110 BULLETIN 15 7, U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



grass blade it may fly straight ahead. A frightened cybele on reach- 

 ing a wooded area usually flies directly in among the trees, not turn- 

 ing to one side as does the regal fritillary. 



The cybele spends the night either in grassy areas on or very near 

 the ground, or in the interior of bramble thickets or similar situa- 

 tions. I have watched it alight on the upper portion of a grass blade, 

 slowly crawl down almost to the ground, and then turn head up 

 prepared to spend the night. In such a position it is almost invisible, 

 as the dull colors of the under surface merge with the background 

 and the conspicuous silver spots appear like drops of dew. I have 

 also watched an individual crawl slowly for more than a yard into a 

 tangled mass of brambles seeking a place in which to spend the night. 



In the morning the insect flies out from its hiding place, to the 

 detriment of the hairy covering of the thorax and the delicate scales 

 on the upper surface of the wrings. The wings themselves, especially 

 the hind wings, are often more or less extensively slit and torn. 



The habit of crawling into close quarters is very characteristic of 

 this butterfly. Early in spring it is very fond of the flowers of the 

 wild coffee {Triosteufni perfoliatwii) , and in order to reach these it 

 must search them out in a mass of foliage. When feeding on the 

 flowers of this plant it is so completely hidden that its presence is 

 unsuspected. 



Later in the season it is very fond of the flowers of the milkweed 

 {Asclepias syriaca). It will feed on the lower flowers as readily as 

 on the upper, and on the flowers in the interior of a patch as well as 

 on those on the exterior. It is the only one of our local butterflies 

 that will feed on flowers with leaves above and on all sides as well. 



It is equally fond of the flowers of the red milkweed {Asclepias 

 incarnata), which always grow singly in the open. Here it feeds 

 equally on the upper and the lower flowers. It is often seen on the 

 flowers of buttonbush {Cephalanthus occidentalis) and of red clover, 

 and late in the season sometimes on thistles. 



I have twice watched the courting process of this butterfly. In 

 both cases the female was seated on the horizontal upper surface of 

 an alder leaf with the wings folded above the back and the fore wings 

 drawn down to the maximum. On the same leaf an inch or so behind 

 the female was a male with his body just in line with hers, and facing 

 the same way. His wings also were closed above the back, but the 

 fore wings were drawn forward so that their hinder border ap- 

 proached the vertical as that of hers did the horizontal. At intervals 

 he would suddenly open and close his wings, these intervals, at first 

 of about a second, gradually becoming less and less, and constantly, 

 almost incessantly, he slightly shifted his position in a series of 

 little rapid jerks. 



