188 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



no stragglers, but towards maturity the larvse scatter, the main body of the 

 family keeping together till nearly grown. The ' nettles,' as we designate 

 a certain spot, is a patch of that plant covering more than three quarters 

 of an acre, lying on each side of a lane. I have seen perhaps forty fami- 

 lies of these larvae feeding there at one time, but never under the shade 

 of trees which cover much of that ground. The larvae were always out 

 in the sun. I have found the larvae will starve rather than eat the broad- 

 leafed nettle." 



Again, 17th July : " I visited the nettles yesterday. Found but one 

 group of larvae, they about ^ inch long. A bright-colored bug (Hem- 

 ipter) with a long beak was active in picking off the larvae. I found four 

 in a bent and closed leaf with one larva of G. Comma ; six in a similar 

 leaf; two in a leaf that was closed but not bent, two unprotected on the 

 under side of a leaf, and one in plain sight on upper side. Found also a 

 bunch of eggs just hatched, and the larvae had crawled to under side of 

 the leaf and lay like a flock of sheep, heads up." 



Again, 20th : " Found one group of about 200 larvae, all on upper 

 sides of two opposite leaves, and a few inches below a web at top of the 

 plant. These larvae measured h inch " (at or about 3rd moult). 



" Another group, measuring ^ inch " (after 4th moult) " were hidden 

 in closed leaves on different stalks. Part of these closed leaves had the 

 ribs cut, and these were crowded ; the closed but uncut leaves had from 

 one to four tenants. I have often noticed and know that after the last 

 moult, the larvae scatter and feed openly. Can see a family several rods 

 away where they are numerous." 



I separated several of my larvae at one stage or other of their growth 

 and gave leaves of our common broad-leafed nettle. At first they refused 

 the food, then nibbled a little, and finally eat some leaves. But none of 

 these larvae reached pupation, nor even passed a moult. They dwindled 

 away and died. The same thing happened with larvae sent me in 1884. 

 Mr. Gilbert reports a similar experience, as before said. 



Specimens of the butterfly from the western plains and to Pacific 

 have not the bright coloration seen at the east. They have a faded look. 



ELAPHIDION VILLOSUM, Fabr. 



BY FREDERICK CLARKSON, NEW YORK CITY. 



There is in the study of Entomology a fascination and delight that 

 captivates the imagination, and renders the enthusiast liable to construct 



