370 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



that from the resemblance of the caterpilhir on well shaded leaves to a yel- 

 low, partially dead leaf of gooseberry, it may " derive perhaps some 

 protection." 



Habits of the caterpillar. The caterpillar eats only the summit or 

 at most the upper quarter of the egg on escaping from it, leaving the main 

 walls untouched ; when feeding it eats the edge of the leaf in rather deep 

 gashes, not avoiding the midrib, and detaching its terminal legs from the 

 leaf curves the last two segments upward ; it eats but sparingly and groAvs 

 with corresponding slowness ; it is ordinarily very quiet and feigns death 

 when disturbed, but at times its movements are very rapid and uneasy. 



The caterpillars live entirely exposed without making any form of nest, 

 relying for concealment only on their home on the under side of leaves. "In 

 the later stages they have a very odd habit of holding themselves when at 

 rest : the anterior segments arched and turned round at a right angle to 

 the rest of the body, the middle segments bent in, and the last three seg- 

 ments often thrown high in air, as in certain species of heterocerous lar- 

 vae ; the larva then rests wholly on the abdominal legs. I have seen 

 nothing like this in any other Grapta larva" (Edwards). 



For specimens of this stage of the insect I am indebted to Messrs. 

 Clapp, Saunders and Sprague, and to Miss Guild. 



Change to chrysalis. The transformation of the gray comma "ap- 

 pears to consist of two stages : the first is slow, gradual and almost imper- 

 ceptible, occupying some twenty-four hours of time, during which, it may 

 be presumed, there is effected a gradual separation of the larval from the 

 pupal envelope. During this period the caterpillar hangs with its body 

 curved forwards and upwards, and appears to be almost motionless ; but 

 upon close observation it is seen to undergo almost continuous though 

 slight changes, consisting of a nodding motion of the head, and an occa- 

 sional variation in the curvature of the body. The second stage is short 

 and active, usually lasting but a few minutes, the object of which is to 

 throw off the loosened larval skin ; first, by bending the body it bursts open 

 the skin upon the back, and then, by a wriggling motion, works it up 

 towards the point of attachment, and lastly detaches and throws it entirely 

 off by a series of violent contortions, apparently at the imminent risk of 

 severing the thread upon which its safety literally depends" (Le Baron). 



Life history. The species is double brooded, and like its congeners, 

 the butterfly hibernates and is one of the first to feel the approach of 

 spring, reappearing on sunny days at the end or even by the middle of 

 March. Toward the close of April and early in May it flies in consider- 

 able numbers and continues upon the wing until early in June, occasion- 

 ally to the middle. The eggs are laid, apparently, about the middle of 

 May and the larvae transform to chrysalids from about the middle of June 

 to the early part of July — at least in the vicinity of Boston ; this state 



