chrysalis, drying its wings."* Donovan
states that the specimens from which his figures were
drawn, were obtained from Scotland.
• British Entom. vol. i. fol. 12.
222
SCARCE COPPER.
Lycœna Virgaureœ,
PLATE XXIX. Fig. .3.
Pap. Virgaureœ, Linn—Donovan, v. 173, $.—Lewin, pl.
41, fig. 1 and 2, $.—Steph. Illus. Haust, i. pl. 9, fig. 1 and
3, fig. 2, ?.
This species is rather less than the preceding, the
male brilliant copper colour above, inclining to yel¬
low, the wings margined externally with black, and
the hinder pair having a few black spots near the
posterior edge. On the under side, the primary
wings are pale yellow, with three simple black spots
before the middle, placed longitudinally ; behind this,
there is a very irregular transverse row of black dots,
and the hinder margin is clouded with dusky ; the
secondary wings are dusky towards the base, with
about twelve or fourteen small black spots, 6ve of
them remote from each other placed before the
middle, the rest forming an irregular cross band,
behind which there is a series of white marks. The
wings of the female are thickly spotted and clouded
with black above.
The caterpillar is pubescent, and of a dull green,
with a yellow dorsal line, and pale green streaks on
SCARCE COPPER.
223
the sides. It lives on the golden rod {Solidago vir-
gaurea), and some other similar plants. The in¬
sect is very rare in this country, and does not ap¬
pear to have been found for many years. Donovan
says that a specimen was once taken in Cambridge ;
the Isle of Ely, and Huntingdonshire, are likewise
said to have afforded it ; and Lewin states that he
once caught two individuals in marshes, but without
mentioning the precise locality.
S24
PURPLE-EDGED COPPER.
Lycœna Chryseís.
PLATE XXX. Fig. 1.
Hesperia Chryseís, Fabr—Pap. Chryseis; Purple-edged
Copper, Haworth Sowerby, B. M. 1st. pl. 13.—Lycaena
Chryseis, Jermyn, Steph.
Fulgid copper colour above, the base and outer
margin of all the wings brown, glossed with purple,
and the centre of each wing marked transversely with
a short, slender, black streak. The disk of the ante¬
rior wings beneath is orange, the anterior margin ash-
grey ; and over the surface there are numerous ocel-
iated spots, with a black pupil and white iris, three
of them towards the base placed longitudinally, and
the rest forming two irregular bands, of which the
marginal one is somewhat obsolete : the posterior
wings on the under side are glossed with blue at the
base, and bear numerous scattered ocellated dots,
forming irregular transverse rows towards tbe apex ;
the latter ornamented with an orange band. The
fringe is brown at the base, and white externally.
This is also a very rare insect in Britain. The
only localities which we have heard of, are those
VLATE
I I.yr,un>l ( l' Ly,;¡nhi ¡i¡ftf¡othor Iyr,!f^,! /■/■/,/, ,a^
Fu7'ple ()>pper Dtirk loidf'rxdu,/ (hfp.'iA'imwh-n
DARK UNDEB-WING COPPER. 225
cited by Miss Jermyn, viz. Epping Forest, Essex,
and Ashdownham in Sussex.
DARK UNDER-WING COPPER.
Lycœna Hippothoë.
PLATE XXX. Fig. 2.
Pap. Hippothoë, Linn Lycœna Hippothoë, Stephens—
Dark Under-winged Copper, Haworth.
Expansion of the wings from 15 to 17 lines,
the colour of the surface bright fulvous, with a nar¬
row external black border, which is entire in the
primaiy wings, hut crenated internally in the secon¬
dary : besides this, there is a minute transverse
black mark in the middle of each wing. The su¬
perior wings are yellowish beneath, inclining to ash
colour, with numerous black spots cinctured with
white ; the inferior pair ash-coloured, with many
ocellated dots, and a fulvous band posteriorly, spotted
on each side with black. In the markings on the
upper side, the female resembles the same sex of
the preceding species ; but the hinder wings are en¬
tirely black, except a posterior band of yellow, cre¬
nated on its outer side.
Only one or two specimens of this insect have
been found in Britain, and they seem to have been
p
226
common copper.
procured from the county of Kent. In France it ia
not very scarce, and frequents meadows and marshy
places.
COMMON COPPER.
Lycœna Phlœas.
PLATE XXX. Fig. 3.
