1276 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



species as "numerous," so we may perhaps fairly surmise that telamonides 

 appears at this time. 



"About the first of June [ajax] begins to appear and shortly is out in 

 great numbers, continuing to be abundant till last of October." The 

 broods overlap each other so as to be distinguished with difficulty, but it 

 appears that, besides the brood of marcellus-telamonides already mentioned, 

 there are at least three successive broods of ajax.* The larvae of telamon- 

 ides, as we have seen, often overtake the later larvae of marcellus, the 

 earlier larvae are by this time (the middle of May) in chrysalis and con- 

 tinue fourteen days ; the fii'st brood of ajax from these chrysalids, and 

 from those of telamonides, continues to emerge until at least the ninth of 

 July, or for more than five weeks, f The chrysalids from larvae of tela- 

 monides hang from eleven to foui'teen days, and the time for the completion 

 of their entire cycle is only from thirty to thirty-seven days, which is sel- 

 dom exceeded by ajax (twenty-seven to thirty-eight days), although much 

 quicker than the period of marcellus (forty-three to fifty-one days). 



The female of the first brood of ajax begins to lay eggs — which, like 

 those of telamonides, hatch in four or five days, in Florida in three days 

 according to Wiltfeld — at the very beginning of June, and butterflies pro- 

 duced from them, i. e. the second brood of ajax, are upon the wing early 

 in July — not only before the butterflies of the previous brood have disap- 

 peared, but even before all the chrysalids from eggs of telamonides have 

 eclosed their butterflies. The attempt to trace the sequence of the broods is, 

 therefore, almost hopelessly bewildering ; but it seems probable that the 

 second brood of ajax (the third of the species) appears in abundance early 

 in July ; it is, perhaps, in speaking of the first brood of ajax in Alabama, 

 that Gosse says they are "nearly all gone July 1st." These larvae attain 

 their growth in from twelve to nineteen days, and hang as chrysalids from 

 ten to fourteen, and it is therefore impossible that there should not be a 

 third brood of ajax ; that a fourth brood is even at times possible would 

 appear from the fact that the insects continue to change from one stage to 

 another without any apparent regard to the approach of winter, which 

 overtakes many in conditions under which they are obliged to succumb ; 

 thus Mr. Edwards writes from West Virginia : " At the time of frost there are 

 eggs and larvae in every stage, which are all killed" ; and Mr. Riley from 

 Missouri : "I have found eggs and larvae two-thirds grown, as late as the 



• Mr. Edwards's language ou this point seems which suspended within a weeli of each other) 

 a little vague; he says: "Besides the first brood gave the butterflies between June 1st and 

 from [marcellus] or telamonides, there are 6th, yet "on 23d June, full three weeks after 

 three successive broods of [ajax], and the its period, came another 9 [ajax] and a sec- 

 larvae of the fourth give chrysalids that go ond followed on the 12th of July"; but even 

 over the winter, thus making five broods per the latter date is only three days after that of 

 year.'' others of this brood (from eggs of telamonides 



t Speaking of a brood of larvae from eggs of however), which were but thirty-seven days 



marcellus reared in 1871, Mr. Edwards says from egg to butterfly, 

 hat while the mass of the chrysalids (all of 



