British Butterfiles Part 14

The _b.u.t.terfly_ appears in July, in many open places, in woods, and on heaths, in various parts of England, but most plentifully in the south.

Like the last species, it is an active and wary insect on the wing, and requires considerable agility and dexterity for its capture.

THE QUEEN OF SPAIN FRITILLARY. (_Argynnis Lathonia._)

(Plate X. fig. 3.)

This splendid little species is one of the prize-flies of the collector--that is, if the specimen be an undoubted native; for while a "Queen of Spain" taken within our sh.o.r.es will command a considerable sum of money in the market, another, precisely similar, but brought over from the opposite French coast, may be bought for a very few pence; but the mode of carriage, you see, makes all the difference, and the value of the insect depends entirely upon whether its own wings or a steam-boat have brought it over the Channel. So much for "the fancy."

When figured side by side with the other Fritillaries, this species looks distinct enough from any of them; {132} but it has been several times confounded with small specimens of _Adippe_ and with _Euphrosyne_, and its capture has thereupon been erroneously published; but this must have been the effect of a description imperfectly written or read. It will be observed that the form of the front wings differs in this from the rest of the Fritillaries, the outer margin being _concave_ in its outline. The inner corner of the hind wings also is more sharply angular.

Above, the colouring of the wings is similar to that of the others of the genus, tawny-brown and black. Beneath, the front wing has a group of silver spots near the tip, the ground colour of the hind wing is yellowish, and the silver spots are proportionately larger than in the other species; _near the margin of the hind wing_, and parallel with its edge, are _seven dark-brown spots with silver centres_.

The _caterpillar_ is brown, striped with white, and yellowish tint; head, legs, and thorns, tawny coloured. It feeds on the wild heartsease, also on sainfoin and borage.

The _chrysalis_ is tinted with dull-green and brown, and spotted with gold.

The _b.u.t.terfly_ is said to be double-brooded--one brood appearing in June, the other in September. The most likely places in which to look for it are clover fields in the south of England, and more especially on the south-east coast. Though still cla.s.sed among the rarest of British b.u.t.terflies, it has been found in a great many localities. It has been taken at Brighton; Sh.o.r.eham; Eastbourne; Dover; Margate; Ashford; Chatham; Exeter; Bristol; Harleston, near Norwich; Colchester; Lavenham; Peterborough.

[Ill.u.s.tration: XIII.]

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THE PEARL-BORDERED FRITILLARY. (_Argynnis Euphrosyne._)

(Plate X. fig. 4.)

This very common insect is considerably smaller than any of the preceding species, though small specimens of the last sometimes do not much exceed it in size. The upper surface is lively orange-brown, with black markings.

Beneath, the _hind wing_ is mapped out with black lines into various irregular s.p.a.ces, _all_ of which are filled with tints of dull yellow, ochreous, or reddish orange; excepting a row of silver spots on the border, _one silver spot in the centre of the wing_, and _one_ triangular one close to the root of the wing.

The _caterpillar_ is black, with white lines; and the pro-legs red. It feeds on various species of _viola_.

The _b.u.t.terfly_ appears first in May, and there is another brood in autumn, about August. It frequents woods and hedgerows, being met with most profusely in the south; but its range is extended into Scotland. In Ireland I believe it is unknown.

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THE SMALL PEARL-BORDERED FRITILLARY. (_Argynnis Selene._)

(Plate XI. fig. 1.)

This b.u.t.terfly, which is very nearly related to the last, often so closely resembles it in the marking of the upper surface, that even practised eyes are sometimes at a loss to distinguish the two, without a reference to the under side; for on this side do the real distinctive marks lie, and chiefly on the hind wing. In addition to the silver border and central spots of _Euphrosyne_, this species has several other silvery or pearly patches distributed over the hind wing; and the reddish-orange colour adjoining the silver border in _Euphrosyne_ is exchanged for dark chestnut-brown in _Selene_. In average size the two insects differ very slightly, though the name of this expresses an inferior size.

The _caterpillar_ much resembles that of the last, and feeds on violet-leaves.

The _chrysalis_ is greyish.

The _b.u.t.terfly_ is double-brooded, appearing first in May and again in August. It is not so common an insect as _Euphrosyne_, but is met with in similar situations, and has a range nearly co-extensive with that of the latter.

