76 
PSYCHE 
[June-August 
becoming gradually black toward the end; tibim black, annulated with white 
near the base; anterior metatarsi tipped with white, the others entirely black; 
the second and third joints of the tarsi white, the terminal joints black; halters 
dark brown. Wings grayish hyaline, the relative length of the second submar- 
ginal cell the same as in B. clavipes. Length of body 8mm., of wing 7 mm., and 
of the posterior legs 15mm. 
One specimen from Mt. Taxoway, North Carolina, at an elevation of between 
3000 and 5000 ft. Collected in ,\ugust, 1904, by Mr. Frank M. Jones of Wilming- 
ton, Delaware, to whom I dedicate this interesting species. 
Varying Abundance of Certai.n Butterflies. Many collectors of butter- 
flies in New England have noticed the remarkable scarcity of Anosia plexippus 
during the last five or six summers, but little or no mention of this phenomenon 
has appeared in print. Since 1899 I have found it impossible to obtain supplies 
of larv® for class-room use, where previously the species had swarmed. 
In Alstead, N. H., the almost total disappearance of the species was remarked 
even by non-entomological observers. In 1899 it was common; in 1900 hardly 
a specimen could be found. Last year a diligent search revealed four of them in 
a region where they used to abound. 
Current comment among members of the Cambridge Entomological Club 
suggests that Aglais milhe>'ti is rapidly increasing in abundance, particularly in 
eastern Massachusetts. My own observations seem to support this idea. 
Laaiias philcnor appears occasionally in great numbers in the neighborhood 
of Boston, but after a season or two of plentifulness it vanishes. Along the 
southern border of New England, Papilio t/ioas and CalUdryas eubule come and 
go. The range of each species widens and shrinks and widens again in response 
to certain changing conditions, but our knowledge of those conditions is very 
fragmentary. It would be interesting to compare a large series of observations, 
and perhaps such a comparison would help us to a better understanding of the 
struggle for existence among the butterflies. — W. L. W. Eield. 
