PAPILIO XII., XIII. 



habits and run-ways had been so well learned that I felt sure of ultimate suc- 

 cess. 



" About 10th May, the fresh, bright colored males of the second brood sud- 

 denly appeared in considerable numbei's, and in a week females were also flying. 

 One day, I took two fine females, and the next discovered several feeding on 

 alfalfa blossoms. That day eight were put in three bags and tied to willow 

 boughs in the thickets, and the next afteimoon quite a number of eggs had been 

 laid and were sent forward. 



" These females were all notably larger than those of the first brood, and gen- 

 erally laid several eggs in confinement. From one I got twenty-eight. When 

 the butterflies were taken far from my house, or in places difficult of access, they 

 were put in tin boxes, and there confined with cut twigs of willow. But willow 

 speedily wilts in a warm, dry place, so that in two hours the plant woidd be 

 worthless, as the insects have sense enough not to lay on wilted leaves. To rem- 

 edy this difficulty, I thought of the expedient of inverting over the plant, leaving 

 off the bag, a wide-mouthed glass jar, of as large size as could be got. Jars of a 

 gallon capacity gave excellent results. These not oiily kept the leaves from 

 wilting, but also rendei'ed the air moist and quiet, and evidently in a favorable 

 condition for the object in view. But wherever possible, the butterflies were 

 put in the gauze bags and left in the thicket where they had been found. In 

 such cases three enemies are to be guarded against, boys, birds, and ants. The 

 curious boys cannot possibly let the odd apparatus alone if they find it, and the 

 sharp little Indian boys are quick at sjoying out such things. The birds are 

 about as bad, for they eat the butterflies, prying open the meshes of the bag 

 with their bills. To circumvent them, it is well to use a double bag, or to cover 

 the bag with a cloth on the upper side. As to the ants, I have, whenever possi- 

 ble, waded into a stream, or better, a wet bog, and so found places safe from both 

 ants and boys. Then the bags must be placed low down near the ground and on 

 thrifty fast-growing twigs. High-hung bags are never successful. Considerable 

 shade must be had or the butterflies will die. All these things, easy enough when 

 known, cost me days and weeks of experiment, and many disheartening failures 

 occurred. From one caui^e or other it has sometimes been necessary to keep 

 the captured females for several days. In such cases I fed them on sweetened 

 water. They ai'e easily tamed and soon learn to feed. 



" It is probable there are more than three broods hei'e when the season is so 

 long. The butterflies will be flying in November, and if we allow two months 

 for a brood, the fourth would appear about first of September, and their caterpil- 

 lars would have time to pupate before cold weather, for with us October is very 

 warm." 



