134 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Voi. xl 



It has also been stated by Lubbock or some other English ento- 

 mologist that butterflies will descend from a position high in the air 

 and fly down to bits of white paper, apparently mistaking them for 

 white flowers. 



On April 28 I saw in my yard a Pieris rapce flying across a bed of 

 violets, many in flower, and then after crossing the bed without paus- 

 ing in its flight it rather suddenly turned down and alighted on a 

 single white flower of the bloodroot, remaining at rest on it for one 

 or two minutes. It was evidently attached by the white color, pass- 

 ing by the violets to visit the bloodroot. h pril 30 I saw two Pieris fly 

 towards bits of white paper which I had thrown down ; they did not 

 alight upon them, but evidently were attracted to them, as they would 

 turn toward them in their flight ; but after this they took no further 

 notice of the papers. 



M. Poujade (Bulletin Soc. Ent. France, No. 9, 1903) mentions 

 seeing Tliecia rnln flying without fear around a green net and rest 

 upon it if held still, but this familiarity ceased when the green was re- 

 placed by blue gauze. We should cite this as a case of color-prefer- 

 ence. 



Mr. Beverly Letcher writes me from San Francisco, June 5, 1902, 

 regarding a case observed by him, which will illustrate both the range 

 of butterfly vision and the preference for colors of the same hue as 

 themselves, as a means of unconscious protection. 



" I have for some years intended to communicate to you an observation on insect 

 vision. I collect with a green cheese-cloth net which by July has faded to a yellow, 

 closely approximating that of the female Mei;anostoma eu>ydice. I, as well as G. T. 

 O. Mueller, with whom I sometimes collect, had noticed that the males flew directly 

 into my net, but the particular instance to which I desire to call your attention is that 

 of a male flying rapidly by in the open bushes at least 25 feet from the road on which 

 I was collecting, and which suddenly turned at right angles to its course, flying di- 

 rectly at me and into the net." 



Color Preference of Diptera. — Gross has observed that house flies 

 would frequent a bluish-green circle on the ceiling of his chamber; 

 but if it were covered by white paper, the flies would leave the spot, 

 though they would return as soon as the paper circle was removed 

 (Kolbe). 



We have observed that house flies prefer green paper to the yellow- 

 ish wall of a kitchen, but were not attracted to sheets of a Prussian 

 blue paper, attached to the same wall and ceiling. 



