LYCAENINAE. THECLA CALANUS. 891 



wliether taken in June or September, all belong to one brood. The eggs, 

 which I liiivc received from Mr. Saunders, are laid all through July and early 

 in August, and perhaps sometimes remain unhatelied tlirougliout the winter. 

 At other times, as in cases recorded by Saunders and A\'orthington, they 

 hatch in a few days, but in each case these died. It is tolerably certain that 

 if they hatch, they hibernate without eating (as the action of Mr. Worth- 

 ington's caterpillars would indicate) , and that the egg may also hibernate,* 

 as tliere is no indication of a second brood, even in the south. Kgg8 

 which I received from Mr. Saunders early in August did not hatch, and 

 caterpillars found in the spring after the vegetation is out are only 

 partly grown, again both in the north and in the south. It is usually not 

 until toward the last of June in the north, sometimes not until July, that 

 the larvae become full grown , and after passing fourteen to twenty days in 

 chrysalis (Hulbert), emerge as butterflies. In the south, judging from 

 the observations of Abbot and Gosse, the butterflies emerge late in April 

 or early in May, after twelve days in chrysalis. Neither makes any allu- 

 sion to a second brood. 



Behavior of the butterfly. In Georgia, according to Abbot, these 

 butterflies are found in oak woods and frequent the blossoms of "Chin- 

 quessin" [? Chinguapin, Castanea pumila Michx.]. In the west, Allen 

 took them in company with T. edwardsii "on flowers of the Symphori- 

 carpus which grew on the prairies, in hollows that were moist in the 

 spring time. They were also found at the bottom of ravines, in a low, 

 thick growth of timber." Caulfield finds them on blossoms of Asclepias 

 and sumac. Lintner's specimens "were usually captured when resting 

 on l)ushes after a short and rapid flight in the warm sunshine." 



Gosse, speaking of Theclidi in general, and of this species in particular, 

 says (Lett. Alab., 37) "when at rest they often rub the surfaces of the 

 hind wings upon each other, up and down alternately." 



It is not a little strange that, while out of nine specimens bred by 

 Messrs. Saunders and Reed, seven were females, the proportion of males 

 to females in specimens captured at large (out of ninetj-five examined) is 

 as three to one. Is it possible that the females instinctively conceal them- 

 selves in the thick foliage of trees ? 



Parasites. The caterpillars, although so small, are not free from the 

 attacks of a dipterous parasite ; Exorista theclarum (89 : 17, 19) lays its 

 eggs in the body of the larva, usually but one egg in each insect, although 

 Mr. Saunders once obtained three Tachinae from one caterpillar. The 

 puparium is of a "dark brownish red" color, 4.8 mm. long; one hatched 

 July 11. Packard bred (Proc. Bost. soc. nat. hist., xxi:34) from this 

 caterpillar in June a Tachina fly, and Mr. Hulbert found a maggot in 



* That the chrys-ilis in.!}- hibernate, as be- facts then published, but not noticed by him, 

 lieved by Edwards (Can. ent., xiv:52), the abundantly disprove. 



