ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 123 



Donations to the Library : Pamphlets on the North American 

 Helicidos, by Thomas Bland, extracted from the Annals of the 

 N. Y. Lyceum of Natural History. American Journal of Science 

 and Arts for January, 1864. Boston Journal of Natural History, 

 Vol. VII, No. 4. 



Dr. Behr presented the following paper: 



On Californian Lepidoptera. "No. TV. 



BY H. BEHR, M.D. 

 Fam. YaNESSIDwE. 



Grapta. 

 Grapta Comma Harris. 



I possess but one specimen of this Grapta. It was collected by Dr. Hille- 

 brand, in Yosemite Yalley, during his late visit to California. It agrees in all 

 essential points with two other specimens which I obtained through the kind - 

 ness of Mr. W. H. Edwards, of New York. The California specimen differs 

 by a somewhat lighter coloration on both sides, especially below where the 

 ground color passes into a yellowish brown, while in the Eastern specimen it 

 becomes a bluish gray. On the upper side, also, the bluish coloration of the 

 edge of the angulated wings of the Eastern form is replaced by a yellowish 

 tint. 



I would be inclined to take G. Comma for a local variety of G. C-album, 

 were it not for the caterpillar, which, according to Mr. Harris, resembles that 

 of G. interrogation's, and is entirely without that strangely dimidiate colora- 

 tion so characteristic in G. C-album. 



In G. C-album I cannot find any difference between my Californian and 

 European specimens. Our vernal generation is larger and somewhat lighter 

 colored than any European specimens I have ever seen. The caterpillar has a 

 curious dimidiate coloration, which I have never seen except in this species : 

 the fore part being white, the abdominal part yellow. I found it on Urtica, 

 but it will probably be found on other Urticaceous plants, herbaceous as well 

 as arborescent. G. C-album is not common in the immediate neighborhood of 

 San Francisco, but it is rather abundant in woody and mountainous districts. 



The Atlantic States are richer in species of this genus than either Europe or 

 California, the two latter of which possess the same number of species. 



Europe. California. Atlantic Slope. 



G. C-album. G. C-album. G. C-album. 



G. Triangulum. G. Comma. G. Comma. 



G. Faunus. 



G. Progne. 



G. interrogationis. 



.Vanessa Fabr. 

 Vanessa Californica Boisd. 

 The caterpillar of this species feeds on Ceanothus, and lives socially like that 

 of V. Urtica L., from which it differs very little. It is of a velvety black, and 

 the spines which cover it are also black. 



