280 NATURAL HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA, 



hung long icicles, which you might have taken for stalactites. 

 Yet had the sun power to awaken into life some little Pliila- 

 potomi, which were running about on the rocks. I saw in one 

 place there was a great bustle amongst them ; eight or ten 

 were huddled together, and were apparently very contentious 

 and quarrelsome ; the object of then' strife I found to be an 

 apterous female : I carefully searched for more, but found 

 only four or five, there being at least ten males to one female. 



With the exception of these, a few flies, and one moth, very 

 much resembling our Geometra dilulata, all living things were 

 gone. The blue-birds, the tanagers, the robins, the sweet 

 little wood-thrushes, and the whole tribe of warblers were 

 gone ; and, excepting two or three blue jays, I do not know 

 tliat I saw a live bird at Trenton during my four days' stay : 

 but it was most delightful to revisit my old haunts and ray old 

 friends. 



Now for the Lepidoptera. In the spring, butterflies are not 

 numerous; a few wasted specimens of Vanessa ylntiopa, 

 Atalanta., G. aureum, and a few fresher ones of M. Euphrosyne 

 and Lycasna PMceas, are about all that you see. In summer, 

 one or two Hesperice, and a snjall butterfly allied to MelitcBa. 

 You see, perhaps, a Pontia or two, and one Pohfommatus, very 

 like P. Argiolus in colour and habit. Still later in the season 

 I met with two species of Argynnis, and one of Limerdtis, also 

 one Thecla. But I forgot Papilio Turnus, which was very 

 common at the flowers of the lilac. How delighted I was 

 when I saw the first of these sail majestically by the house ! 

 I seized my nets, and, after a considerable chace, captured 

 him. Sesice and Macroglosscv we also captured at the lilac 

 bloom; they are called " Lady-birds." 



As soon as it was dark of an evening the house presented u 

 sight which I should think was rarely witnessed before, either 

 in an American or English inn. I hope you have, ere this, got 

 a sketch of the house which I sent you ; the low part, to the 

 right of the sketch, [see p. 200,] contains the bar-room and my 

 sitting-room, separated only by an entry, where is the old 

 Dutch porch in which I have spent so many happy hours. 

 Now when I say the bar-room, do not suppose it is a bit like 

 the bar-room of an English country inn, — a place for people to 

 smoke and get drunk in, — no such thing ; the bar-room is as 

 quiet a place as your room, where the Club cabinet is. It is 



