THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 73 



season in which they emerged from the egg, but invariably they have 

 become lethargic forthwith. 



The geographical limits of Alcestis are not yet determined. It seems 

 to be abundant in northern Indiana and Illinois, and I have received it 

 from Nebraska. The species is near Aphrodite, and may be distinguished 

 by its deep red color in both sexes, and by the color of under surface. In 

 the female this is wholly dark ferruginous on secondaries, from base to 

 margin, or sometimes olive-black, like Idalia, and there is an absence of 

 the band between the outer rows of silver spots ; the male either very 

 dark brown, or ferruginous-brown, from base to margin, without mottling 

 of buff or drab as seen in Aphrodite. Sometimes there is a trace of the 

 band, but it is always very slight, rather a showing of a light sub-color 

 through the coating of brown than a band. 



In Can. Ent., vi., p. 124, 1874, 1 stated some facts which had puzzled 

 me in the history of our larger Argynnids, namely, that at Coalburgh, 

 while fresh examples of Cybele and Diana .appeared about 1st to 20th 

 June, no traces of eggs had been found in the females, after repeated 

 dissections of Cybele between June and August ; but that early in August 

 the eggs become distinguishable and rapidly mature, and before last of that 

 month are deposited, and from that on to first of October. Multitudes 

 of fresh individuals appear in early August. There also seemed to be too 

 short an interval between middle of June and last of July for the growth 

 of the larvae and the chrysalis period, inasmuch as every stage was greatly 

 prolonged in the spring, so that about four months intervened between 

 hybernation and the butterfly, as I had treated the larvae. And I sug- 

 gested that there might be irregularity in the emergence of the butterflies 

 from the same lot of eggs laid in September, so that some few might 

 appear in June and the rest in August. I now am of the opinion that 

 there are two annual broods. The experience, in fall of 1878, with those 

 larvae of Alcestis which proceeded to feed instead of going into lethargy, 

 and passed two and three moults, within a very much shorter period than 

 has been observed in the spring, showed that six weeks in midsummer 

 might not improbably be long enough for all the changes. Perhaps also 

 there are but four larval moults in the summer brood, as in some of the 

 Melitseas, though there are five in the winter brood. Every stage would 

 be shortened by the hot weather of July. On 14th June, 1878, I saw a 

 pair of Cybele flying, in copulation. In all instances where this has hap- 

 pened with butterflies under my observation, and the females have been 



