38 



THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



swarming of archippus. 

 Dear Sir, — 



I was surprised to learn from the letter of Mr. Edwards in your last 

 issue, that the flocking of archippus is not a well known fact in Ento- 

 mology, and in view of this I venture to add a few facts in regard to it 

 which may be of interest. , 



While spending the winter of 1875-76 in Apalachicola, Florida, I 

 found one of these archippus swarms in a pine grove not far from the 

 town. The trees were literally festooned with butterflies within an area 

 of about an acre, and they 

 were clustered so thickly that 

 the trees seemed to be covered 

 with dead leaves ; fig. 6 will 

 enable the reader to form some 

 idea of their appearance thus 

 grouped. Upon shaking some 

 of the trees a cloud of butter- 

 flies flew off, and the flapping 

 of their wings was distinctly 

 audible. They hung in rows 

 (often double) on the lower 

 dead branches, and in bunches 

 on the needles. I find by my 

 note book that visiting the Fis ' 6 ' 



flock towards evening, it was receiving additions every moment. I caught 

 a net full off a bunch of dead needles, and, walking away to some distance 

 and letting them go, all but three returned to the flock. The question as 

 to where they came from seems a very interesting one. I was told by 

 Dr. A. W. Chapman that there was hardly Milkweed enough in all Florida 

 to produce one of these flocks, which doubtless do not confine themselves 

 to Apalachicola. During my visit I found two more flocks not far from 

 the first, but neither of these was as large. I should mention that I often 

 observed examples among them in coitu. 



I have seen archippus flocking at the Isles of Shoals, N. H., towards 

 evening, in very much the same manner, having flown nine miles from the 

 mainland. I have also seen clusters of Vanessa J-album on tree trunks 



