PIERINAE: EURYMUS PIIILODICE. 1123 



ent localities ; it occasionally appears as early as mid-August, but is 

 usually a little later and sometimes is not seen until September 3 ; it soon 

 becomes abundant, is still numerous in the middle, and generally seen at 

 the end of October, and continues until after the first severe frosts ; even 

 as far north as Halifax, a few sprightly individuals of both sexes have 

 been seen as late as November 4 (Jones), and Mr. Faxon reports it in 

 the vicinity of Boston on November 18.* The eggs of this brood are 

 laid the last of September, so that the larvae probably hibernate, for at 

 this season they do not mature rapidly ; and Mr. Edwards writes from 

 West Virginia, October 24, that the caterpillars in his glass breeding cage 

 are still feeding, and both Mr. Sprague and myself have had similar ex- 

 periences in INIassachusetts. 



The pale form of the female is often very common late in the season, 

 although not absolutely confined to the last brood ; the only direct records 

 of its early apparition are : for the first brood, March 12, Georgia (Ab- 

 bot), May 8, West Virginia (Edwards), May 15, Albany (Lintner), May 

 28, Nantucket (Scudder), June 1, in vicinity of Boston (Merrill), 

 June 1, New Haven, Conn. (Smith) ; for the second brood : June 20, 

 Albany (Lintner), July 9,Milford, N. H. (Whitney), July 15, vicinity of 

 Boston (Harris) : other captures in August (Thaxter, Lintner and Scudder) 

 may belong to the third brood. In Nantucket I have sometimes found it 

 in the last lirood more common than the yellow female. 



Habits, flight and behavior of the butterfly. P^dwards gives an 



excellent picture of this common butterfly : — 



Where pliilodice is foiiiul no one can have failed to notice it. either in garden or 

 field, as it gently flits from flower to flower, or courses along the road or across the 

 meadow, with sustained and wavy flight. It is sociable and inquisitive, and may often 

 be seen to stop in mid-career as it overtakes or meets its fellow, the two fluttering 

 about each other for a moment, then speeding on their ways ; or they mount In air, 

 approaching, retreating, with a slow, vertical and tremulous ascent, till the eye ceases 

 to follow them. When the clover is in blossom the meadows are gay and animated 

 witli these yellow butterflies, and wherever bright flowers are will surely be seen 

 philodice. On marigolds and brilliant single zinnias they delight to pasture, for they 

 have a keen sense of color. I have known one of them to alight on an amethyst in a 

 lady's ring, after hovering about its wearer so persistently as to attract attention, and 

 it rested some seconds. Doubtless there were puzzled perceptions on sounding that 

 stony flower. (Butt. N. A., 11: 110-111.) 



Dr. Minot once observed that when searching for its honied food the 

 buttei-fly most frequently alighted on yellow flowers ; and Dr. Packard has 

 recorded that in a field where white asters and yellow golden-rods were 

 abundant, "the yellow sulphur butterfly visited the flowers of the golden 

 rod much oftener than those of the aster," while the opposite was the case 

 with Pieris rapae. 



It flies with considerable rapidity, in an irregular changing course and 



•It is reported as on the wing at Mt. Carroll, 111., on Dec. 20! (Science News, i: 143.) 



