1160 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



The eggs are soiuewliat slenderer than in Pieris, being tall, largest just 

 below the middle, truncate at both extremities, but fully twice as broad iit 

 base as at tip. 



The caterpillars are of the same form as those of Pieris, but are more 

 distinctly pubescent and are striped longitudinally with alternating and 

 equal dark and pale bands often of highly contrasting and vivid colors. 



The chrysalids also resemble those of the genus Pieris in their general 

 form, but the back has less prominent angulations on the middle of the thorax 

 and the sides of the abdomen, the frontal projection is less marked, and the 

 color is darker and generally more uniform. 



One of the ten fossil butterflies known from the European tertiaries 

 (Pierites freyeri Heer) belongs with very little doubt to this genus, and 

 with one exception is the sole representative of the tribe known from the 

 ancient world. 



EXCURSUS XLV.— COSMOPOLITAN BUTTERFLIES. 



Throu.L'h the sunny summer sky, Fri<rhtencd then \>\ fading; liitht, 



Came a sailing BuiterHy: " Anil the softly gatherinfi; Night, 



Wings that seemed with jewels set, She would chase the Hying Day, 



Gleams of rose and violet; So she stops to ask theWay — 



Bars of black in velvet fold Lights upon a swinging nest, 



Bright with glints of dusky gold ; "Right or left? which way is West?" 



Dancing through the sweet sunshine, And a young Bird answers low — 



Glad with clover's ruddy wine ! "On— towards the sunset's glow ! 



Stopping just to gaylysip "But just say, before you fly, 



The wild pansy's" purple lip, Is it beautiful — the sky? 



Or to softly swing and rest "Shall I see it, do you know? 



On an apple-t)lossom's breast. Tell me that, before you go !" 



Or to steal the fluffy gold So, ere her bright wings she spread, 



That the buttercups do hold. This is what she softly said: 



Or to watch the blossomin" grass "Yes, oh yes ! on some glad dawn. 



Ripple, when the light winds pass ! Wlien Night's stars are dimmed and gone. 



But, still sailing on and on, "Look straiglit up into the sky, 



Till she finds the sunshine gone ; Fearless spread your wings— then, fly \" 

 So she fluttered from the nest. 

 Seeking still the yellow West! 



Maugaret Dkland.— The Bird and the Butterfly. 



Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a cosmopolitan butterfly ; 

 yet there is one species, Vanessa cardui, which, as we have seen in an 

 earlier part of this work, may well merit that name, since it is found in 

 every quarter of the globe with the exception of the arctic regions, a part of 

 South America and most of the West India Islands ; there are also other 

 butterflies whose recent extension naturally leads to the inquiry what should 

 prevent their spreading over the entire globe, or what are the elements that 

 enable a butterfly to gain and maintain a foothold in so many diverse re- 

 gions. 



Let us look for a moment at the peculiarities of distribution of this nearly 

 cosmopolitan butterfly. It belongs, as we have already pointed out, to 

 a subdivision of the genus Vanessa, to which we have applied the name 