Pap. Phlœas, Linn Leioin, pi. 41 Donovan,-yini, pi. 466.
—The Copper Butterfly, Harris.—Lycœna Phlœas, Jer-
myn, Stephens.
Upper wings fulgid copper colour, the posterior*
margin black, and the disk of each wing bearing
from 8 to 10 black spots, two of them arranged lon¬
gitudinally towards the base, the rest transversely
in a zig-zag band, some of them confluent. The
hinder wings are brownish-black, with a coppery
band posteriorly, dotted with black on its outer
edge. The under side of the primary wings is
spotted in a similar manner to the upper side, but
the colour is paler, and the hinder margin greyish,
with three black crescents internally : the secondary
wii^ drab coloured beneath, with many indistinct¬
ly marked dots, and a posterior tawny band.
This is the smallest species of the genus, the ex¬
pansion of the wings seldom exceeding 12 or 14
lines, and differs from the others in both sexes be-
COMMON COPPER.
227
ing nearly alike. It is liable to considerable varia¬
tion in its markings, and specimens have been found
in which those parts of the surface usually copper
colour were nearly pure white. It is rather com¬
mon in all parts of Britain, and seems to breed se¬
veral times in the year. It likewise occurs in Asia
and in North America. The caterpillar is said to
be clear green, with a yellow dorsal stripe, and to
feed on the Sorrel.
228
Gixus POLYOMMATUS.
Distinguished from the two preceding genera
by having the wings entire, without any tail-like ap¬
pendages, and without any distinct teeth near the
anal angle. The antennae are rather short, and ter¬
minate in an abrupt compressed club, ending in a
narrow point rising from one side. The palpi pro¬
ject a little beyond the head, are nearly parallel, and
have the basal and terminal joints almost of equal
length, the latter acute, and somewhat naked, or co¬
vered with scales only, the others being clothed
with scales and hairs. The tarsi terminate in
simple claws. This genus includes all the small blue
butterflies, which are seen in such numbers during
the summer months in pastures and grassy glades.
They are adorned on the surface with the most de¬
licate and vai'ied shades of blue and azure, and be¬
neath with a multitude of eye-like spots. It is this
latter circumstance that has suggested the generic
name, it being formed from the Greek words woxi?,
many, and oufixT», eyes. In most of them the sexes
are dissimilar in colour ; but in P. aslus, agesiis,
and Artaxerxes, the sexual differences are not so
strongly marked. The larvse of several of the species
are not known, hut most of those with which we are
acquainted feed on grasses and herbaceous plants, on
which also they undergo their metamorphoses.
PLATE r.l
1. folyomm*itiisAr^iobis.2ídlíi J Femuh. A.ni7^e- blue,
5.- Alsus. Bedford blue.
4. ^.Ads. J/u^íUÍ7ie Idue
229
AZURE BLUE BUTTERFLY.
Polyommaius Argioius.
PLATE XXXI. Figs. 1. and 2.
I'ap. Argioius, Linn Leuiin, pi. 3G. figs. 4, 5,6—Dônovan,
xiv. pi. 481 The Azure Blue Butterfly, Harris.
Expansion of the wings about 13 or 16 lines;
the surface of the male delicate light blue, slightly
tinged with lilac, the wings narrowly edged be¬
hind with black ; the female lighter blue above,
with a broad dusky border in the primary wings,
and a transverse series of spots of the same colour
near the hinder edge of the secondary pair. Be¬
neath, the colour is grey, faintly tinged with blue,
the upper wings with a slender curved spot or streak
in the middle, and a posterior band of five or six
narrow black streaks, that next the anterior margin
placed by itself: the hinder wings marked in a simi¬
lar manner, with the addition of several scattered
spots towards the base. The fringe on the superior
wings is white, interrupted with black when seen
from above, but on the hinder pair, and on the un¬
der side of all, it is neai'ly white. The number of
spots varies greatly in different individuals ; at times
230
bedford blue butterfly
they are very distinctly marked, and frequently many
of them are obsolete, or entirely obliterated.
The caterpillar is pubescent, of a greenish-yellow,
deepest on the back ; the head and legs black. It
is found on the Buckthorn and Holly.
The butterfly, which appears twice in the year,
viz. in May, and near the end of July or in August,
is plentiful in many parts of England. It is of fre¬
quent occurrence in Kent, Somersetshire, Hamp¬
shire, and Devonshire ; also near London, and in
Norfolk and Suifolk. It is rather scarce in the
north, although it is found not unfrequently near
Newcastle, in places where hollies abound ; and also
in Castle Eden Dean.
