PAPILIO III. 



duces successive broods of Mareellus the same season, and occasionally Telamonides, 

 (individual taken by Mr. Mead in September, 1870) and the last brood produces 

 Wakhii and Telamonides in the Spring; and whenever any of the chrysalids of 

 either brood of Ilarcellus j^ass the winter they produce the other two varieties, and 

 probably sometimes their own type (individual taken Ajn-il, 1867.) The chrysa- 

 lids of Walshii that pass the winter of 1871 — 2 will jjrobably produce Walshii 

 or Telamonides. 



Thus there are MarceUus produced by three different types of jiarent, and Tel- 

 amonides by three and probably Walshii by the same number. I have carefully 

 compared individuals of each variety so sprung from several parents and can dis- 

 cover no tangible points of difference. Except in what I should call non-essential 

 variations and which each variety is sul^ject to, such as width of the bands, &c., 

 each is true to its own type no matter what its parentage. 



The duration of the several states of egg, larva and chrysalis also differs 

 greatly, esjiecially between Walshii and the other two varieties. 



Egg. Larva. Chrysalis. Total. 



Walshii, 7 to 8 days. 22 to 29 days. 14 days. 43 to 52 days. 



Telamonides 4 to 5 days. 15 to 18 days. 11 to 14 days. 30 to 36 days. 



Marcellas, 4 to 5 days. 12 to 19 days. 11 to 14 days. 27 to 38 days. 



The female of Ajax may frequently be seen coursing through the pawpaw trees 

 which hereabouts cover the lower hill-sides, or hovering about the young jilants 

 that spring uji in the cultivated fields, searching for leaves on wliich to dejaosit 

 her eggs. After touching or running over and rejecting several, she finds one 

 suitable to her purpose. Thereupon, balancing by the rapid fluttering of her wings, 

 she stands for an instant with legs stretched at full length, perpendicular to the 

 body, and curving down the abdomen till it touches the surface, deposits a single 

 egg; then flies away, presently to alight on a second leaf with like intent. Some- 

 times the egg is ujion the stem and occasionally on the under side of the leaf, but 

 almost always it is on the upper side, and but one egg will usually be found on 

 the same leaf. The process of laying continues for several successive days. At 

 certain seasons it is almost impossible to find a young plant that is free from these 

 eggs and it is easy to collect scores of them. 



On dissecting the abdomen of a newly emerged female the eggs are found to 

 be fully formed though not full-sized. I conclude that they mature with great 

 rapidity because fertile eggs are laid by apparently fresh and uninjured females. 

 With the Vanessans and Argynnides, (probably with the Nym^^haliilse generally,) 

 this is far from being the case, the eggs maturing in the ovaries for a long period 

 before they are ready for impregnation. 



