1464 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



Habits of the caterpillar. The caterpillar is a long while in eating 



its way out of the egg, doing this in the most deliberate manner, twenty- 

 four hours being not uucommonly taken for this alone (86 : 28-30). Mi-. 

 Lintner gives the following account of the habits of the caterpillar (Ent. 

 contr., ii : 60-61) : — 



A large number of larvae of Nisoniades lucilius were fouud resting concealed on the 

 under surface of leaves of Aquilegia canadensis, growing abundantly in an elevated, 

 rocky locality In Bethlehem. Their shelter, as observed in numerous specimens col- 

 lected at this time and in larvae subsequently taken, is constructed in a very ingenious 

 manner. Shortly after the larvae leaves its shell, and with its first feeding, it com- 

 mences to cut a narrow channel in the leaf from the margin inwardly a short 

 distance; this completed, from another point on the margin not far removed from the 

 tirst, a second channel is cut, curving toward the former, the two not uniting but fre- 

 quently running parallel for a short space. The portion thus nearly separated retains 

 its connection with the leaf by only a pedicel-like attachment. Its own weight carries 

 it downward to nearly the position which it is to assume, when a very slight eflbrt by 

 the young larva serves to bring it to its desired place, almost in contact with the lower 

 side of the leaf, to which it is then fastened by threads passing between the two sur- 

 faces at sevei-al points. Sometimes, as if with the object of ecouomiziug time or labor, 

 the lobe of a leaf is selected of which to construct this shelter, when but a moderate 

 amount of cutting at its base gives the requisite size and desired form. 



KestiQg upon the inside of this recurved portion, the larva may always be found, 

 except during the brief time that it leaves its concealment to take its food from some 

 neighboring leaf. Its rapid feeding soon satisfies its appetite, when it moves quickly 

 back and resumes its position. In localities where the larva occurs, these hiding 

 places may be readily found by bending over the stems of the Aquilegia, when these 

 little bits of the bright green upper surface of the leaf, in marked contrast with the 

 grayish green of the lower side upon which they rest, at once disclose their presence. 

 Should one of them be found deserted, its former occupant may perliaps be discovered 

 on a leaf near by, within a larger retreat of similar construction. From the gradation 

 of sizes observed, it is probable that following each moulting a new shelter is con- 

 structed, of a size sufficient to cover the larva during that stage of growth, until at 

 the last larval moulting, when an entire leaf is simply folded over, or two or more 

 leaves have to be brought together in order to afford the necessary concealment. 



In the foregoing accoiuit Mr. Liutner assumes that the lobe of the 

 leaf falls bj its own weight, but tliis I have not found to be the case. 

 After biting the channel to form the desu-ed flap (82: 10), the caterpillar 

 passes numerous threads across the neck of the flap, evidently to pull the 

 l^arts together; and when the bit does not bend, the caterpillar walks 

 along the channel to see if all is bitten clear and poking its head into the 

 crevice tries either to pry down the flap or to push it up by tugging at the 

 opposite shore with its head ; it also helps matters by further attacks 

 at the channel to make the neck of the flap longer or narrower. By re- 

 peated exertions with the head, the inclination of the flap is decided ; 

 it is generally bent downward beneath the leaf, but sometimes reversed in 

 the opposite sense and brought above the upper surface. The rest of the 

 work is wholly accomplished by the spinning of tight threads along the 

 hinge, which gradually draws the flap over to a right angle with the leaf; 



