THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 85 



PRACTICAL AND POPULAR ENTOMOLOGY.— No. 25. 

 OviPOSiTioN OF Epidemia E^pixanthe. 



BY J. H. COOK AND F. E. WATSON. 



A desire to observe the larva o{ Incisalia poHos in the field, and to 

 secure a few for breeding, took us to Lakewood, N. J., toward the end of 

 the last week in June, 1907. For forty-eight hours we were compelled to 

 work under the disadvantages incident to a steady rain, succeeded by a 

 series of showers, mists and infrequent periods of half-hearted sunshine. 

 Though no butterflies appeared, such weather was — except for the discom- 

 fort entailed — the best possible for caterpillar hunting, and by evening of 

 the second day we had collected a number of iriis^ 7iiphon and polios^ 

 sufl[icient to warrant us in turning our attention to something else. 



A golden sunset gave promise of clearing skies on the morrow, and 

 in casting about for some butterfly problem which might profitably occupy 

 our time, we chanced to think of Epidemia epixanthe. It was as yet a 

 little too early to expect the species to be flying in numbers, and our 

 hopes of learning anything of its life-history were correspondingly moderate; 

 nevertheless we made ready for a day's work in the cranberry bogs. 



July the first dawned cloudless and serene, and following the less 

 agreeable weather, it seemed doubly pleasant to see the land flooded with 

 light, and to feel the warmth of the morning sun on our hands and faces. 

 We set out betimes along a little-travelled road, which runs through the 

 negro quarter of the village, and on towards the coast. The sandy high- 

 way had dried during the night, and walking was slow and somewhat 

 fatiguing, though we made no pretence of haste, stopping occasionally to 

 gather a few irtis caterpillars from the Baptisia,'^ or to look over the 

 small pines for niphon. Further on the road was bordered on either side 

 by thickets of laurel, crowned with magnificent masses of pink and white 

 blossoms, and we paused to admire their luxuriance and beauty, and to 

 enjoy the rich fragrance with which the air was laden. Out in the open, 

 however, we plodded on in full realization that it was a typical, torrid, 

 glorious summer's day. 



By reason of slow progress and numerous delays, we did not reach 

 the marsh for which we had headed until well on toward eleven o'clock ; 



*Two weeks before we had discovered a female irus ovipositing" on Baptisia 

 tinctoria., and further investigation has led us to believe that this is the preferred, 

 if not the only, larval food-plant in Xew Jersey and for some distance southward. 

 Neither eggs nor larvae were found on lupine ( Lupimts perennis) either at South 

 Lakewood or Newfoundland, N. J., though they were common enough on the 

 False Indig'o wherever iri(s occurred. 

 March, 1908 



