AKT. 11 NOTES ON THE MELITAEID BUTTEBFLY CLARK 9 



The large females (pi. 5, figs. 35, 38) always are inert, and when 

 started usually fly only a yard or two, and seldom as much as 20 feet 

 They fly only a few inches above the grass tops with a weak and 

 tremulous flight. When resting they are wholly unsuspicious. Once 

 seen, either on the wing or resting, they can invariably be caught. 



Oviposition. — Three females were observed in the act of depositing 

 their eggs. In all cases the plant chosen was a very vigorous one well 

 within a dense growth of similar plants which at the time were about 

 6 inches in height. The more numerous smaller and more scattered 

 plants seemed to be avoided. 



The females all selected one of the largest and best developed leaves 

 situated about halfway between the ground and the summit of the 

 plant and extending outward horizontally from the stem. To the 

 under side of this they clung transversely. 



During oviposition all three females fanned the air slowly and con- 

 stantly with their wings. It was the motion of the checkered under 

 side of their wings that attracted attention to them. Had it not been 

 for this they would have been almost invisible, deep down as they 

 were in a mass of dark green foliage through the interstices of which 

 appeared the blackish mud of the swamp. 



The habit of this butterfly in crawling deep down into the denser 

 portions of a vigorous colony of the food plant in order to find a suit- 

 able place for oviposition is noteworthy. 



When engaged in placing their eggs the females are singularly 

 unsuspicious. 



All of the egg masses found extended from the midrib nearly or 

 quite to the edge of the leaf, and varied from oval to almost circular 

 in shape. All were incomplete, consisting of a single laver of eggs 

 with sometimes part of a second. 



Eggs. — A mass of clear light lemon yellow eggs collected on June 

 11, and whicli were probably laid on the same day, went through the 

 various color changes described in detail by Mr. Scudder and hatched 

 on June 27 — that is, in 17 days. 



Young caterpillars. — To one who is accustomed to gather butter- 

 flies mostly by means of a net, this seems to be a rather infrequent 

 species. But in reality it exists in great numbers, although it is very 

 local in its occurrence. 



In oder to appreciate the abundance of this insect in New Eng- 

 land, it is only necessary to search for its food plant toward the 

 middle of August when the conspicuous webs of the caterpillars, now 

 at the summit of the stalks, are at their maximum size. These webs 

 will be found in great profusion wherever the food plant grows. 



In eastern Massachusetts we have found them wherever we have 



found the turtlehead, which here is common. Indeed, in a marshy 



spot in Prospect Hill Park, in Waltham, dozens of the webs may 



easily be seen from the road. We have sometimes been surprised to 



30563— 27t 2 



