some Rest-attitudes of Butterjties. 115 



I have no manuscript note, but remember well that 

 before Mr. Millar mentioned the fact of anacardii having a 

 proclivity for such trees, I saw one take refuge in a shrub, 

 or small tree, having large glaucous leaves ; and I am 

 almost sure that I beat another specimen out of the same 

 kind of tree, but I failed to see the insect at rest. 



Writing of Colias 2yhilodice, Godt., Mr. W. H. Edwards 

 scijs: "On marigolds and brilliant single zinuias they 

 delight to pasture, for they have a keen sense of colour. 

 I have known one of them alight on an amethyst in a 

 lady's ring, after hovering about its owner so persistently 

 as to attract attention, and it rested some seconds." * 



Mr. S. H. Scudder quotes the following interesting 

 observations on the same butterfly, Eitryimis philodice, 

 Godt, (called in America " the sulphur "). 



" Dr. Minot once observed that when searching for its 

 honied food the butterfly most frequently alighted on 

 yellow flowers ; and Dr. Packard has recorded that in a 

 field where white asters and yellow golden rods were 

 abundant the yellow sulphur butterfly visited the flowers 

 of the golden rod much oftener than those of the aster, while 

 the opposite was the case with Pieris ra'pie." t Again, in 

 another place, he says, " and Jenner Weir has noticed how 

 the white butterflies settled on the variegated leaves in 

 his garden." J 



The preference shown by the two butterflies for golden 

 rod and asters respectively is interesting. These genera, 

 highly characteristic of North America, are closely allied 

 Compositm. On the other hand, P. rapi& was introduced into 

 the country in I860 or thereabouts. 



Dr. Dixey has kindly placed at my disposal the notes of 

 a number of his observations on common English butter- 

 flies which have a bearing upon the point under discussion. 

 1897, July 12, Mortehoe. 8. semelc, flight more 

 rapid than that of H.janira', it is also more apt 

 to settle. When settling, chooses if possible a bit 

 of grey rock or bare pathway. Sits with antennae 

 expanded and projecting forwards, body raised 

 somewhat on legs. At first settling, eye-spot of 

 fore-wing generally just appears ; then by a definite 



* Butterflies of North America, vol. ii, 1897, suh philodice (not 

 paged). 



t Butterflies of Neii^ England, 1889, vol. ii, p. 1124. 

 j Ibid., vol. ii, p. 1102, 



