«4 



PSYCHE. 



[July— August iSSS. 



cream color, and smooth as if varnished. 

 This makes it appear like a hanging 

 Inmp of bird dung, and so again must 

 often prevent its being picked 0& and 

 devoured by some hungry bird. 



When one that has at last escaped all 

 the perils of its youth finally reaches its 

 full development, it is even more con- 

 spicuous and exposed than before. Al- 

 though now upon the wing and no 

 doubt often able to escape a pursuer by 

 some quick movement, its natural flight 

 is not swift, and its ordinary movements 

 on the wing are a few quick flutters 

 followed by a sailing motion which is 

 m jst favorable to capture. Its colors 

 differ of course in the diflerent kinds, 

 and they may in this particular be di- 

 vided into two classes. One affects a 

 deep rich black blue or blackish purple, 

 and is variegated with light blue and 

 white, the latter partly in the form of 

 bands, on some forming a broad l>ow 

 across both wings, rendering them 

 most conspicuous and striking objects. 

 They are, too, of a pretty large size, 

 and as thev fly mostly in the neighbor- 

 hood of copses or along shaded road- 

 sides or forest roads, they seem to 

 render themselves by the contrasting 

 back-ground as conspicuous as possible. 

 Another class is of an orange brown 

 color of greater or less depth, while the 

 veins are black, and a black stripe, 

 sometimes accompanied by white dots, 

 crosses the wings. These fly in more 

 open places, more fully exposed to the 

 sun and are scarcely less conspicuous 

 than their fellows. All these butterflies 

 live a considerable time, and intleed the 



eggs do not mature in the bodies of the 

 females until they have been a fortnight 

 on the wing ; and then they do not lay 

 all their eggs at once, or even within a 

 few days, but prolong the operation 

 over many days or even several weeks. 

 To deposit all her eggs therefore, which 

 is the province of course of the female, 

 she must fly amid all the dangers her 

 conspicuous colors offer for about a 

 month, a considerably longer time than 

 the average of butterffies. Previous to 

 egg-laying at least, much of her time is 

 spent upon the ground in compan\ with 

 her fellows, often in great flocks, en- 

 grossed in sucking up moisture from the 

 damp earth, from decaying fruits or the 

 droppings of beasts ; and so must be- 

 come a conspicuous and easy prey to 

 her enemies. 



What then is to become of this saving 

 remnant of the tribe.? How escape 

 from the dangers which it seems to 

 invite.? For the individual there would 

 seem to be nothing but chance ; but the 

 number of eggs laid under the most 

 favorable circumstances or chances is 

 very considerable ; and if only a pair of 

 these finally reaches maturity and is 

 able to fulfil its functions, the number of 

 individuals of the species is maintained. 

 It would seem, however, as if even this 

 chance were small and as if still further 

 protection were needed. And one 

 further protection is afforded, at least 

 to the orange species, in a peculiarity 

 of their life history. Apparently (he 

 species of Basilarchla are, at least in 

 New England, normally single brooded ; 

 but in not infrequent cases, doubtless 