BEDFORD BLUE BUTTERFLY.
Polyommaius Alsus.
PLATE XXXI. Fig. 3.
Pap. Alsus, Donovan, ix. pi. 322. flg. 1 Lewin, pl. 39. f. 3, 4.
Bedford Blue, Leach.—Small Blue Butterfly, Haworth.
This is the smallest of British Butterflies, the
wings sometimes not exceeding 10 lines between
the tips, and seldom surpassing an inch. The sur¬
face is brown, with a silky gloss, one of the sexes
slightly tinged with blue, especially at the base of
mazarine blue butterfly.
231
the wings. The under side is ash coloured, with a
discoidal black crescent, edged with white, on each
wing, and a transverse series of ocellated dots to¬
wards the hinder margin ; on the hinder wings this
series is very irregular, and there are several scat¬
tered spots towards the base. Fringe of the wings
white.
This delicate little butterfly, the smallest of the
European Polyommati, seems to occur, but not in
great abundance, in most parts of the kingdom. Nu¬
merous localities, scattered over the southern parts of
England, have been cited for it. Mr Wailes informs
us that it is common on the magnesian limestone
district near Newcastle : it is also found in woods
near Durham ; and we have seen specimens from
most of the southern counties of Scotland.
MAZARINE BLUE BUTTERFLY.
Poîyommatus Acis.
PLATE XXXI. Fig. 4.
Polyommatua Acis, Stephens—Pap. Cymon, Lewin^ pi. 38.
f. 6. & 7—Polyom. Cymon, Jermyn—Lycœna Cymon,
Leach—Pap. Argiolus, Hubner.
Expands about 13 or 14 lines, the male deep blue
above, glossed with violet, having a narrow black
border to all the wings, and a white fringe. The
232 MAZARINE BLUE BUTTERFLY.
female is dark brown above, with the base of the
wings faintly tinged with blue, and the fringe grey¬
ish. The under side is ash-grey, inclining to blue
at the base of the wings, the anterior pair of the lat¬
ter with an oblong spot, cinctured with white, near
the middle, and a band of ocelli behind it, usually
most numerous in the male. On the disk of the
posterior wings there is also a streak of black, two
or three spots anteriorly towards the base, and a very
irregular band of ocelli, having a black pupil and
white iris, behind the middle.
Rather a scarce species, and usually found to fre¬
quent chalky districts. It has occuired in Norfolk,
Dorset, and Yorkshire ; also in Surrey, Cambridge,
&c.
1 frlyomnuitus Arwn 2 l'olvomrfiufus Ti.FoJyi/innuibjs Corydon.
La7yebhte. ThcALcon bhw. Cfialk hill. Mac-.
Ltztassc
233
LARGE BLUE BUTTERFLY.
Polyommatus Arion.
PLATE XXXII. Fig.
Linn.—Lewin, pl. 37—Don.
Considerably larger than any of the preceding,
sometimes measuring an inch and a half across the
wings. The upper side is pale violet-blue, with a
broad dusky border round the hinder margin of all
the wings, the male having a group of black spots
on the disk of the upper pair, of which the interior
one is transverse and somewhat curved, and the fe¬
male has a similar group on the disk of all the wings.
The under side is ash-coloured, inclining to brown ;
the anterior wings with two ocelli towards the
base, an irregular band of 6 or 7 others behind the
middle, and a row of lunules, with a small white
mark adjoining each : the posterior wings bluish at
the base, where there ai'e four scattered spots, the disk
bearing a black lunule, behind which there is an in¬
terrupted band of eight large ocelli ; the posterior
margin ornamented with a row of triangular or cres¬
cent-shaped black spots ; fringe white spotted with
brown beneath.
234
ALCON BLUE BUTTERFLY.
This beautiful insect, which is extremely rare in
Britain, and not of fi'equent occurrence on the Con¬
tinent, is said by Lewin to have been taken on Do¬
ver Cliffs, Marlborough Downs, and on the hills near
Bath. Miss Jermyn mentions the commons at
Broomham in Bedfordshire, and certain places in
North Wales, as having afforded it. More recently
it was found by Mr Dale in the neighbourhood of
Bedford.
ALCON BLUE BUTTERFLY.
