46 BULLETIN 15 7, U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Familiar to everyone late in summer is the sight of a shrinking 

 puddle surrounded by a muddy patch enlivened by a greater or lesser 

 number of butterflies usually grouped in little companies, each com- 

 pany as a rule including butterflies of only a single kind, or at least 

 of only a single color. 



The characteristic puddle butterflies in the vicinity of the District 

 are the yellow clover {Colias philodice)^ the lisa, or lesser sulphur 

 {Eur&ma lisa), the pearl crescent {Phyciodes tharos), the tailed blue 

 {Everes coinyntas), and the yellovf {Papilio glmicus) and the zebra 

 {P. marcellus) swallowtails. Not far beyond the borders of the 

 District the nicippe {Ewrema nicippe) and the giant, or cloudless, 

 sulphur {Phoehis euhule) are characteristic puddle butterflies. 



Various other species are often seen about muddy spots, especially 

 the silver-spotted skipper {Epwrffyreus tityrus) in the last half of 

 June and the first half of July, when it is most abundant, other 

 skippers at the same time and later in the season, the black admiral 

 {Basilarchia art he7}us astyanax), the spicehush. {Papilio troilus) and 

 black {P. polyxenes) swallowtails, the alder butterfly {Feniseca 

 tarquinius), the buckeye {Junonia lavinia), the common blue {Lycae- 

 nopsis argiolus pseudargiolus) , the hop merchant {Polygonia 

 cOTnma), the Camberwell beauty {Vanessa antiopa), the question 

 mark {Polygonia interrogationis) , the American painted lady 

 {Pyrameis virginiensis) , the red admiral {P. atalanta), and a few 

 others. But these are always present as occasional individuals and 

 can not be classed as true puddle butterflies. 



In connection with puddle butterflies it is noticeable that all, or 

 practically all, are fresh males; their wings are sometimes slit or 

 torn, but they are almost never rubbed. 



During the last week in August, 1929, special attention was paid 

 to the pearl crescent {Phyciodes tharos) , which was exceedingly com- 

 mon about puddles and also in the fields. About the puddles all 

 the individuals were fresh males, while in the fields adjacent both 

 males and females were common, but nearly all the individuals, 

 especiall}'^ the males, were worn and ragged. A week later fresh 

 individuals of both sexes, but especially males, were common through- 

 out the fields. 



So far as could be judged from the detailed observations, there 

 seemed to be a continuous procession of freshly emerged males to 

 the puddles and muddy spots and then away again back to the fields, 

 where they gradually became worn and frayed. 



Two curious features connected with puddle butterflies are worthy 

 of special notice. In the first place, puddle butterflies late in sum- 

 mer will collect shortly after a rain, when there can be no question 

 of a sufficiency of water in the fields. In the second place, no mat- 

 ter how dry the country may be no puddle butterflies will be seen 



