How to Know the Butterflies

The Cornell classic that taught America to name what it saw: every eastern butterfly described from life, with its caterpillar, its food-plants, its habits — and how to pronounce its Latin.

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The Fritillaries

The fritillaries are butterflies varying from a little below to somewhat above medium size. The club of the antennæ is short and broad; and, as in the crescent-spots, it is marked beneath with a single elevated line or with none. The palpi are large and bushy, the last segment extremely short. The color of the wings is fulvous bordered and checkered with black; but not so heavily bordered as in the crescent spots. The lower surface of the hind wings is often marked with curving rows of silvery spots. This is a large group containing many species, which are extremely difficult to separate. R₂ R 5 M M R2 Sc R-M 2 M3 3 Cu, Cu2 2 Ed A R-M Sc R M M M 3 2 Cu Cu 2d A FIG. 31.-Fore wing of A graulis FIG. 32.-Fore wing of Argynnis vanillæ. cybele.

More than fifty species occur in America north of Mexico. The larvæ feed upon the leaves of violets.

FIG. 31.-Fore wing of A graulis FIG. 32.-Fore wing of Argynnis
FIG. 31.-Fore wing of A graulis FIG. 32.-Fore wing of Argynnis

The more common species, which are described below, can be separated by the following table:

A. Vein R. of the fore wings arising beyond the apex of cell R+M (Fig. 31). 2 B. Fore wings with the apex produced, making the outer margin concave (Fig. 33).

C. Lower side of wings marked with silvery spots. (A. vanilla), p. 107.

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