Polfommatus Alcon.
PLATE XXXII. Fig. 2.
Polyommatus Alcon, Latreille.—Hesperia Alcon, Fabr.
Pap. Alcon, Hubner.
SuBFACEof the male violet-blue, with a rather wide
brown border to all the wings, and a dark crescent
on the disk of the upper pair ; of the female dusky
brown, tinged with blue towards the body. Under
side greyish in both sexes, with a central crescent-
shaped spot, bordered with white, on each wing;
behind this there is a curved row of rather large
rounded black spots, and two exterior rows of tri¬
angular marks, all of them encircled with white ; the
basal half of the hinder wings is tinged with blue, and
bears a few scattered spots in addition to those cor-
chalk-hill blue butterfly.
235
responding to the markings of the superior mngs ;
fringe white, spotted with brown.
As this insect appears to have been found only
once in this country, and is not figured by any Bri¬
tish author, we have been obliged in this instance to
deviate from our usual practice, and introduce a fi¬
gure taken from a foreign specimen. It does not
entirely coiTespond to Mr Stephens's description of
the supposed indigenous example discovered by Mr
Jones in Buckinghamshire ; and should the latter be
found, as has been conjectured, to be only a variety
of P. Arion, we must exclude the present species
from our native catalogues.
CHALK-HILL BLUE BUTTERFLY.
Polyommatus Corydon.
PLATE XXXII. Fig. 3.
Pap. Corydon, Donovan, vii. pi. 131. f. 1. ¿ Stephens
Illus. i. 88.—Lewin, pl. 36.—The Chalk-Hill Blue But¬
terfly, Harris.
One of the larger species, generally measuring
17 or 18 lines across the wings. The surface of
the male is a very light silvery blue, with a fine silky
lustre, the hinder margin of all the vrings having a
blackish band, surmounted in the hinder pair by a
series of dusky, somewhat ocellated spots : the sur-
236
CHALK-HILL BLUE BUTTERFLY.
face of the female brown, each wing with a pale
central spot, baring a black pupil in the primary
wings. The under side of both sexes is similar
but the secondary wings in the female ai-e more
deeply coloured, and the spots larger and more dis¬
tinctly marked : the anterior wings whitish, marked
nearly as in P. Arion : the hinder ones of a similar
colour, greenish at the base, the ocellated spots ar¬
ranged in two curved bands, that next the base con¬
sisting of four, the second, which is placed rather
Tjehind the middle, of eight; in the centre, between
these bands, there is an angular white spot; and on
the hinder margin a series of black spots, with a
white iris surmounted by a streak of orange, and a
triangular black spot, with its apex directed inwards ;
an oblong white patch connects this series with the
central band. Fringe white, spotted at regular in¬
tervals with brown ; on the under side of the secon¬
dary wings entirely white.
Somewhat restricted in its distribution, but occur¬
ring in certain localities in great profusion. It chief¬
ly frequents districts where chalk abounds, and from
having been long found in plenty on a range of hil¬
locks between Dartford and Darenth Wood, it has
received the name of " Chalk-Hill Blue." It inha¬
bits the vicinity of Dover, the Isle of Wight, " Little
Blakenham, Moulton, and Eriswell in Suffolk ;"
stone-quarries near Peterborough, &c. &c. The
caterpillar, of which we have never seen any de¬
scription, has been stated to feed on Wild Thyme.
PLATE 35
■''iM-r shi,l,l^<J. 1,1,/,'.
237
CLIFDEN BLUE BUTTERFLV.
Polyommatus Adonis.
PLATE XXXriI. Figs. 1. & 2.
Hesperia Adonis Faô—Pap. Adonis, Lewin^ pi. 38. fig. 1-3.
—Pap. Argus, Ç. Donovan^ iv. pi. 143. f. 1.—Polyomma¬
tus Adonis, Steph. Jermyn.—Clifden Blue, Harris.
Expansion of the wings 14 or 15 lines, the sur¬
face of the male of the purest and most beautiful
azure, or silvery blue, changing with the light into
lilac, the hinder margin of all the wings edged with
a black line, beyond which there is a white fringe,
distinctly spotted with brown both above and below.
The female is brown above, slightly glossed with
blue at the base, having a small discoidal black spot
on the primary wings, and on the others a posterior
fulvous streak, with slightly ocellated spots, some¬
times continued across the margin of the upper
wings. On the under side, the colour is brownish-
grey, with the base of the wings greenish-blue, the
markings disposed nearly as in P. Corydon, but the
discoidal white spot is small, forming only a trans¬
verse streak.
