124 



The other papers read related to other branches of Entomol- 

 ogy than the Lepidoptera, and therefore are not reported for 

 Papilio. 



Mr. Edwards exhibited a box of butterflies, embracing Li- 

 menitis Art/wjiiis, called by Mr. Scudder in his recent book? 

 "Butterflies" 1881, the White-banded Purple, and L. Ursula, 

 called the Red-spotted Purple, and requested an opinion from 

 the members as to the color of these insects. The group is 

 called " Purples " by Mr. Scudder. The members were unani- 

 mous that the specimens were black or brown-black, and not 

 purple. One gentleman thought he discovered a purple flush to 

 Arthejiiis when looked at sidewise, but was of the same opinion as 

 the rest as to the ground color. It was agreed that the name 

 was a misnomer. 



On Friday, Mr, Edwards read a paper on the Length of Life 

 of Butterflies, showing from his own notes made during a period 

 of 15 years, last past, that with the summer butterflies the dura- 

 tion of life was measured by weeks, depending on the period 

 when copulation took place in the male and oviposition in the 

 female, shortly after which events the sexes expired. A butterfly 

 three weeks old was aged, and if any lived longer they were the 

 males who had been unable to find mates. As to the hiberna- 

 ting butterflies, the history of Danais ArcJiippiis was related in 

 full from special observations made, and it was shown that the 

 duration of life could at most be from September to about first 

 of June of the following year, and that the first eggs of the year 

 were laid by the hibernating females, who at once disappeared 

 after finishing their laying. That the broods of this species fol- 

 lowed in quick succession to the number of three or four at least, 

 and that the eggs were laid by young females, but a short time 

 from chrysalis. This was directly opposed to the statements of 

 Mr. Scudder, first set forth in Psyche in 1875, and recently in 

 "Butterflies," 1 881, that y4;r/////'?/j' lived from 12 to 15 months; 

 laid no eggs till after hibernation, and then laid all along through 

 the summer, so that the caterpillars formed during the summer 

 were from these eggs only. In fact that this species had chang- 

 ed its habits from that of its kind, and bred much after the fashion 

 of a mammal. 



After this paper Prof. Lintner read one on the Life Duration 

 of the Heterocera, in which he gave the result of his own experi- 

 ence — 15 days to 3 weeks as the limit of life of the imago. Mr. 

 Lintner suggested that good service might be rendered science 

 by the collation of published records, and the publication of 

 data respecting appearance of species of insects. 



This paper was followed by a discussion of the whole subject 

 by members. Dr. Jewett was emphatic as to there being at 

 least three broods of Archippus in Ohio, and he had repeatedly 



