ANOJIALIES IN GEOGRAPmCAL DISTRIBUTION. 1531 



of markings of the other parts, different shades of brown, olive and yel- 

 lowisii green serving to enliven the general design, while an interrupted 

 fringe to all the wings adds to their tessellated appearance. 



The butterflies of this genus are either single, double or triple brooded, 

 but all whose transformations are known are said to pass the winter in the 

 chrysalis state. The butterflies fly in dry meadows and on sunny declivities, 

 visiting flowers and sipping the moisture from the muddy soil in company with 

 Ehodoeeridi ; on alighting they expand their wings bi'oadly ; yet not always, 

 for, approaching the genera of the following group, they often raise the fore 

 wings higher than the hind pair, bringing the former at right angles to each 

 other while the latter are horizontal ; when at complete rest the wings are 

 closed. The caterpillars live much after the manner of those of Thanaos, in 

 nests constructed of their food plant ; the European species live on various 

 gamopetalous and polypetalous plants, especially Rosaceae (Rubus, Poten- 

 tilla, Fragaria, Comarum, Poterium, Agrimonia), Labiatae (Phlomis, 

 Marrubium) and Malvaceae (Malva, Althaea), but also on Compositae 

 (Carduus), Polygalaceae (Polygala) and Plantaginaceae (Plantago). 

 One of our species lives, so far as known, only on Malvaceae ; the same 

 according to Gundlach, is the food of a closely allied species from Cuba. 

 Probably the Labrador species feeds on some labiate plant. 



The caterpillars are slenderer than those of Thanaos, with a similar 

 head and collar, green in color, with very slight markings. The chrysalids 

 are darker than the caterpillars and slenderer than in Thanaos. 



This account has been based on the assumption that the European and 

 North American species placed in this genus in Kirby's catalogue are 

 congeneric. A study of the caterpillars of some of them and of others in 

 neighboring genera, however, shows me that this is positively not the case, 

 and that a revision is necessary which will compel a further«disintegration 

 of the tessellated Hesperidae of Europe. 



EXCURSUS LIX.— ANOMALIES IN THE GEOGRAPHICAL DIS- 

 TRIBUTION OF OUR BUTTERFLIES. 



. . . The mute insect fixed upon the plant 

 On whose soft leaves it hangs, and from whose cup 

 Draws imperceptibly its nourishment, — 

 Endeared my wanderings. 



Wordsworth.— TAe Excursion. 



An unusual amount of detail for a work of this class has been sriven in 

 the present volume to the geographical distribution of the butterflies, and 

 every effort has been made to obtain authentic data, mainly from an exam- 

 ination of specimens themselves from known localities, but also by collat- 

 ing data given by others (eliminating such as seemed really doubtful) in 



