THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 193 



June, was 34 Dryas. In 1875, the first eggs were 14th May, and up to 

 1 8th June these gave 19 Dryas ; no Hqrrisii in either case. In 1869, on 

 1 8th June, one '^ ffarrisii czxnQ from chrysalis, the only instance known 

 to me in which that form has appeared in the first brood. So that in 

 different years, at Coalburgh, there is a variation of at least a month in the 

 laying of eggs by the hybernators, and consequently a months difference 

 in the appearance of the first brood. In Can. Ent, X., p. 69, I gave 

 the results of rearing the several broods up to end of 1877. 



The larvae, as described, are quite variable, when mature, the color of 

 body being white, green or black ; and the black examples vary much in 

 the extent of the white or yellow markings. But neither color belongs 

 especially to one form of the butterfly. Thus, of 50 larvje, from eggs laid 

 by Harrisii, in 1882, but one was white, the rest being black. Of 34 

 larvae from eggs of Harrisii, in 1874, but 6 had black ground, and the 

 rest were all light, several being cream-white. Of 23 larvae from eggs of 

 Harrisii, in 1875, 10 were white or greenish, 13 more or less black. Of 

 60 larvae from eggs of Dryas, 1873, only one was white, the rest black. 

 So that there is no apparent connection between the color of the cater- 

 pillar and the form of the butterfly. 



The caterpillars feed on Hop, Nettle, false Nettle, (Boehmeria cylin- 

 drica,) and Elm. I have found them at Coalburgh almost always on Hop 

 and Boehmeria. The eggs are laid either singly or in small clusters upon 

 the under side of the tenderer leaves, and the young larva eats a hole for 

 itself in the substance of the leaf, and during the first stage feeds about 

 this. For the first two stages it is exposed on the leaf just as the larva 

 of G. hiterrogationis is, but at the second moult behaves differently from 

 that species, which makes no shelter for itself at any time. I watched 

 three larvae of Comma in Aug., 1882, to learn exactly at what stage they 

 began to protect themselves, placing them as soon as hatched upon a plant 

 of Boehmeria set in flower-pot in my room. Very shortly after the second 

 moult they had gotten to the bases of the third pair of leaves from top, 

 two on one leaf, one on the other, and were engaged in drawing the edges 

 of the leaves next base down with silk spun. To effect this they had 

 bitten off the principal rib on either side the mid-rib, very near the edge 

 of the leaf, and had cut quite to the edge. This leaf naturally curves the 

 other way, so that the caterpillars were working at a disadvantage on the 

 convex side. But notwithstanding this, they had, in course of an hour, 



