164 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



hungry. Mr. Mead tried it with several sorts of leaves, among them violet, 

 giving it also a drop of water which it greedily drank. It soon after 

 began to eat the violet, and being fed on that grew rapidly, and by 25th 

 September had attained a length of 1J inches. Oa 1st October it changed 

 to chrysalis, and resembled much in shape that of Phaeton, the surface clear 

 pearly color, partly iridiscent, and covered with metallic bronze tubercles- 

 During my absence from home the last two weeks of October, this chrysalis 

 yielded imago, Euptoieta claudia. Boisduval & Leconte pretend to repre- 

 sent this larva, but we did not suspect the species from their figure. 



The presence of this larva on alder several feet from the ground indicates 

 that it rests during the day and returns at night to its food plant (violet). 

 It travelled with wonderful* rapidity, and a daily journey of ten feet would 

 be a small affair for it. Very likely the larvae of other Argynnidae have the 

 same habit, and might be found by beating the bushes near their food-plant 

 rather than by searching the plant itself. 



I was not successful this year in obtaining eggs of either of the large 

 Argynnis. In 1869 I succeeded in hatching larvae of Diana, CybeU, and 

 Aphrodite, but one after another fell off the food plant (violet and vernonia) 

 apparently dried up. Dr. Hayhurst, of Sedalia, Mo., to whom I sent eggs of 

 Diana, brought one larva to second moult when it also died. I believe this 

 was owing to the dryness of the feeding boxes. The larvae, in a state of 

 nature, feed on low growing plants in shady, moist situations. Probably 

 feeding in tin boxes kept moist would answer the purpose. The larva of 

 Euptoieta seems eager for water, a thing quite new in my experience with 

 any larvae, and both those of Argynnis and of Melitaia may have the same 

 need. 



Coalburgh, W. Va., 27th February, 1871. 



[Note by Ed. C. E. — The above interesting and valuable communication 

 from Mr. Edwards is, we are happy to say, the precursor of many more. In 

 a recent letter he states, u I shall take pleasure in writing pretty regularly to 

 your Journal respecting my own insect breeding, and if other observers will 

 do the same, we can soon get in convenient shape for reference a great deal 

 of information of value to those interested." We trust that this suggestion 

 will be carried out, and that Entomologists throughout North America will 

 freely avail themselves of our pages for the recording of their observations 

 in this and other branches of the science.] 



