600 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW EXCxLAND. 



repeated experiinent.s upon this butterfly in the Catskills, and I have but a 

 single instance, of which I am not quite positive, in my own experiments, 

 which have been many fewer upon this butterfly than upon bellona. The 

 eggs of this brood hatch in from five to eight, generally seven, days. 

 The chrysalis hangs from seven to eleven days, and the butterflies of the 

 third brood may be found daring September, rarely or occasionally at the 

 extreme end of Auo-ust. At this season also there is less difference in 

 time between butterflies of the northern and southern localities. Eggs 

 of this brood are laid throughout September and take from eight to 

 fourteen days in hatching ; the earliest caterpillars, according to Mr. Ed- 

 wards's observations, feed until partly grown, and after the second moult 

 pass into hibernation ; some kept by me fed until October 18, vvhtnthey 

 were put into a chamber with a temperature of 35-40- for the winter, and 

 were found dead in the spring ; the later-born caterpillars, as I iiave 

 observed on several occasions, hibernate at once after devouring their egg- 

 shells, refusing all other food. 



In all the essential features of the history then, the life of this butterfly 

 is parallel to what we shall find in B. bellona, excepting that the time of 

 apparition of the diflferent broods is a little later than in B. bellona and no 

 lethargy of the caterpillar has been certainly observed. The parallelism 

 of the two cases is such that it can hardly be doubted that it exists but has 

 not yet been detected. In some of the second brood I have once or twice 

 seen what I thought to be signs of it, but accident prevented confirma- 

 tion. 



Habits, flight and postures. The butterfly frequents low, moist 

 meadows and roadsides in their \icinity ; it is fond of settling upon flow- 

 ers and "especially on Syngenesia," says Mr. Gosse, adding, "it is numer- 

 ous in the autumn on those flowers of the thistle which have not yet 

 ripened, frisking to and fro, opening and shutting its tessellated wings to 

 the sun" (Can. nat., 290). Lintner mentions mint blossoms, and Jones 

 white-weed as favorites. It flits lazily and aimlessly about, two or three 

 feet above the ground, first making a few slight flutters, then sailing a short 

 distance, and again resuming the motion of the wings. 



When at rest, the wings are tightly closed, with all the costal edges 

 continuous, the anal angle of the hind wing touching the surface of rest. 

 The antennae curve a very little downward near the base, but beyond are 

 nearlv on a line with the plane of the body, drooping a little ; viewed 

 from above they are very slightly sinuous and diverge at an angle of about 

 100°. At more perfect rest, the antennae are Ijent outward near the base 

 and are otherwise straight, diverging at an angle of about 135°, their tips 

 being about 11» mm. apart. When walking, the antennae diverge only at 

 right angles. 



Desiderata. As the same (piestions are raised with this species and 

 B. bellona, the student is referred to that species for desiderata. 



