KYMl'llALIXAE: BRENTIIIS BELLONA. 617 



more common on the wing in September than in July and August ; and 

 it has appeared also to me (though it has not been remarked to me by 

 others) that the spring brood of butterflies is also more abundant than the 

 mid-summer brood ; this state of things would naturally be brought about 

 by the reinforcement of numbers in the later brood, and the possible rob- 

 bery of the second through lethargy on the part of the caterpillars, and 

 the retention of the eggs in the ovaries by the butterflies. This account, 

 coupled with the very different conclusions of Mr. Edwards, seems to 

 show that we have yet much to learn concerning the actual history of this 

 interesting butterfly. 



Habits, etc. It delights to bask in the sunshine, slowly opening and 

 closing its checciucred wings, beating time, as it were, with its head, which 

 is raised with the opening of its wings. The fore wings dui'ing this 

 motion, or when the butterfly is at rest, are so far advanced as to leave 

 between their inner margin and the costal border of the hind pair an open- 

 ing which extends half-way to the base ; the antennae diverge at right 

 angles and are raised at an angle of about ()5°. 



In its most quiescent state, the wings are closely shut and tlic fore 

 wings so hidden by the hind pair that the outer angle of the latter pro- 

 jects slightly beyond the costal margin of the former. Previous to assum- 

 ing this position, the fore wings are more advanced, the outer angle of the 

 hind wings just reaching the middle median nervule, the inner edge of 

 the hind wings and the abdomen being parallel with the surface of rest 

 and at an angle of 3.5° above the plane of the remainder of the body ; the 

 legs are broadly spread ; and the antennae are held erect, at right angles 

 with the front half of the body at their base, rising parallel and then 

 divcro-ino- at an ano-le varyino; from 65° to 100°. 



Enemies. As our knowledge of the early stages of this insect is 

 exclusively based upon specimens raised from eggs laid in confinement, 

 we are entirely ignorant of any parasites that may attack it. But Gen- 

 try states that the caterpillar is eaten by the meadowlark, Sturnella magna, 

 and the imago of this orB. myrina, or both, by the rough winged swallow, 

 Stelgidopteryx serripennis . 



Desiderata. It will be seen by the foregoing account that there are 

 many points in which further investigation is necessary to make the history 

 of this butterfly complete. The extent of time over which the advent of 

 butterflies fresh from the chrysalis is spread renders it more than usually 

 difficult to decipher the history, and we need to know more certainly the 

 cause of this range itself. How large a proportion of caterpillars in differ- 

 ent localities hibernate as soon as born , and how many when half grown ? 

 How soon after eclosion do butterflies of the first brood lay eggs and what 

 is the range in this respect in each of the broods ? Is there any time-hiatus 

 in egg-laying between the broods, and if so. is it bridged by different indi- 



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