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THE GLANVILLE FRITILLARY. (_Melitaea Cinxia._)

(Plate XI. fig. 2.)

Though usually rather abundant where it occurs at all, this insect is one of the most local of all our b.u.t.terflies, and I can only find recorded about a dozen places for it in the country. Of these, the Isle of Wight is the great metropolis of the insect, and there, in many places round the coast, numerous colonies have been established.

This b.u.t.terfly is distinguished from the next (_M. Athalia_), which it very much resembles, princ.i.p.ally by the characters on the under surface.

The hind wing (beneath) is covered with alternate bands of bright straw-colour and orange-brown, divided by black lines; and possesses in _the marginal straw-coloured band a row of clear_ BLACK SPOTS. Another row of black spots crosses the centre of the wing. It will also be observed that the _hind wings_ have on _their upper surface a row of black spots_ parallel with, and not far from, the margin. The colouring of the upper side is orange-brown with black markings.

The _caterpillar_, which feeds on the narrow-leaved plantain, is th.o.r.n.y and black, with reddish head and legs. The chrysalis is brownish, marked with fulvous tint. A highly interesting account of the habits and {136} history of this b.u.t.terfly in all its stages has been sketched from the life by the Rev. J. F. Dawson (who has made an intimate acquaintance with a colony of the insect at Sandown, Isle of Wight), and will be found in the _Zoologist_, p. 1271.

The _b.u.t.terfly_ first appears about the first or second week in May, and thence continues till about the middle of June, seldom enduring till July.

It is to be looked for in rough, broken ground, such as the Isle of Wight landslips, where plenty of the narrow-leaved plantain grows.

Other localities for the Glanville Fritillary are, Folkestone below West-Cliff (abundant); round Dover; Birchwood; Dartford, Kent; Stapleford, near Cambridge; Yorks.h.i.+re; Lincolns.h.i.+re; Wilts.h.i.+re; Peterboro', Stowmarket; and in Scotland, at Falkland in Fifes.h.i.+re.

THE PEARL-BORDERED LIKENESS FRITILLARY. (_Melitaea Athalia._)

(Plate XI. fig. 3.)

This is another very local b.u.t.terfly, though rather more widely and generally distributed than the last, which, as before stated, it greatly resembles in appearance, especially on the upper side. {137}

It may be characterised negatively as _not_ having the rows of black spots found on both surfaces of _Cinxia_, though its colouring is very similar--fulvous (or orange-brown) and black above; straw-coloured, fulvous, and black beneath.

The _caterpillar_ is black, with rust-coloured spines; and feeds on various species of plantain.

The _b.u.t.terfly_ is out from May to July, and is met with (if at all) on heaths, clearings in woods, &c. Localities, in some of which it is very plentiful, are, Caen Wood; Coombe Wood; Epping; Halton, Bucks; Bedford; Aspley Wood, Beds; Plymouth, Teignmouth, Stowmarket, Dartmoor, Devons.h.i.+re; Oxford; Wilts.h.i.+re; Colchester; St. Osyth; Tenterden; Faversham; Deal; Canterbury. Very rare in north of England.

THE GREASY OR MARSH FRITILLARY. (_Melitaea Artemis._)

(Plate XI. fig. 4.)

The _black_ markings on the upper side of this b.u.t.terfly closely approach those of the last two species, but the interstices, instead of being filled up with a _uniform fulvous tint_, as in those, are "coloured in" with _several distinct shades_, some with _pale tawny yellow_, others with _deep orange brown_. This latter tint forms a band parallel {138} to the outer margin of each wing, the band on the front wings having a row of pale spots in it; that on the hind wings a row of black spots. _Beneath_, the upper wing has an appearance of the markings having been "smudged" together, and a s.h.i.+ning surface, as if it had been greased, whence the common name of the insect; the hinder wings are like those of the two last, yellowish, banded with brownish orange, the outer band of which bears a _series of black spots each surrounded by a pale yellowish ring_.

The _front_ edge of the front wing is slightly _concave_ in its outline, about the middle, whereas it is _convex_ in _Cinxia_ and _Athalia_.

The _caterpillar_ is black, with reddish brown legs. It is gregarious, feeding under protection of a web upon the leaves of plantain, devils-bit scabious, and some other plants.

The _chrysalis_ is drabbish, with darker spots, and is said to suspend itself by the tail from the top of a tent-like structure made of blades of gra.s.s spun together at the top.