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The American Tortoise-Shell (Aglais milberti Ag'la-is)

Aglais milberti (Ag'la-is mil-ber'ti) PLATE XXIV, FIG. 5 The wings above are brownish black with a broad orange fulvous band between the middle and the outer margin. There are two fulvous spots in cell R + M of the front wings, and a submarginal row of bluish lunules on the hind wings. Expanse of wings two inches.

CATERPILLAR.-Length about one inch; body above black, covered with whitish papillæ. At the sides and underneath, greenish yellow. It is beset with bristly spines, and the black head has two white papillæ on top. The larvæ are gregarious in habits.

Food-plant. Nettle.

This butterfly does not resemble tortoise-shell in its colors as much as does the Compton tortoise. It is very easily recognized while flying by the broad orange-brown band shading into yellow on its inner edge that crosses both wings between the middle and outer dark margin. The edges of its wings just suggest the angles which give the name to the group. Its dark-brown antennæ are prettily tipped with orange brown.

It is common throughout its range and may be found in open hilly fields that border on woodlands; it also frequents roadsides where the ruddy gleam of its wings makes it conspicuous. However, the under side of the wings, dark brown with the band of wood color, renders it invisible when its wings are closed. It hibernates sometimes as a chrysalis and sometimes as a butterfly. A favorite fairy tale of our childhood was that of the eleven wild swans where the captive maiden had to weave an armor of nettles which she beat with her own delicate hands for her eleven brothers to free them from the magic of a wicked witch. Once when that tale was fresh in our fancy we discovered eleven little caterpillars ranged closely side by side eating the edge of a nettle leaf. As we touched the leaf, they all raised their heads and wagged them back and forth in concert and we stole away in awe, never doubting that the poor princes were again in the toils of the witch. If we had watched the later doings of these caterpillars and had seen the way they cut the nettle leaves and wove them together for a house we would have been doubly convinced of the enchantment; for the life of this caterpillar from the pale-green, barrel-shaped, ten-ribbed egg to the pale-brown or golden-green chrysalis is like a fairy tale.

The species occurs in the northern portions of the United States and in Canada.