the Life History of Cydimon (Urania) leilus. 409 
both eastward and westward, and I have seen them a mile 
or so out tosea.... 
“From the early part of September we had them here 
by the thousands, lasting for about five weeks. My boys 
said they were specially numerous about the hospital 
way, myriads being on or about some trees there... .” 
The hospital is situated on an elevated piece of land on 
the sea-coast, in the town of San Fernando. 
Mr. Potter, the warden of La Brea, where is situated the 
famous ‘‘ Pitch Lake,” states that they flew in thousands 
past the pier at La Brea, and that they congregated in 
numbers in the woods around there. 
Might not these immense flocks that collect at these 
points, being suitable meeting-places on the sea-coast, 
assemble there to return to the continent ? 
It would seem that they have suitable meeting-places 
along the coast, from whence they return homewards, 
congregating in vast numbers till, like swallows, they 
homeward fly, in a similar manner to C. fulgens, which, 
Kirby writes, “is remarkable for its migratory habits.” 
They are very fond of the blossoms of a plant known 
locally as “ Black Sage,” which grows in abundance on all 
the waste lands in the island, and also another white 
flowering plant which grows in similar situations and 
flower at the same-period, from July to September, when 
the moths are most numerous. 
The remarks that apply to C. sloanus, as quoted by 
Kirby in “Lloyd’s Natural History,” in respect to their 
habits when feeding and sporting around, are also ap- 
plicable to C. leilus: “When one alights, unless it is to 
suck the blossom, it chooses a leaf or other surface that is 
nearly vertical and instantly turns head downwards, and 
rests with the wings expanded in the plane of the body, 
the anterior pair, however, inclined backwards, so as to 
form an angle with each other, and partly covering the 
posterior.” 
They chase each other about playfully, half-a-dozen or 
more sometimes joining in the gambols. 
I have never observed a pairing, though there has been 
a lot of gambolling, and I have often observed pairs 
pursuing one another about most perseveringly. 
In the month of September the greatest number appear, 
though they are plentiful in July and August; and while 
not very easy to capture, yet by waiting for them on a 
