THE TRIBE OF THE CRESCENT-SPOTS 145 



to the particular kind of leaves she finally selects or does 

 she stop momentarily upon neighboring plants, apparently 

 trying to find the one from which the fragrance emanates 

 until at last she reaches it. Such observations have only 

 rarely been recorded and if carefully made, notes being 

 taken on the spot, they would have decided scientific 

 value. 



Abundance and Distribution 



Few butterflies are more abundant or more widely dis- 

 tributed throughout North America than the beautiful 

 little Pearl Crescent. It occurs over practically the whole 

 of the United States and Canada and is found from early in 

 spring imtil late in autumn. It is a rather small species 

 with a wing expanse of only about an inch and a quarter, 

 the upper surface of the wings being that tone of reddish 

 brown called fulvous, more or less marked with black wavy 

 lines and dots. The under surface is similar in color, with a 

 small silver crescent near the outer margin of each hind 

 wing. 



These butterflies are not very active creatures, although 

 they are commonly found in meadows and pastures along 

 brooks and by the borders of open woods. Instead of lay- 

 ing their eggs singly as do so many of the more active but- 

 terflies, they lay them in clusters, often of a hundred or 

 more, one layer of eggs being placed above the other upon 

 the aster leaf. In at least one case observed, the cater- 

 pillars hatch from the layer farthest away from the leaf 

 surface before those of the layer next the leaf surface 

 emerge. This is an interesting provision, for were the lat- 

 ter to come out first they would be likely to disarrange the 

 unhatched eggs. The caterpillars appear about a week 



