1526 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEA\' ENGLAND. 



larvji state until about the mklille of April. At tliis date thej' changed, 

 iind the butterflies issued from the 1st to tiic ir)tli of Mav." 



Edwards writes as follows regarding the hibernating nests of the cater- 

 pillar : — 



I have, as I write, LSth September, 1885, two larvae in liibcrn.ation, one of tlicni under 

 a leaf on a bit of paper. The leaf is mouUled to an oval, rather a half oval, cnt length- 

 wise, the eclj;es Battened all round, and everywhere l)ound to the paper by close web, 

 so tliat (luite an ett'ort is required on my part to raise the edire in the least. The other 

 caterpillar lies under a small, oblong slip of paper upon a larger piece which at one 

 end is bent considerably. At that end the opening between the two is a half circle. 

 This is closed by a sort of lace work, full of small openings, and the web spun first is 

 strengthened by several stout threads which lie upon it and cross in various ways. 

 This sort of drum-head covering would resist a strong attack of any enemy but a bird 

 or mouse. The otlier three sides of the slip of paper are held down by stout threads 

 or cords each of very many fibres, liaving their attachments upon b.ases of web tliickly 

 spread upon the under paper and at the edges of the upper one. How these threads are 

 brought together at the middle into such a cord is not apparent, but tliey seem to be 

 laid side by side and cemented. In color tliese cords are black, while the web itself Is 

 pale brown. One cord holds the end of the slip, two hold one side, one of them 

 near either end, and three hold the other side. In addition to this the three sides have 

 web woven all round within. This is the sort of foresight these larvae exercise in pro- 

 viding for hibernation. (^Can. ent.,xvii: 2+7-248.) 



Life history. In the north it is probably double, in the south triple, 

 brooded, and is presumed to hibernate everywhere as a caterpillar. In 

 the south tlie spring brood appears early in spring. Palmer took speci- 

 mens in Arizona in April and May and Abbot reared one specimen in the 

 middle of March ; the second comes in June after eight days in the chry- 

 salis (Abbot), continues to emerge through the month and eggs are laid 

 entirely through July. Most of Miss Murtfeldt's caterpillars of the first 

 brood changed to chrysalis in Missouri about the middle of June. The 

 third brood flics through August after seven days in the chrysalis (Abbot, 

 Edwards) . The eggs are laid abundantly in the latter part of August and 

 the caterpillars, according to Miss Murtfeldt, "mature nuich more slowly 

 and were feeding for nearly a month." They begin to prepare for tlie win- 

 ter at the end of September. The last two broods, liowever, according to 

 Miss Murtfeldt, "are not rigidly defined, and consequently the insects may 

 be found in all stages of development from the first of Jime to the mid- 

 dle of August." In New England, the earliest brood of butterflies 

 appears toward the middle of May (May 12, Smith) and fresh specimens 

 continue to emerge until early in June ; this brood continues on the wing 

 imtil at least the middle of June ; the second brood appears very late in 

 July and probably flies until September, fresh specimens being found until 

 near the middle of August. Caterpillars sent me in various stages of 

 growth ill the latter part of August by Mr. Elliot, from New York, acted 

 as if intending to hibernate, but a single one changed to chrysalis and 

 emerged about the middle of September — an attempt at the third brood 

 of the south. 



