1610 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



There are four or five species in the genus of whicli two occur in New 

 England, but only one is common there. 



The butterflies of this group, very numerous in individuals, ai'c of small 

 size, tawny above, broadly bordered outwardly with dark brown, often 

 heavily infuscated next the base, the fore wings provided with an oblique 

 dark streak at the tip of the cell, the male without a discal streak. Beneath, 

 the color is nearly uniform but much less vivid, or the outer margin shows 

 the same band as above ; the hind wing is dark with a broad, tawny, median 

 band, sometimes expanding into a large spot. There is, however, one 

 exception in the females of the common New England species, which are 

 dimorphic, one form resembling the male type, the other more or less in- 

 fuscated or melanic throughout and therefore almost devoid of markings. 



The history of two or three of the species is known. The buttei-flies are 

 all single brooded at least in the north. 



The species which possesses dimorphic females and which in general 

 differs in appearance from the others, forming a sub-group apart, winters 

 either as a chrysalis or a mature caterpillar, wliile the others probably 

 hibernate as partly grown caterpillars. Tlie butterflies fly in meadows in 

 the hottest sunshine, and are strong and active in movement. The caterpil- 

 lars are very slow feeders, live on grasses and inhabit rude nests made ljy 

 fastening together several blades of grass generally near their liase. 



The eggs are nearly hemispherical, broad and large, a little flattened 

 above and of a greenish white. 



The caterpillans just born are white with a large black head, a narrow 

 black shield on the first thoracic segment, scarcely expanded bristles ar- 

 ranged in longitudinal rows and two pairs of very long, recurved, tapering 

 bristles on the last segment, besides four at the edge directed backward. 

 The mature caterpillars are fat, cylindrical, elongated creatures tapering 

 equally at tiie two ends, uniform in color, having a ferruginous head of no 

 great size and a speckled brownish body. 



The chrysalids are of the usual form, livid brown, and covered with a 

 whitish bloom , the tongue reaching the extremity of the seventh abdominal 

 segment. The transformations are undergone in a vertical nest of the 

 larva, or one similar to it but completely closed to view, and in this the 

 chrysalis is erect, apparently witii no median girth whatever. 



EXCURSUS LXV.—THE ENEMIES OF BUTTERFLIES. 



The violets died with tlie day's last breath ; 

 The ro.ses slept when the wind was low ; 

 What chanced to the IjutterHies who can know? 



LOUISK MOULTON. 



When we consider that the numbers of butterflies of any given species 

 remain about the same from year to year and that the females generally 



