452 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENC^LAND. 



France, this butterfly, loth to hibernate, flies the winter through. In New- 

 foundland, to judge from Gosse's observations, there is probably but a 

 single l)rood. 



According to ]VJj-. F. B. Jefterys (Entoni., xvii : 183), in Kansas the 

 buttei-fly is most abundant in the spring and rarely seen in autumn. This 

 would indicate a very large proportion of wintering chrysalids. In Eng- 

 land ]Mr. G. D. Smith had one chrysalis disclose the imago in his breed- 

 in*)- cajjfe as late as November 9th (Ibid., xvii : 17). 



The longevity of the bnttei-fly is so great that specimens may be seen 

 the whole season, and in warmer countries the whole year, through ; Meyer 

 Diir says this is occasioned through unequal development of the larvae, 

 but the species does not seem to me to differ in this respect from many 

 others. The hibernating butterflies pass the winter in crevices of rocks, 

 in hollow trees and under house roofs. A letter from Mr. Hayhurst of 

 Missouri, published by Mr. Edwards, states that "during last winter, in 

 February, a tree was felled on the line of the railroad on which I was at 

 work. As it fell it split open and was found to be hollow. The cavity 

 was partly filled with dirt and hickory-nut shells, but among the stufl'that 

 fell out were some twenty butterflies, mostly Vanessas . . . antiopa and ata- 

 lanta." Mr. A. R. Grote also once found three or four specimens hang- 

 in i; to the rough rafter of a garret on Staten Island, and perfectly torjnd. 



This butterfly is another of those which are very irregular in their 

 abundance from year to year, and it is exceptionally subject, as we shall 

 see, to the attacks of parasites. 



Newman states that in England the butterfly has been detected wander- 

 ing about in the night, and that he has repeatedly taken it at the sugar 

 prepared for Noctuae ; it has been observed al)Out the electric light in this 

 country by Mr. H. Edwards. 



Flight and attitudes. The flight of this brilliant butterfly is vigorous, 

 (juick and nervous. Mr. Thos. Hill describes its action as seen by him 

 one hot season in England (Entom., xviii : 73). " I saw it," he says, 

 " skimming over the tops of the oak trees. . . . They darted through the 

 air with a rapid motion, high above the tops of the trees, and then dart- 

 ing suddenly down to the clover flowers in the field below, they rested for 

 a moment and then took another flight over the tops of the trees." 



When resting on the ground after flight it ' ' often alternately expands 

 and closes its beautiful black and scarlet wings" (Gosse). When set- 

 tled upon the ground, the wings are usually extended horizontally, 

 the costal edge of the fore wings placed nearly at right angles w-ith tiie 

 body, while their inner margin reaches the middle of the lower sub- 

 costal interspace of the hind wings. They often elevate the costal edge 

 of the fore wings slightly while the hind wings remain stationary, and 

 then the inner margin is pushed backward over another interspace. The 