Of frequent occuirence in many parts of England,
especially in the southern counties. It occurs in
238 CJLIFDEN BLUE BUTTERFLY.
most of the localities cited for the preceding spe¬
cies, and, like it, appears to he partial to districts in
which chalk is found. The downs near Brighton,
Moulton and Dalham in Suffolk, Newport, Coombe
Wood, &c. afford it in considerable numbers.
239
COMMON BLUE BUTTERFLY.
Polyommatus Alexis.
(See Vignette.)
Pap. Alexis, Hubner.—Pap. Icarus, Lewin, pl. 38.—Pap.
Argus, Donovan, iv. pl. 143. ¿ (two upper figs.)—Blue
Butterfly, Harris Pap. Hyacinthus, Lewin, pl. 37. f. 4-6,
Tar.—Polyom. Thestylis, Jermyn, var.
About the size of the preceding, which it very
much resembles, but is readily distinguished by the
colour of the surface, which is bright lilac-blue in
the male, and by the fringe of the wings being white
and unspotted. The hinder border is narrowly mar¬
gined with black ; the anterior edge of the upper
wings is white, and the hairs on the body and base
of the wings incline to that colour. The female is
generally brown above, powdered with blue towards
the base of the wings (sometimes, however, the sur¬
face is entirely purplish-hlue), and ornamented with
a posterior fulvous band, somewhat ocellated on the
binder pair, each lunule having a central black spot.
Beneath, hrownish-ash colour, with the base in¬
clining to green, the upper wings usually having two
ocelli near the body, a slender central streak lying
transversely, and a curved row of ocelli near the
240
COMMON BLCE BUTTERFLY.
middle, succeeded by a continuous row of dusky
crescents, edged with reddish-yellow externally ; and
beyond this there is a row of small dusky spots on
a whitish ground, the margin itself being black.
The posterior wings generally with four ocelli near
the base, an angular white spot near the middle, fre¬
quently having a black streak in its centre, a curved
band of 8 or 9 ocelli, succeeded by a series of mark¬
ings similar to those on the superior wings, but the
crescents and fulvous patches larger and more con¬
spicuous ; a white blotch near the middle unites the
band of ocelli with the fulvous crescents.
This species is so variable in its markings, and
even in the form of the wings, that some entomolo¬
gists are of opinion that more than one distinct spe¬
cies may be included under the name. It is a very
abundant insect, and, unlike the rest of its associates,
is distributed over the whole country. It frequents
pasture-lands and grassy meadows, first appearing
in England about the end of May, but not generally
in Scotland till the middle or end of June. There
is a second brood in August. The caterpillar is pu¬
bescent, and of a green colour. It appears to be
polyphagous, but probably subsists chiefly on grasses.
•241
SlLVKil-STUDDED BLUE BUTTERFLY.
Polyommatus Argus.
PLATE XXXIII. Fig. 3.
Pap. Argus, Linn Lewin, pl. 39. fig. 5-7 Silver-studded
Blue, Harris ? Pap. Idas, Linn Polyom. Argus, Jer-
mya, Steph.
Male deep blue above, inclining to lilac, with a
broad black band round the hinder margin of all the
wings, the nervures likewise more or less of that co¬
lour ; the costa and fringe white, the latter occa¬
sionally obscured with brown at the base. The un¬
der side is bluish-grey, the blue becoming more in¬
tense at the base, adorned with numerous ocellated
spots ; on the hinder margin of the posterior wings
there is an interrupted orange-tawny band, contain¬
ing six bright silvery-blue spots, crowned with a
series of black crescents. The female is entirely
brown above, with a tawny marginal band, which is
obsolete on the interior wings.
The caterpillar is dull green, with the head and
legs blackish, a ferruginous line along the back, and
oblique ones of the same colour, bordered with
white, on the sides. It feeds on broom, sainfoin,
and various kinds of trefoil. The butterfly is rather
Q
242 SILVER-STUDDED BLUE BUTTERFLY.
common in many parts of tlie south of England,
and is found as far north as York, where it is not
rare. It must be very scarce, however, northwards
of tliaf city, and it probably does not occur at ail in
Scotland.
PXATE 51.
