696 THI-: BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



collect butterflies for years and consider phaeton the rarest of the tribe 

 while multitudes sport in security within a few rods of the beaten track. 

 Mr. Lintncr's experience is the same : he remarks, "This species presents 

 a notable illustration of the localization of certain insects. . . While this 

 prolific collecting field [Center], as circumscribed by almost fruitless ex- 

 plorations of adjacent territory, embraces a tract of about three-fourths of 

 a mile square, the phaeton habitat proper has a radius of but one-eighth of 

 a mile, with an occasional elliptical extension to one-fourth of a mile in 

 diameter. Its central point is the extension of a swamp over a seldom 

 traveled road, where a few inches of water is found throughout the sum- 

 mer. . . . Beyond these limits the species has not been observed, during 

 five years of frequent visits to this locality by Mr. Peck and Mr. Meske. 

 ... I have not met with it at Scoharie, nor in the neighborhood of Albany 

 except at Center, although its favorite food plant is of common occurrence 

 in this vicinity." 



At the same time it would appear from certain observations that occa- 

 sionally (probably when their numbers are so great as to suggest a 

 scarcity of food-supply for their progeny) they are found outside their 

 usual haunts and in considerable numbers, surprising those who have not 

 before seen them with their fine contrasting colors. Thus Mr. Bates of 

 South Abington, writing in 1877, says, "For two or three years past I 

 have searched in vain throughout this locality for phaeton, but this season 

 I have taken all that I wanted" ; and Professor Parker, formerly of Amherst, 

 where the species is generally accounted rare, says that contrary to usual 

 reports it was not confined to a small locality but became rather common 

 in several directions from the village. 



Oviposition. Mr. C. A. Emery, of Springfield, Avas so fortunate as to 

 observe a female of this species upon a leaf of Chelone ; examining the 

 leaf he discovered a patch of eggs upon the middle of the under surface, 

 closely packed beside the midrib, arranged in three layers, all of irregu- 

 lar outline; the basal layer was 8.5 mm. long and 5.5 mm. broad; this 

 formed the floor of the second, which was similar in appearance but 

 smaller, and the uppermost measured 6 mm. long and 3.5 mm. in 

 breadth. Without removing the layers it was of course impossible to 

 count the eggs ; but they Avere estimated to number about two hundred, 

 and it is not at all improbable that the female may have been disturbed be- 

 fore completing her task. ]Mr. Edwards, who has since obtained them more 

 than once, says that the clusters (64 : 43) number from one hundred to four 

 hundred eggs, and that they are laid on the under surface. In one instance 

 there were five layers. Euvanessa, Eugonia, Aglais, Phyciodes and Cinclidia 

 also lay their eggs in clusters, and probably Haraadryas does the same, but 

 no other butterfly is known to deposit such irregular masses. The eggs 

 hatch in nineteen or twentA- da vs. 



