358 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW EXGLAXD. 



close together, just not tucked between the wings, the clubs distant from 

 the margin of the wings by only their own thickness. 



This butterfly will feign death by lying fiat upon its side upon the 

 ground , motionless ; and when in the position of ordinary repose will often 

 give a slight trembling vibration to the wings and [antennae for many min- 

 utes at a time as if suffering from cold ; perhaps this latter trait is peculiar 

 to the male. 



Noting the injurious effect sudden removal to a lower level had upon 

 some of the lifelong denizens of the upper altitudes of Mount Washington, 

 I tried the experiment of taking three females, captured upon the summit, 

 doAvn to the base — a distance of level of about 3000 feet — in an hour's 

 time. While disastrous to O. semidea, it had no perceptible effect what- 

 ever upon this butterfly. 



Enemies. Excepting Ichneumon versabilis (88 : 2) , one of which kills 

 a single larva and decapitates the chrysalis on its exit, no parasites are yet 

 known to infest this insect in any stage ; but to judge from my experience 

 Avith rearing them in Cambridge, the young caterpillars must suffer ex- 

 tremely in their earliest stages from insect foes. An attempt to rear them 

 on growing birches out of doors under nets which excluded birds, was 

 altogether unsuccessful, and I was obliged to bring the meagre remnants 

 of a considerable brood into the house to save them. But the butterfly 

 itself has its foes, for in the passage already quoted from Mr. Lintner of 

 his experience with faunus in the Adirondacks, he says that a collector 

 liad already preceded him, namely, " a large toad, whom I found holding 

 a central position in the group and earnestly engaged in lapping up with 

 his broad tongue one after another of the company with the greatest dex- 

 terity, seldom missing an attempt ; after watching for some minutes the 

 novel performance, I left him still gorging himself upon what I should 

 judge to lie an unusual batrachian diet." 



Desiderata. In view of the rejiuted history of its European ally, it 

 becomes important for those who live within the region where faimus 

 abounds to mark the time of its appearance in the spring and autumn, and 

 to note the sex and condition of each captured specimen, or to raise the 

 larvae in large numbers, under conditions as nearly as possible approaching 

 those of nature, in order to determine finally how late the chrysalids may 

 disclose butterflies, and whether any of them continue in the chrysalis state 

 through the winter and disclose the imago in the spring ; the last condition 

 being imperative, since the chrysalids from parasitized larvae will undoubt- 

 edly often hang until spring before the parasites make their escape. A fuller 

 knowledge of the early stages is moreover peculiarly desirable for the sake 

 of comparison with the European species with which this butterfly has been 

 supposed to be identical. The place of hibernation of the butterfly is not 

 known, and it should be noted whether the larva in its natural state ever 