BROWN ARGUS BUTTERFLY»
Polyommaius Ayestis.
PLATE XXXIV. Fig. 1.
Pap. Agestis, Hubner.—Pap. Idas, Lewin^ pi. 39. f. 1-2.—
Donovan^ x. pi. 322. f. 2.—Polyom. Idas, Jerwyn.—Po-
lyom. agestis, Stephens.
Expands about an inch, the colour in both sexes
dark-brown, with a fine silky gloss, all the wings
having a posterior hand of deep red spots, and the
primary pair a small black spot in the centre : the
fringe varied with white and brown. The under
side is greyish-brown, with numerous ocellated spots,
and a rufous hand corresponding to that on the sur¬
face ; the hinder wings with a white blotch on the
disk.
Readily distinguished from the females of any of
the preceding species, by the wings being without
any tinge of blue, either above or below, and from
either of the following, by wanting the white spot
qn the disk of the interior pair. It occurs in some
plenty in Sussex, Kent, Dorset, Somerset, and many
other parts of England, appearing first in June, and
again in August.
244
DURHAM ARGUS.
Polyommatns Salmaas.
PLATE XXXIV. Figs. 2. and 3.
Polyommatns Salmacis, Stephens.
Silky brown above, witli a macular posterior
band of orange-red on all the wings, somewhat ob¬
solete in the male, and a white spot on the disk of
the primary wings, which, however, is occasionally
wanting in both sexes, but especially in the female.
The fringe is white, slightly variegated with brown
at the base. The colour of the under side is grey¬
ish-brown, the anterior wings with a discoitlal white,
spot, beyond this a curved band of similar spots,
with a minute dusky pupil, succeeded by a band of
orange spots, bounded on both sides by a dusky
crescent, surmounted with white, the outer margin
defined by a dusky line : the hinder wings have a
similar marginal band, several scattered white spots
towards the base, a larger one near the centre, and
a very ii regular row behind the middle, with a broad
white central patch connecting it with the yellow
band. Most of these spots have a minute dusky
pupil in the male, but greatly more conspicuous in
the female.
akta xerxes butterfly.
245
Found in some plenty at Castle Eden Dean, near
Durham, and also on the magnesian limestone dis¬
trict near Newcastle, where it occurs in considerable
numbers in July.
ARTAXERXES BUTTERFLY.
i'olyommaitis Artaxerxes.
PLATE XXXIV. Fi(i. 4.
Hesperia Artaxerxes,Foé»-.—Pap. Artaxerxes,Lct«m,pl. 38.
f. 8, 9..—Donovan, xvi. pl. 541 Polyom. Artaxerxes,
Jermyn, Steph.
Dark brown above,- glossy, each of the anterior
wings with a discoidal white spot, and all of them
with an orange-red band posteriorly, but very indis¬
tinct on the upper wings. On the under side, the
markings of the wings do not differ materially from
those of P. Salmacis, excepting in this, that the
spots are nearly all without a black pupil. In some
specimens, a minute white spot is observable on the
disk of the posterior wings on the upper side.
The history of this little butterfly is somewhat
curious. The only locality known, tor a long pe¬
riod, was Arthur's Seat, near Edinburgh, and it
is only of late that it has been found elsewhere.
Fabricins appears never to have seen a specimen,
the description in his System being taken from a
246
ABTAXERXES BUTTERFLY.
drawing by Mr Jones of Chelsea. It was long
much valued by the English collectors, some of
whom, we are informed by Donovan, were in the
habit of placing a drawing of the insect in an ob¬
scure corner of their drawers, that their cabinet
might obtain credit for possessing an object of such
rarity ! Others undertook a journey to Edinburgh,
chiefly with the view of procuring specimens. It
occurs in such plenty on Arthur's Seat, that all the
English cabinets, and the principal foreign ones, are
now abundantly supplied from that locality. It has
likewise been taken among the Pentland Hills, at
Flisk in Fifeshire, near Queensferry, and in the vi¬
cinity of Jardine Hall, Dumfriesshire. It appears in
July. The examination of an extensive series of
specimens of the two preceding insects, will pro-
Imbly lead most people to the belief, that the marks
which have caused them to be regarded as specifi¬
cally different, are far from being stable or satisfac¬
tory. The appearance of the caterpillars, both of
which are unknown, will afford the most likely
means of determining the point.
PRINTB0 BY Vr. H. LiZARP. EDINBURGH.
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