392 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



moderately large in size and nearly black in color, darker above than 

 beneath, the under surface profusely streaked with short, transverse, slender 

 threads of black ; the outer margin has a broad border of some brighter 

 color more or less marbled ; small, transverse, pale bars depending from 

 the costal margin of the fore wings at one-half and three-fourths the dis- 

 tance from the base indicate an affinity with the butterflies of the neigh- 

 boring genera. We know the history of only one species ; in this there 

 are usually two broods of butterflies, one appearing in July and the other 

 in September, the latter hibernating. In northern localities, however, 

 there is apparently only one brood, appearing in August ; while the south, 

 on the contrary, will probably be found to produce three broods annually. 

 The butterflies have a bold active flight and frequent sunny openings in 

 light woods. 



The eggs are somewhat barrel-shaped, a little higher than broad and 

 furnished with seven or eight rather prominent strongly compressed ribs ; 

 they are laid in clusters, partially embracing the terminal twigs of the 

 plants on which the larvae feed. The larvae are social, those from each 

 cluster of eggs living in company throughout this stage of their existence. 

 When just from the egg, they have a smooth head furnished with a few 

 very long hairs, and a cylindrical body supplied with eight rows of minute 

 warts (two of which are below the spiracles), each giving rise to a long, 

 straight, slender, tapering hair. The mature caterpillars have a some- 

 what similar head and a cylindrical body, the thoracic segments of which 

 taper forward ; the body is furnished with one dorsal and three pairs of 

 lateral rows (two above and one below the spiracles) of long, tapering, 

 thorny spines ; the dorsal series is wanting on the thoracic and first two 

 abdominal segments. The chrysalis is strongly angulated and furnished 

 with rows of conical tubercles, all of which, as well as the other promi- 

 nences, are rather sharply pointed ; the dorsal protuberance of the meso- 

 thorax is nearly as high but not so compressed as in Polygonia, and, as 

 in that genus, the body is much strangulated dorsally between the thorax 

 and abdomen. Excepting by Hiibner, the genus Inachis has always 

 been intimately united to this, although the butterfly differs so remarkably 

 in coloration, and the caterpillar is wholly destitute of the dorsal spines. 



EXCURSUS XL— BUTTERFLY SOUNDS. 



Hast thou heard the butterflies 

 What they say betwixt their wiugs? 



TENtiYSON.— Adeline. 



It has long been known that soiue South American butterflies during 

 their flight give utterance to peculiar clicking sounds, but it is far less 

 known that such noises are made by our own butterflies : we shall 



