THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 177 



ease with which they can be seen from the greatest distance. There are 

 about twenty-five times more species of British moths than butterflies, 

 and they are of all sizes, so that in this respect they suit all magnitudes 

 of white flowers." Koehler and Schubler long ago made the same obser- 

 vation regarding colour and odour of flowers. 



I think that in the case of the Asdepiadacece this holds good, because 

 those preponderating in whitish or yellow flowers are less visited by 

 diurnals than the red and purple-coloured species. I must mention here 

 another curious circumstance relating to the aversion that Argynnids and 

 diurnals exhibit toward white Zinnias, and Verbenas of the same colour. 



In August or September of each year I look for Argynnids on these 

 plants, when Milk-weeds are past bloom. In the season of 1890 I made 

 numerous trips to a horticultural garden, where Zinnias, Verbenas and 

 other plants were cultivated by the acre. There were beds of Zinnias, 

 seventy-five feet long by twenty in width, of separate and mixed colours ; 

 five large beds, three of separate and two of mixed colours, all starting 

 from a summer-house to the points of the asterisk, on a lawn 4-5 acres 

 in extent, could be readily observed from the centre of this floral star. 

 One bed contained fulvous-tinted Zinnias, another white, the next 

 crimson, and two beds were planted with Zinnias of mixed colours, all but 

 white. I have repeatedly watched these gorgeous flower-beds from 10 

 a.m. until 5 p.m., in warm, calm and clear weather, with the following 

 result : 



To the bed of white Zinnias only Pieris and a few Colias made their 

 visitation, and but on a single occasion have i observed any other diurnal 

 on these white flowers, and it was a single specimen of Papilio turnus. 

 The two beds of fulvous and crimson Zinnias attracted many of the 

 Argynnids, three of the large species, different Pyrameis, many Papilios, 

 L. disippus, some Hesperidfe and day-flying moths. The other two beds of 

 Zinnias, made up of mixed colours, in addition to lepidoptera mentioned, 

 also attracted Colias and Pieris (a few) to their sulphur-coloured flowers, 

 four species of Papilios and a few Euptoieta Claudia. 



Zinnias are inodorous to our sense of smell, but the honey they contain 

 and the fiery colours of their flowers are very attractive to lepidopterous 

 ^insects. In the case of Zinnias and Verbenas, another brilliantly flowering 

 and nidorous plant, it v/ould seem that the gorgeousness of blossom serves 

 the purpose of attracting diurnals for purposes of cross-fertilization. Plots 

 of Verbenas, an acre and more in extent, I have watched with similar 

 result. One man had more than two acres planted with only white 

 Verbenas, and it was in possession of Pieris rapje principally. The other 

 contained all known colours, including a few white, and the plants were 

 freely visited by Argynnis, Papilios and a number of other diurnals, as 

 well as by Hemaris thysbe. The last mentioned appeared a little before 

 twilight, about seven o'clock. 



