1.36 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



on the approach of winter, the object in both being the preservation of 

 the species ; in the case of. the insect to obtain a suitable place for hiber- 

 nation, as well as a continued supply of food until the time of hibernation 

 arrives ; in the case of the bird to secure food when it would be difficult 

 or impossible to get it in a northern climate. The instinct of the butterfly 

 might therefore be looked upon as a true migratory instinct, in contradis- 

 tinction to that of the locust, which is of a lower order. 



There is another butterfly which displays this instinct to a large extent. 

 I refer to the well-known Pyrantels cardui, or Painted Lady. It is a cos- 

 mopolitan butterfly; being found in all parts of the world — a result, no 

 doubt, of its migratory habits, conjoined to a faculty of acclimatization. 

 Though I have never actually seen a migration of this insect, I have had 

 no doubt for years past that one did take place in the vicinity of Quebec, 

 I think in 1865 or '66. I had been looking out for the insect for several 

 years, but never saw a single specimen till one summer, when it suddenly 

 became the most common butterfly in the neighborhood. They could be 

 seen by dozens everywhere. Next year it was not to be found, nor did it 

 return during my stay in Quebec, up to 1872. 



I have an idea that others of the genus Pyrantels, as well as the species 

 of the allied genera, Grapta and Vanessa, have these migratory habits to 

 some extent. The same phenomenon, that of scarcity, then extreme 

 abundance for one season, and then disappearance, took place with regard 

 to Vanessa j-album. They were so abundant one summer that I even saw 

 them drinking spruce beer from the old applewomens' kegs on the Upper 

 Town Market, Quebec, while next season the only specimen I found was 

 a poor dilapidated individual which I took snugly tucked away under the 

 coping of a fence, where it had evidently passed the winter. 



As I said before, the fact of Pyrantels cardui being found in all the 

 four quarters of the globe is no doubt due to its migrating propensity. A 

 further proof of this is found in the well-known fact that our archlppus, 

 originally confined to America (though ranging from Canada to Bolivia), 

 has lately spread over some of the islands of the Pacific to Queensland 

 and New Guinea, and over the Azores to Europe, such extension of 

 habitat necessarily indicating great power of long sustained flight. Since 

 the Milk-weeds are not plants of commercial value, it is highly improbable 

 that the species has been carried in any of its preparatory states in ships. 

 The fact remains, however, that it has been found as a new inhabitant of 

 those countries. Its powers of flight will hardly be doubted by any one 



