V 



[ 



THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 145 



On rst July, 1891, when on a Dominion Day excursion to Vau- 

 dreuil, Q., I observed a pair of A. Cybele in copulation, resting on a bush 

 within a yard of where I was standing. Oblivious for the time of the 

 interest and importance of the fact, I did not secure them, and so lost the 

 opportunity of trying to obtain eggs at that time. 



On 2nd July, 1894, I went out to St. Therese to look for females of 

 Cybele, but though plenty of males were on the wing, no female was seen. 



On 14th July I went up the mountain for the same purpose and was 

 fortunate enough to secure one in fair condition. This I immediately 

 confined over a violet planted in a pot, by a wire gauze cylinder, but 

 fearing that the eggs might possibly be laid upon the wire gauze, I 

 substituted a net cage on the 15th. This cage was kept out of doors on 

 a back gallery, but on the 18th was upset and demoralized by a too 

 inquisitive feline anxious to find out what sort of a bird was kept in such 

 an insecure cage. 



On my return home in the evening I proceeded to examine the 

 wreck, though I supposed the butterfly had escaped, but on carefully 

 stirring the spilled earth the poor thing struggled out of its grave and was 

 carefully secured, and on examination was found to be sound, though with 

 sadly damaged plumage. 



Two days later I carried.it out in a box to Paul Smith's, in the 

 Adirondacks, whither I went to look for Colias Interior, and rigged up 

 a fresh cage for it by planting a violet in a tomato can. I cannot be sure 

 when the first eggs of Cybele were laid, but the two first found were 

 observed on 30th July, which is three weeks earlier than any previous 

 record for anywhere near this latitude, according to Mr. Scudder, but, 

 curiously enough, is the same date as recorded by Wm. Buckler for 

 Argynnis Paphia in the first volume of " Larvae of British Butterflies and 

 Moths," as noted by Mr. Scudder. 



This female lived for 29 or 30 days in confinement, and laid eggs at 

 various times up to about 12th August. Comparatively few eggs were 

 laid and most of them hatched in due course, the first on i8th August, 

 giving an egg period in hot summer weather of not less than 19 days and 

 probably longer. This larva behaved in a very curious manner and was 

 a subject of much interest. It was placed on a violet planted in a small 

 pot and left out over night without any cage and in the morning it could 

 not be seen and I feared it had escaped, but placed a small wire gauze 

 cylinder over the plant. 



