942 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



occur) is followed, about the time when these are laying their eggs, by 

 lari"-o examples of the suuimer form, the bulk of which have disappeared 

 before the caterpillars from these eggs are mature ; and by the time these 

 large butterflies arc quite gone appear the regular summer butterflies in 

 direct descent from the early spring form. In accordance with this, as far 

 as they go, are the observations of Dr. Howe of Yonkers, N. Y., who 

 one year found the first male lucia on April 4, the first female April 

 12 ; while on the 22d of the month males of neglecta were taken ; here 

 only ten days intervened. It seems, therefore, far more probable that the 

 successive apparition of lucia, violacca and neglecta before July in New 

 England should be looked upon as the successive eclosion from wintering 

 chrysalids of first one, then a second and finally a third form, all how- 

 ever to be properly regarded as a single brood. That there is more or 

 less admixture of these forms should, under such circumstances, not be 

 regarded as surprising, nor that intergrades should come between them ; 

 but the nudtiplication of names to designate these intergrades will only 

 conceal the main point : that (if we regard the so-called marginataas lucia, 

 as I believe we properly should), we have three irruptions of one brood 

 at nearly equidistant times, in as many distinct guises, each of the later 

 forms differing from that which precedes it in the lightness and poverty of 

 the markin2;s on the under surface of the wings. What the relation of 

 these forms may be to those of the preceding year, is yet to be worked 

 out. Exceedingly few specimens have been carried to maturity. The few 

 facts known are these : that lucia has come from an early June caterpillar 

 of the preceding year (Dimmock) ; that violacea has come from late 

 summer caterpillars of the year before (Edwards) ; that neglecta (second 

 brood) has come from caterpillars of violacea of the same year and from 

 those of neglecta of the same year (Edwards) ; and finally that neglecta 

 (first brood) has come from caterpillars of the same the preceding year 

 (Edwards). 



Occasionally specimens may be taken wholly out of season ; thus a few 

 years ago I took two female violacea at Waltham, INIass., on Aug. 3. 

 Similar cases are known in almost all dimorphic butterflies. 



How far this relation of the forms to each other may be modified in the 

 north is yet to be determined. Jcnncr Weir says that Haydon found the 

 species flying at Moose at the southern extremity of Hudson Bay from 

 June to September and that it was even there double brooded ; this last 

 may fairly be doubted as he makes no reference to the presence there of 

 other forms than lucia and violacea. In southern Labrador Couper found 

 only lucia and violacea, which flew during June and July. Dr. Dawson 

 took only specimens of C. p. lucia on the Liard, and early in June. 



The females are laying eggs in New England about the middle of May 

 and no doubt earlier and much later than this ; and again in July. 



