88 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



to his customer. Several of the MeHtaeas, as Phaeton, Harrisii, etc., hve 

 in colonies within a close web of their own construction, enlarging as 

 their growth makes it necessary ; and when the time for hibernation 

 approaches, the web is made doubly strong. So they pass the winter, and 

 come forth in early spring to separate somewhat, and henceforth live 

 without shelter. So the species of each genus differ in their larval habits, 

 and sometimes species of the same genus differ materially. 



Eggs of some species hatch in three and four days, as Grapta, Colias, 

 Pieris, and in many cases the entire period from the laying of the egg to 

 pupation is not over a fortnight, and to imago not over three weeks. I 

 received eggs of Agraulis Vanillce from Georgia, and from hatching to 

 chrysahs, 4 moults being passed, the period in some cases was 10, in 

 others 1 2 days, the pupal period 5. Probably the egg stage was not over 

 4 days, which would make the entire round from laying egg to imago, 19 

 to 21 days. The Papilios hatch in from 4 to 6 days; D. Archippus the 

 same ; M. Phaeton about 20 ; P. Tharos 4 to 7 ; P. Nycteis about 12 ; 

 Limenitis Disippus 5 to 8 ; Arg. Diana 1 5 ; Cybele, Aphrodite, Alcestis, 

 Atlantis 15 to 20; A. Myrina, Bellona about 6; the large Satyrids, 14 

 to 28 days ; the Neonymphse, about 8 days ; Libythea Bachmani, 4 ; 

 Lycaenge, 4 to 8 ; Lemonias JVais, about 1 2 ; Pamphila Huron, 4 ; N. 

 Lycidas, 4. 



The only butterflies known to me to hibernate in the egg stage are the 

 Parnassians. The eggs are laid on Sedum in July and August, and pro- 

 bably the larvae come forth in the spring. At any rate, eggs of P. Smin- 

 theus and Clodius, obtained by Mr. Mead and kept in the house, gave 

 larvae in mid-winter, or late in the winter. But the larvae of P. Apolle, 

 in Switzerland, are said to come from egg late in the fall, and the larval 

 stage to be the hibernating one. Certainly the larvae of the American 

 species have a different habit, and the hibernation is in the egg. By 

 keeping Snmitheus eggs on ice through early winter of '83-'84, I retarded 

 their hatching till 30th Jan. The eggs had been kept in an ice house at 

 Dayton, O., but in January, as my own ice house was now filled, I sent 

 for them. After their arrival, there being no sign of hatching, I left them 

 on a shelf out of doors, in the shade, and forgot them. Some days after, 

 the mercury being 55° at noon, I looked at the eggs and found some 

 hatching. I put them at once on ice, and a few days later, the weather 

 being pleasant, I brought them out again, and in less than a week the 

 larvae were all hatched. I fed them on Sedum (abundant here on rocks), 



