XVI. 



THE OLDEST BUTTERFLY INHABITANTS OF NEW 



ENGLAND 



That a vast sheet of ice once covered New 

 England has been so long known as to be common 

 intellectual property. The great mass of drift 

 which covers the entire face of the country is too 

 conspicuous to be overlooked by any observing 

 person. That we have indications of a former ice 

 period in the present inhabitants of the district is 

 perhaps not so well known by all. That such 

 should be recognized among the butterflies appears 

 at fii'st blush surprising ; yet a careful investiga- 

 tion of the butterfly fauna of New England, and 

 its comparison with that of neighboring parts of the 

 country, show that the nearest allies of no incon- 

 siderable portion of our butterflies now exist in the 

 far north, in regions where the summer still retains 

 the retarding influence of the frozen zone, or they 

 may be found still feeding close beside the existing 

 glaciers of arctic lands. To mention only the 



