1110 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



of tliese not only was tlic leaf not deserted as quickly us possible, as was 

 the case with all others, but tin; young caterpillar certainly ate a very 

 little parenchyma of the upper surface near the middle ; it then spun this 

 silken carpet and never left it again, dying upon the spot. 



Life history. The species is single brooded, and does not appear on 

 tiie wing until fTuly or the ver}' end of June. At Nepigon north of Lake 

 Superior, not one was seen last year before July 10 ; and although great 

 numbers were seen on July 4 along the railway between Markstay and 

 Ramsey, apparently all males, none were seen the following day between 

 Schreiber and Nepigon (the intervening country being passed in the 

 night). At Sudbury on July 12-13 not many were found but among 

 them some females. The specimen I took in the White Mountains was 

 taken June 28 and was a worn male. Mann took a specimen at Owl's 

 Head, Lake Memphramagog, on July 11, Professor Hamlin a fresh 

 female at Waterville, Me., July 14, Corneau reports it at Godbout, July 

 15, Tyrrell at Miry Ci-eek, July 19, Couper at Mingani, July 22 and 

 Caulfield at Montreal at the end of July. Eggs are laid in the latter half 

 of July ; Mr. Fletcher obtained them July 16-24, and they hatch in seven 

 davs. This gives ample time for the caterpillars to attain maturity and 

 pass into pupa for the winter, but what the creatiu'es actually do and how 

 winter is passed is unknown. There is, however, certainly but one brood 

 anvwhere. The males are very much more numerous than the females. 



Flightand habits. Like its congeners this butterfly is fond of moist 

 earth and assembles in great numbers at suitable places. Its flight closely 

 resembles that of E. philodice, having all its peculiarities except that it 

 appears to be somewhat less hurried and vigorous. Geddes, who appears 

 to have had much out door experience in collecting different Eurymi, puts 

 this down as easy to capture, adding "apparently a lazy insect." 



Desiderata. The later larval stages and chrysalis of this butterfly 

 being unknown, as well as the food plant of the caterpillar, the last must 

 be our first search. If Vaccinlum should prove as unpalatable as legumi- 

 nous plants have done, observation of a butterfly ready to lay will be the 

 only resource left, though it would be worth while to try Sanicula, which Mr. 

 Fletcher tells me is found at Nepigon and is not far removed from Hydro- 

 cotyle on which E. palaeno is also said to feed. Some specimens should 

 then be bred on their natural territory under conditions so nearly natural 

 as possible to discover how the winter is passed. This done, the most will 

 have been learned, but the study of the relations of this butterfly to those 

 wliich have been claimed as identical with it will still demand a similar 

 solution. Why do the males predominate so largely in this species? 

 What are its enemies? And what its habits and behavior? 



