17 
-(C-longilabris Say), the rich rosy-purple (C. purpurea, Oliv.),(Fig. 6), and the deep 
bronzed-green (C. limbalis K1.). My efforts to capture some of 
these aroused the curiosity of some habitants who were working 
in an adjacent field. At first they looked with the utmost astonish- 
ment at my proceedings, and shook their heads at one another as 
much as to say, He is very far gone; but soon a light seemed to dawn 
in upon them and there was a general clearing up,they came, in fact, to 
the conclusion that [and my party were bound on a fishing excursion 
to the Falls of the Etchemin, and that I was prudently laying in a 
supply of grasshoppers for bait. And shortly afterwards, when I 
Fic. 6. had occassion to speak to them, I received respectful greeting and 
attention as one who knew what he was about. Resuming our 
journey we came to a region of second growth balsams, broken in upon by poorly 
cultivated fields in which blue-berry bushes abounded, and by tracts of green vel- 
vety moss dotted over with young pines. As we entered this region the passage of 
our vehicle disturbed a butterfly. “There goes Veonympha canthus,’ I said, but 
in a moment the thoughts of the incongruities of time and place for this induced 
me to leave my wagon and go in search of the insect, and soon I had the 
great delight of securing for the tirst time, a living specimen of Debis Portlandia. 
Gosse took this species many years ago at Compton, P. Que., and D’Urban in 
Argenteuil county, on the River Rouge. It has since been taken by Mr. Caulfield 
and Mr. Winn on Mount Royal, and by Mr. Fletcher in the neighbourhood of 
Ottawa. The insect is, however, rare in the Province of Quebee. In the course 
of a few hours I took two others specimens, dilapidated females. I found that 
the ovary of one of these had been quite emptied, from the other I obtained by 
pressure five pearly-white eggs, large for the size of the insect. 
I did not find D. Portlandia difficult to catch. It has the habit of flitting 
for a few rods, and then settling on the trunk of a tree a yard or two from the 
ground, trusting it would seem for security to the similarity of its colours to 
those of the lichens that cling about the balsam stems. 
In the glades and open fields Argynnis Aphrodite and Argynnis Atlantis 
were everywhere abundant, the latter being readily distinguished by their dusky 
beauty from their brighter companions. Whilst I was watching thesé active 
fritillaries, a butterfly of a different form came into the field. It proved to be 
Grapta gracilis. It was the only one of its kind that I could discover. Another 
good butterfly that I took on this occasion was Thecla Titus. This insect appears 
to be very widely distributed in Quebec Province. I have found it on Mount 
Royal, at Oka on the Ottawa,in the Eastern Townships and at Quebec, but 
solitary, or in pairs only. 
Amongst the moths that showed themselves on this occcasion, I noticed 
two very perfect specimens of that showy insect Arctia Saundersii,(Fig. 7), also the 
beautiful Plusias, Simplex and Precationis. On the trunks of the trees 
Pretophora truncata was to be seen, and, 
of course, that ubiquitous insect Drasteria 
erecthea (Cram.) was constantly rising from 
the grass at my approach. The hour for 
luucheon having arrived, and my boy havy- 
ing kindled a fire and made the tea, the 
fruit gatherers were summoned and soon 
appeared laden with their spoils, raspber- 
ries, blueberries and the fruitof Amelanchier 
Canadensis (Torr. and Gr.), called by the Fic. 7. 
French-Canadians povres. Wesat down under a spreading beech, and amidst such 
2 (EN.) 
