24 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



In 1874-75, I raised three butterflies, Cybek, starting with 219 eggs by 

 count, obtained from one female, 5-7 Sept.. The ist moult occurred (in 

 greenhouse) r3th Feb'y, ist chrysaHs was reached 29th April, and the 

 butterfly emerged 24th May, the period from ist moult being 100 days. 

 I found the same result in freezing caterpillars from eggs laid by Satyrus 

 Nephele, as I related in Can. Ent., vol. xii. It may be assumed that 

 freezing through the winter preserves the lives and contributes to 

 the good health of caterpillars which go into lethargy from the egg, all 

 the way to the imago. 



4. On Transportation of Eggs and Young Larvae. 



I have frequently had eggs of butterflies sent me from points 5 to 12 

 days distance by mail, and except in rare instances, the larvae hatched en 

 route have died in consequence of the decay of the leaves (food) sent 

 with them. Some leaves, being of a dry nature, like Celtis, bear a 6 to 

 10 days journey from South Florida very well, and usually some larvae 

 reach me alive. Willow does not bear this journey readily, and I have 

 lost several lots of larvae of Limenitis Eros in consequence, though in 

 two or three cases they have reached me alive. But Passion-vine has 

 always decayed, even in 5 days. The leaves break loose from tiie stem 

 and get rolled into a nasty rotten ball, destroying everytliing in the box. 

 So I have several times lost larvae of H. Charitonia. I suggested to Dr. 

 Wittfeld, who sent these, to tie each leaf of Passion-vine to the stem 

 before boxing, to prevent their breaking off, and this has seemed to work 

 better. 



On 30th Aug. last, I made an experiment, putting a stem with half a 

 dozen leaves of Passion-vine into an eight-oz. bottle and corking tight. 

 This was placed in a dark closet. Temperature without was high, among 

 the nineties daily. After ten days, I first discovered signs of mould and 

 decay in the leaves, and then only in the tender terminal ones. 



At same time I had bottled in similar manner two leaves of Pawpaw, 

 on each of which an egg of P. Ajax had been laid that morning. At that 

 season the eggs of Ajax would hatch in 4 to 5 days. On the 9th day, I 

 observed the first signs of mould, and that on one leaf only. The other 

 was sound, and two caterpillars were upon it, and both had just cast their 

 skins at 2nd moult, the skins being still present. They had hatched about 

 5 days before, and though corked up and kept in the dark, were appar- 

 ently as healthy as though all the conditions had been normal. 



