PAPILTO XII., XIII. 



Later Mr. Wright wrote me that on 15th September he found a half grown 

 larva of I^ittu/us near hi.s house. 



Mr. Baron, some years ago, reported that in north California he saw Rufulus 

 laying on willow, and he got the egg. This was mentioned in Papilio III., p. 65, 

 1883. Mr. R. H. Stretch, who has had great experience in collecting and breed- 

 ing butterflies in California, and is a careful observer of their habits, wrote me, 

 30th April, 1883 : " I see a note of yours about the egg of Rutulus on willow. 

 Now Rutulus is always found hawking up and down willow thickets in preference 

 to any other locality, and I have always supposed it to be a willow feeder, 

 though I never succeeded in finding the larva." Unquestionably, willow is the 

 usual food of this species, but other plants must also be eaten, though they may 

 not be preferred. 



Mr. T. L. Mead, in Psyche II., p. 180, 1878, says that one female of several con- 

 fined by him when in California over a branch of wild cherry laid twenty eggs, 

 but the others refused. He found the young larvte more difficult to raise than 

 those of Turnus, and in fact they all died when past the first moult. He says, 

 " Mr. Henry Edwards informs me that he has repeatedly found larvae of this 

 species, but usually lost them before they changed to chrysalis." As to this state- 

 ment, Mr. Edwards tells me that he probably spoke of Eurymedon, which he 

 formerly mixed up with Euiulus, and that he never had larvaj of Rutulus but 

 once, and then from three eggs which he saw a female lay on alder, Alna viridis, 

 as mentioned in Papilio II., p. 113. These larvaj died from neglect after third 

 moult. So that, as far as known, willow and alder are the only food plants of 

 this species, for the eggs obtained by Mr. Mead were laid in confinement, and the 

 larvae died not long after hatching. 



The first lot of eggs sent me by Mr. Wright suffered from mould on the jour- 

 ney, and but one hatched. I offered the larva leaves of cherry, apple, and tulip 

 tree (this last the favorite food of P. Turnus), but it died, having eaten nothing. 

 The next lot arrived 31st May, ten days en route, and all apparently liealthy. 

 One larva came out 1st June and eight the next day. I gave these tulip leaves 

 only. On the 5th five larvaj died suddenly, after vomiting a purple fluid, and by 

 the 6th all were dead. They seemed to have been poisoned by the food, which 

 they had eaten of very sparingly, nibbling a little here and there. Evidently the 

 food was distasteful to them. 



On 5th June more eggs arrived, and to the larvaj from them I ofl'ered tulip, 

 cherry, apple, and willow. Next day all were found on the willov/ and feeding. 

 Two other lots of eggs came, to 11th June, and only willow was given the larvae. 

 Henceforth there was no more trouble and no loss. The larvas are as easy to 

 raise as are those of Tunms. Some examples at each stage were preserved in 



