NYMPHALINAK: AfiLAIS MII,i;Klt 11. 427 



the leaf and. until halt' urown, make no attempt whatever to conceal them- 

 selvof*. After the third moult, when they have attaine<l half theii" ?<ize, 

 thev <|uit these webs and seattcr over the neighboring plants, living singly 

 or bv small companies of three or four, "leaving their desoted hal)itations 

 mere leafless stalks, covered with the dense and cloth-like web, and with 

 the excrement and sloughed skins of the caterpillars" (Gosse). At this 

 time, thev occasionally collect together in larger or smaller numbers in 

 incompletelv closed leaves of nettle, but they leave the nest to feed in the 

 most ex[)osed maimer. 



These nests (81 : 4) are thoroughly closed next the base of the leaf, the 

 edo-es havino- been closely drawn together with silk alony- the basal half of 

 the leaf; to effect which, an irregular, triangular notch is eaten close to 

 the base (81:3). cutting through one or both of the principal lateral ribs 

 which spring from the very base of the leaf, leaving two considerable flaps 

 which are fastened beneath the stem by their tips, thus bending the leaf at 

 a stronsi" angle between the deepest parts of the notches : the edges of the 

 notch are then united, closing completely the poc-keted base of the leaf; 

 the opposite extremity, however, flares completely open, but by the bend 

 in the leaf is hidden from \iew above. 1 have never found any of these 

 leaf-nests the apical third or half of which were not eaten, so that I suspect 

 an eaten leaf is chosen at the start. The caterpillars are sometimes so 

 al)undant in certain places that the nettles by the i-oadside are fairly black 

 with them. When young they do not bear confinement well. 



Life history. There are three broods annually, both the butterflies and 

 chrysalids hibernating: the former make their appearance by the middle of 

 March while the snow is still upon the ground : and where E. antiopa is 

 found but rarely, as in Newfoundland, it is the earliest butterfly on the 

 wing. The chrysalids disclose their butterflies sometimes early in April, 

 and both new and old continue on the wing until nearly the end of ^lay, 

 at the White Mountains until June. They lay their ogg^ on the young 

 nettles late in April and in ^lay. and the caterpillars begin to change to 

 chrysalids in the first half of June ; after }»assing from ten to twelve days 

 in this state, the first brood of butterflies from chrysalids of the same year 

 makes its appearance, say about the middle of June, and becomes abundant 

 by the 2l8t, — at least in the southern portions of its range. The buttei-flies 

 continue on the wing until after the middle of July : the Qggs are laid very 

 soon after the eclosion of the butterfly ; caterpillars may be found during 

 July, and after the usual period in the chrysalis state, sometimes shortened 

 to five (Fischer) or even four days (Billings), the second brood of butter- 

 flies appears : this is at the very end of July or sometimes very early in 

 Aujrust, and the butterflies continue to emerire until at least the middle of 

 August. These must oviposit at once, for the caterpillars are full grown 

 at the end of Au^-ust and appear as butterflies early in Septemlier before 



