Cjie faaiian ^ntomobpt. 



VOL. IX. LONDON, ONT., JANUARY, 1877. No. i 



HISTORY OF PHYCIODES THAROS, A POLYMORPHIC 



BUTTERFLY. 



BY W. H. EDWARDS, COALBURGH, W. VA. 



In the month of July, 1875, I chanced to be in the Catskill Mts., 

 when Mr. Mead discovered the food-plant of tharos, as detailed by him 

 in Vol. vii, Ent., p. 161, this being the common wild Aster, A. Nova- 

 anglice, and I obtained from him a cluster of eggs ; also afterwards got 

 others for myself by tying the females in bags over the stems of the same 

 plant. The larvae hatched, and while in their younger stages I brought 

 them to Coalburgh. On the journey, stopping at several points, I had to 

 give them leaves of such spe(;ies of Aster as I could find, and they ate 

 any and all readily — even German Asters from the garden. By the 4th 

 of September they had ceased feeding, after having all passed two 

 moults, and slept. Two weeks later, part of them were again active and 

 fed for a day or two., when these gathered in clusters and presently passed 

 their third moult, and became lethargic, each one where it moulted, with 

 the cast skin by its side. I placed all the larvae in the cellar, and so they 

 remained till 7th Feb., when such as were alive (many had died from 

 mould), were transferred to leaves of an Aster which had been forced in 

 the green-house. The same day some were feeding. They all passed in 

 due time two more moults, making a total of five in some cases. But 

 whether those larvae which moulted twice only in the fall did not pass 

 three moults in the spring I cannot say. Further observations are neces- 

 sary on this habit. The first chrysalis was formed 5th May, and its 

 butterfly emerged on i8th, or after 13 days. Another emerged on 30th, 

 after 8 days, this stage being shortened as the weather became warmer. 

 There resulted 8 butterflies, all viarcia, 5 ^ , 3 $ , and all of the variety 

 hereinafter designated C, except one % , which was var. B. 



The first individuals of the species seen by me, in the field, at Coal- 

 burgh, were 3^ mania, on i8th May. A single $ was taken 19th, two 



