June-Sept. 1SQ4.] 



PSYCHE. 



12 'J 



A PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE BUTTERFLIES OF NORTH- 

 EASTERN MISSISSIPPL 



BY HOWARD EVARTS WEED, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MISS. 



The following list of fifty-three 

 species of butterflies has been prepared 

 by reference to tlit collection of the 

 Miss. Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 which has been collected by the writer 

 during the past three seasons. No 

 studv of the food-plants of the species 

 has been made, nor has an attempt been 

 made to make the list complete, the 

 species reported being those which 

 have been collected at odd times in 

 general collecting. However, the list 

 is given here in the hope that it may 

 interest those who may be especially 

 interested in the subject, no list of the 

 butterflies of this state having hereto- 

 fore been presented. 



In this connection I may say that the 

 state of Mississippi presents five quite 

 distinct faunal regions to the entomo- 

 logical eye. 



( 1 ) Extending along the western 

 border of the state is the delta region 

 or liottom lands of the Mississippi River 

 where the country is quite level and the 

 soil very rich. In some years this 

 region is subject to overflo\y and on 

 this account its fauna presents many 

 things of interest, entomological!}' 

 Hemiptera and Coleoptera predomi- 

 nating. 



(2) Along the north-eastern bortler 

 of the state near the Alabama line is 

 the prairie region, which presents many 



characters similar to the bottom lands 

 of the Mississippi River, but is not 

 subject to overflow. 



(3) The southern and especially the 

 south-eastern portion of the state is 

 known as "the pine}' woods" region, 

 and here, as would naturally be the 

 case where the forest is of diflerent 

 nature from surrounding localities, the 

 insect fauna is much different than in 

 other localities. 



(4) Along the extreme southern 

 border at the Gulf coast is perhaps the 

 richest entomological field where, as is 

 generally the case along a coast line, 

 many species are found which are not 

 present a few miles in the interior. 



(5) The central and northern portions 

 of the state present the largest but not 

 the richest faunal region and it is at 

 the eastern border of this region in 

 Oktibbeha county that the species listed 

 below have been collected, although at 

 some future time I may be able to list 

 the species of the other regions, that of 

 the Gulf coast especially. 



It is thus seen that the state presents 

 a varied fauna. I may say, however, 

 that any given locality does not present 

 a richness of species, but rather a great 

 number of individuals of the species 

 which are present. Many of the 

 commoner species of butterflies are 

 present the year round even in mid- 



