840 Tin: iu'TTKRFLIES of new enCxLand. 



of the Judas tree (Cercis canadensis) and wild plums on the edge of 

 swamps." 



Habits of the caterpillar. On this point we have only the observa- 

 tions of Kdwards. On leaving the egg scarcely more of the shell is eaten 

 than enough to permit egress. "The young larva at once makes its way 

 up the stalk and fastens on the young plum, boring into it" just as Cyan- 

 iris bores into a bud. Edwards found that "a hole was eaten out lar<re 

 enough for the head to enter, and thereafter the caterpillar sj)ent most of 

 its time with head in the cavity." The drawings (75:22,23) which 

 I owe to the kindness of Mr, Edwards show this well. 



When a moult .approached it came out of its burrow and rested either on the side of 

 the plum or on the leaf. . . . Wheu half grown it seemed to have its head and shoulders 

 buried at least from a. ji. one day to 9 p. M. the next, with no withdrawal observed by 

 me, and I looked at it frequently. Cutting open the plura the excavation would be found 

 reaching quite across and around the pulpy stone, which in the earlier larval stages 

 was not eaten. But after third moult this was eaten and the entire plum excavated. 

 In no case was the skin eaten except at the entrance. 



Life history. The earliest males of this butterfly appear in New 

 England about the 24th or 25th of April and thereafter become abundant 

 in a week, the females apparently make their advent during the first 

 week in May ; but fresh specimens may even occasionally l)e obtained 

 toward the middle of June. Usually, however, after the 20th of May only 

 rubbed specimens, in diminished numbers, will be found. They continue 

 upon the wing imtil after the middle of June ; the eggs are laid in the 

 latter half of May and in June, but all the instances known to me in the 

 north are of those laid after the first week in June ; they hatch in less than 

 a week — how much less is unknown, nor have we any statistics concern- 

 ing the time of pupation, which undoubtedly continues over the winter. Mr. 

 Edwards, however, obtained eggs laid in the middle of May in West 

 Virginia, which hatched in five days, the caterpillar changed to chrysalis 

 in three weeks and this hibernated. Strange to say, this butterfly, accord- 

 ing to Abbot's notes and as may be judged from Edwards's brief statements, 

 does not rndse its appearance in Georgia any earlier than with us. Abbot 

 captured specimens April 20 and bred one from the chrysalis May 6th ; 

 while according to his notes, I. niphon, wdnch with us is nearly synchro- 

 nous in its apparition with this species, appears in Georgia a month earlier. 

 So, too, from Vancouver Island I have seen specimens of the present spe- 

 cies taken April 2,5. 



The observations of Mr. Lintner on this species for 1809 seem to me to 

 represent the coming and going of this species so well that they may be 

 taken as a fair average statement for a jilace where the butterfly is com- 

 mon. After mentioning that one male was taken on April 27, he goes 

 on to say : — 



On the 11th of May, at the next visit made, both sexes were found abundantly, most 



