THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 95 



■*'■ it would not appear to be that of J>ri?grie,\vhich feeds on currant, as that 

 " is olive brown in color, and this color covers nearly all the surface. 

 " Comma has a yellow skin in some of its phases, with black marks. At 

 " other times it is black, with yellow marks. It varies greatly. I do not 

 " know that it feeds on currant. Faiinus, Scudder thinks, is dimorphic 

 ^^ \\\\h gracilis. I don't. The larva of y^/z/z/zj- feeds on willow. It may 

 " have other food plants, but so far we only know of willow ; and it 

 " looks like the larva of C. album, of Europe ; that is fore-half rusty 

 " red, hind-half white, so that your description does not fit that." 



Mr. Edwards, in his remarks on larvae raised from the females of 

 interrogationis, describes them as exhibiting " every distinct type of 

 " coloration, and that either type of larvae produced either sex or form 

 " of butterfly indifferently." G. inferrogatiofiis has been found feeding 

 on several plants, one of which is Tiiia piibescens, and it will surely be 

 conceded that there is a marked difference between the taste of the 

 leaves of the hop and linden. If the color of a larva is affected by food 

 taken into its system, does it not appear reasonable that the imago issuing 

 from it will be more or less marked ? Say, for instance, that Grapta 

 comma feeds on two distinct plants, and that a male whose larva fed on 

 tlie hop, took for its mate a female which fed on elm. In all probability 

 a versicolor butterfly would be the result, although the form would be that 

 of comma. It is on the ground of finding northern species confined to a 

 single plant, and which presents no varieties, that I conclude that such as 

 are extremely phytophagic are those which produce the greatest number 

 of varieties, while their forms are lessened or extended in accordance 

 with geographical situation. '-^ 



There are a few other well marked species inhabiting the north 

 belonging to Lycaeriidcc and HesperidcE, but as the previous remarks apply 

 equally to them, I shall not extend the matter. My object is to ventilate 



* Note, — Coleman, in his " British Butterflies," remarks on the variety 

 Gonoiiteriix clcopatra, of Europe, that M. Boisduval has proved that G. rliamni and 

 the former are identical, and in a foot note adds that ' ' they are two varieties, but 

 *' why they fly together he cannot explain ; but it is jK)ssible there may be a con- 

 *' stitutional difference between individual insects, just as we see that of twoEnglish- 

 " men going to a hot climate — one will brown deeply, while the complexion of the 

 " other will hardly alter, although exposed to the very same external influence." In 

 another portion of Coleman's book he thinks it possible that Colias edusa var. Jielice 

 may be a male between C. edusa and C. hyale. 



