152 



loss I laid the young caterpillars on the floor of a tin box among 

 some plums, and they soon found the stalks and climbed up. 

 The plums were but just from the blossom and tender enough for 

 so minute a caterpillar. Evidently the eggs are laid just at the 

 right season for the caterpillars to seize the newly-formed 

 plums. A little too early or a little too late might be fatal. 

 So also the eggs are laid at just the right spot, on the bark at 

 base of the stalk, and instinctively the little creatures ascend ta 

 their food. They grow with the plums, and when the caterpil- 

 lars are matured the plums are of large size. The attack was 

 made at once on the side of the plum and a hole was eaten out 

 large enough for the head to enter, and thereafter the caterpillar 

 spent most of its time with head in the cavity. I brought fresh 

 plums as often as the old ones wilted, and transferred the 

 caterpillars to them, but from one cause or other, probably 

 from feeding in this artificial manner, all died excepting one. 

 When a moult approached it came out of its burrow and rested 

 either on the side of the plum or on the leaf. At one-quarter 

 inch long, i. e., when half grown, it seemed to have its head and 

 shoulders buried at least from 6 A. M. one day till 9 P. M. the 

 next, with no withdrawal observed by me, and I looked at it fre- 

 quently. Cutting open the plum the excavation would be found 

 reaching quite across and around the pulpy stone, which in the 

 earlier larval stages was not eaten. But after 3d moult this was 

 eaten and the entire plum excavated. In no case was the skin 

 eaten except at the entrance. I placed damson plums in the 

 box, but the wild ones were always preferred. 



I am confident that the caterpillar of 1880, before spoken of, 

 was of this species, although the color differed greatly. That was 

 wholly green, in shades, except for two subdorsal brown stripes. 

 The caterpillar of 1881 was port wine-red. But they were of same 

 size, same shape, and the habits were precisely alike. In Lycaena 

 Violacea some of the caterpillars are nearly white, some are green, 

 and some are wine-red. Perhaps hereafter on raising a brood of 

 the caterpillars of Hcnrici both red and green ones will be found. 



The caterpillar of 1880 is described thus: 



MATURE. — Length 5-10 inch ; shape as of Henrici, color 

 yellow-green, yellow predominating on the sides ; the dorsal 

 elevations have the summits yellow, the outsides greenish ; the 

 medio-dorsal stripe green, edged on either side by a brown line. 



Note. — In my Catalogue, 1877, 1 gave Henrici 3.5 a marked 

 variety of T. Irtis. I am inclined to regard the two as distinct 

 species, though nearly allied. Both are found here, and at the 

 time Mr. Mead confined females of //^wrzVz over whortleberry and 

 oak, he treated Irtis in same manner. Also, afterwards, I tried 

 these over plums, but in no case were eggs obtained. Fresh 

 specimens of Hcnrici are of a delicate yellow-green color beneath, 

 and this fades somewhat soon after death. 



