PHYCIODES I., II. 



British Columbia, and 52° in Labrador, at least as far south as Mexico and the 

 Gulf States, and from the Atlantic to Montana and Colorado. I am not aware 

 that it has been taken in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains, but 

 Mr. Crotch Ibund it in British Columbia, at Lake Lahache. From Labrador and 

 Antieosti Mr. Couper brought many examples. Like the allied species, Tharos 

 frequents meadows and open country, flying slowly, with tremulous motion, for 

 short distances and from flower to flower. Li the early summer the males as- 

 semble by hundreds about wet places, keeping company, m West Vri'ginia, with 

 Nydels, and in the Gulf States with Pliaon and Vesta. It is one of the most 

 varialile of species, and besides the two distinct forms, winter and summer, under 

 which it manifests itself, has a tendency to branch ofl" into varieties and sub- 

 varieties, several of the first being well characterized. This peculiarity was no- 

 ticed by Drury, more than a hundred years ago, and he says, " In short, nature 

 forms such a variety of this species that it is difficult to set bounds, or to know 

 all that belongs to it." Both Phaon and Batesii appear to have formerly passed 

 as varieties of Tharos. In 1868, 1 described, as a distinct species, another of the 

 hitherto supposed varieties, calling it Marcia. It seemed to be a wide-spread 

 species, flying earlier in the season than the typical Tharos, and differed from it 

 in many respects. But there were such resemblances also to Tharos that it was 

 not possible to determine its specific value, unless the butterflies could be bred 

 from the egg, and as yet the food-jDlant of the larva?, and the larva? themselves, 

 of both Marcia and Tharos were unknown. But, in 1875, the food-plant was dis- 

 covered by Mr. Mead. He states, in Can. Ent. VII., p. 161, that he planted in a 

 large l^ox specimens of all the common Composita? which he could bring to- 

 gether, covered the box with gauze, and introduced a number of females of this 

 .species. A few days later, on examining the leaves, he found eggs deposited on 

 Aster Nova-Anglia?, and on no other plant. Thereupon he transferred such fe- 

 males as were still hving to a smaller box with fresh asters, and obtained several 

 clusters of eggs. This happened in the mouth of July, near the last of the 

 month, at Hunter, N. Y., among the Catskill Mountains, and as I reached the 

 same place at that time, I saw the arrangement and received from Mr. Mead a 

 cluster of the eggs. Others I obtained myself by confining the females in bags 

 over the aster stems. The larva? from these eggs were brought by me to Coal- 

 burgh, and as I was some days on the way, I found that they would eat the 

 leaves of any species of aster, even German asters from the garden. And be- 

 yond these jolants I now know of none upon which they will feed. After pass- 

 ing two moults, and about 4th September, the larva? all became lethargic, and 

 gathered in cluster on the cover of the glass in which I kept them. Two weeks 

 later, part of them were again active and fed for a day or two, when these once 



