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The Buckeye (Junonia c nia Ju-no'ni-a c)

Junonia cœnia (Ju-no'ni-a cœ'ni-a) PLATE XXIV, FIG. 3 The wings above are blackish brown; on each there are two eye-spots, a large one and a small one; the small one of the fore wings is sometimes obscure. On the fore wings there are two transverse fulvous bars in cell R + M, and an oblique whitish band beyond these, which arises on the costal margin and extends to the larger eye-spot. Expanse of wings two inches to two and one-half inches.

CATERPILLAR.-Length one and one-fourth inches. It is dark gray in color with yellow lengthwise stripes and is spotted with yellow or orange. It bears short, branching spines, one pair being on the top of the head. It feeds without cover. Food-plants. Gerardin, especially the figworts, snapdragon, and plantain.

From the Gulf States there comes northward varying distances each season a butterfly bearing on the upper side of its wings six large eye-spots.

Of these the front wings bear two and the hind wings four. Its ground color of olive green banded and margined with copper and decorated with eye-spots makes this butterfly very striking in appearance. On the lower side the eye-spots are represented by indistinct dots on the hind wings or very small ocelli. Strangely enough, in the latter case the larger spot on the upper side is transformed into two small ones on the under side.

But look at this butterfly, holding it under side toward you, and you will see the use of the eyes on the front wings. These, set in an irregular band of flesh color, make the creature look like an owl's head with great staring eyes. It would require great temerity on the part of a bird to go near a flower that carried on its farther side such eyes as these.

The buckeye loves open fields, and is especially saucy and impudent to other butterflies. It is many-brooded in the South, but probably has a single brood late in the season in the North.

And I admired and took my part With crowds of happy things the while:

With open velvet butterflies That swung and spread their peacock eyes, As if they cared no more to rise From off their beds of camomile.