8 PROCEEDINGS OP THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.71 



Our observations about Washington indicate that this insect is on 

 the wing for about a month, and this agrees with observations else- 

 where. 



As fresh individuals are emerging during practically all of the time 

 the butterflies are flying and as very few of the specimens caught are 

 badly damaged the natural inference is that the life of the individual 

 adults is very short; but we have no direct evidence to offer on this 

 point. 



Habits. — There is a great difference in the habits of the two sexes 

 of this butterfly, and apparently considerable diversity between dif- 

 ferent individuals of the same sex. The smaller females (pi. 3, fig. 24) 

 are much more active than the larger ones (pi. 5, figs. 35, 38), and 

 we have frequently found that an individual which we thought was 

 a male proved on capture to be a small female. Similarly the larger 

 males (pi. 4, fig. 25) are less active than the smaller ones (pi. 4, figs. 

 26, 27). 



The large females we have never seen more than about 20 feet 

 away from the food plant, but the small females occur throughout 

 the range of the males. We are inclined to believe that these small 

 females represent a specialized form the function of which is the dis- 

 semination of the species. 



Both sexes seem to shun the food plant, and the only individuals 

 we have seen upon or even very near it were large females engaged 

 in oviposition. 



But while the butterflies show a strong distaste for this plant, pre- 

 ferring to rest on almost any other, especially on grasses, they never 

 voluntarily wander very far from it. They are most common in the 

 grass from 10 to 50 feet from the patches of Chelone, and the males 

 and smaller females are frequent up to about 100 feet away. Beyond 

 that distance only rare stragglers are found. 



In cloudy weather and on cool days the butterflies are very reluc- 

 tant to take wing. Under these conditions we have industriously 

 searched for them at the height of the season with the most discour- 

 aging results. 



On bright hot days, however, the males, especially the smaller ones 

 (pi. 4, figs. 26, 27), are very active. They fly rather swiftly for their 

 size, with rather rapid wing beats and occasional glides after the 

 manner of Junonia. Usually they keep near the grass tops, but 

 occasionally they will dart rapidly upward in an erratic zigzag to a 

 height of sometimes as much as 10 or 15 feet, soon coming down and 

 perching on a grass blade. They will often go for a long distance 

 without alighting, sometimes even out of sight. On a hot and sunny 

 day these small males when they take wing are by no means easy but- 

 terflies to catch, though when resting they are singularly unsuspicious. 



