1(:)4 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



EARLY STAGES OF GRAPTA J-ALBUM. 



By SHELBY W. DENTON, WELLESLEY, MASS. 



Since the food plant and early stages of Grapta j-Albiiin appear to be 

 imknown, perhaps the following notes (incomplete as they are owing to 

 my ignorance of the species larv^ I was rearing) may still be of some 

 value and shed a little light on the early stages of this fine butterfly. 



On May 17th of the present year, while passing a clump of white 

 birches I noticed a leaf, on the upper surface and at the extreme end of 

 which clustered a number of small caterpillars. They were dark brown, 

 almost black, in color, covered with black spines and not much, if any, 

 longer than a grain of wheat. Not knowing at the time what species of 

 Lepidcptera they would eventually make, I simply plucked the leaf and 

 took no further trouble to look for others, or the empty egg shells of these 

 which must have been near at hand, as they were apparently out but a. 

 short time. 



There were fifteen in all, and these were easily reared by keeping in a 

 jelly glass, feeding with leaves of white birch until they grew too large for 

 the glass, when they were transferred to an ordinary rearing cage. During 

 the earlier stages they moved about very little, feeding side by side, but 

 remaining quite motionless in the middle of the day. 



Previous to moulting the last time, they became quite dormant, each 

 one selected a leaf, covering the upper surface more or less with silk, thus 

 partly curling the leaf, thereby hiding themselves within, and with head 

 downward, remained in this position till the desired change took place. 



In this stage, and in fact all along, no two were alike in color, although 

 there was a general similarity between them. Perhaps they can best be 

 described as greenish underneath, while the whole upper surface was 

 brownish or almost black, with the exception of two yellowish or whitish 

 lines along the back. Between the segments they were pinkish in color, 

 with the spines along the upper surface still black and branching, those 

 along the side having changed to yellowish green. Length at this stage, 

 about i}^ inches and not quite as large around as a lead pencil. 



In the last stage, and before pupating, the caterpillar became a trans- 

 lucent green, the white streaks on the back faded or disappeared, the base 

 of the branching spines became light colored and the dark upper surface 

 became less in extent and much paler, not so decided. 



On June 7th the first one spun a button and attached itself, and by 

 June 12th all were in a chrysalis state. 



