8 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



roads, and very careful attention is necessary to see whether the 

 tongues are in active use. 



Now, let us look at the Graptas and Vanessas. Dr. Longstaff 

 quotes the following from Parker (Mark Anniv. Vol., p. 453-4G9). 

 "Vanessa antiopa antl the Graptas settle with their wings full 

 expanded and adjust their position so that the axis of tlie body 

 is parallel to the sun's rays with head turned away from the sun." 



One spring afternoon I was in a grove near Montreal and 

 noticed many insects about a large maple tree, whose sap was 

 flowing freely from wounds made by real estate subdivision "artists." 

 On the western side in the sunlight were several Vanessa antiopa 

 and one Grapta progne all settled with wings wide open, while on 

 the shad\' side were a larger number of V. antiopa and three or four 

 Grapta j-album all with their wings closed over their backs. 



On another occasion, this time in August, sugared patches on 

 my fences were attractive to butterflies. A post on the east side 

 was in the full glare of the sun at 2 o'clock, and an antiopa and a 

 Pyrameis atalanta kept settling on the sweetened place — curiously 

 the antiopa always approached the patch from above and settled 

 head downwards, while atalanta flew upwards and settled head 

 up, and both kept the wings expanded. On the opposite side of 

 the garden, which, of course, was in the shadcr another antiopa 

 settled head up and kept the wings tightly closed. 



While on my holidays a couple of years ago at North Hero, 

 Vermont, a capital chance was afforded to watch a male Grapta 

 comma. It was a particularly hot, cloudless day, and the only 

 comfortable place was in the lake, and the whole morning was 

 spent at the beach. When we beached our boat, the butterfly 

 was there to meet us, just fluttering a little way aside to let us pass 

 across the beach to disrobe. After a lengthy dip, I had to wait a 

 considerable time before my son could be persuaded that he had 

 enough, and, for w-ant of something better to do, I lay down in 

 the shade of the boat and watched the butterfly, which continued 

 to fly about, always within a radius of perhaps 10 yards, and this is 

 what he did: — 



1st — Settled on the sand, head towards the north, closed wings 

 over back, and inclined at an angle of about 60° with the ground, 

 the tips of wings towards the west. 



