THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 175 



The flowers of A. tuberosa can be recognized at a long distance, and 

 are readily singled out by Lepidoptera. Though almost devoid of 

 perfume* it abounds in honey. This proves that both colour and frag- 

 rance of flowers draw heavily on the senses of Lepidopterous insects. 

 Many Nymphalidse also visit the flowers of Milk-weeds. 



Even on a windy day numbers of Argynnids and other Nymphalids, 

 Hesperids. etc., may be found on these Milk-weeds, but rarely in the 

 open. Patches of or single plants must be searched for in sheltered, 

 wooded regions of fen and forest. To illustrate, I will state that the day 

 after that Jamesburg, N. J., 4th of July, entomological field meeting, I 

 went up to Westchester County, N. Y., just north of the city line. I 

 netted a few Argynnis cybele from isolated plants of Purple Milk-weed, 

 found in a grass-covered lane of the forest It was as windy, if not so 

 noisy, a day as it had been in Jamesburg, and the flowers of the open 

 field were devoid of insects. Emerging from the forest, I entered a bog 

 weU hedged in by tall shrubs and young trees, and suddenly came upon 

 a patch of very tall Asclepias purpurascens. These grew in the midst of 

 a clump of Black Alder, Bayberry, Tall Blueberry bushes and Blackberry 

 briars. The flowers were from five to six feet above ground and partially 

 hidden by shrubbery. In passing close by I started up a large number 

 of frightened A. cybele, which kept me busy for some time afterward. To 

 get at the flowers I had to cut away branches and briars, and before 

 leaving took a dozen and a-half of fine A. cybele, one A. idalia and 

 numbers of Hesperidse. I could have obtained more, but it grew to be 

 rather monotonous work and went home. This may seem rather 

 " windy " for a day when the Zephyrs blew small guns. But anyone can 

 do the same, if not better, by studying the physical geography of locaUties. 

 It repays for all the trouble. In the Western Catskills one of my nephews 

 takes A. aphrodite, A. cybele and A. bellona sometimes in numbers on a 

 fragrant species of Solidago or Goldenrod. 



In the autumn I examined many of the asclepiadaceous plants, where 

 last summer I had secured most of my Argynnids and other diurnals 

 visiting Asclepias. Those species bearing the largest number of fruit 

 pods corresponded with the plants on which I observed the most 

 lepidopterous insects. There were single stems of Asclepias incarnata, 

 on the tops of which I counted fifty-two seed follicles, and some of its 

 flower-heads had from six to twelve seed-pods thereon. On Asclepias 



* The sense of smell is very acute in insects, and they are attracted to nidorous 

 flowers by a faint odour of the honey, which is imperceptible to mankind. 



