164 TWENTY-FOURTH REPORT ON THE STATE MUSEUM. 



July 24th. Pieris ra/pcB was recognized, for the first time, in 

 Albany. A few were seen flying about piles of cabbages exposed 

 upon the sidewalk at some vegetable stands in the south part of the 

 city, and in one instance alighting upon a cabbage as if to deposit an 

 egg. On the 27th many were seen and several were captured in a 

 vegetable garden at the extreme southern part of the city, near &quot; the 

 Island,&quot; upon which cabbages are extensively cultivated. Upon 

 visiting the island, they were found to be so abundant that several 

 could be observed at any moment hovering over or alighting on the 

 plants. Many were attracted by the blossoms of Lappa qfficinalis 

 (burdock) growing abundantly upon the bank of Island creek ; on one 

 plant ten were counted, intent on taking their food from the flowers. 

 Of the thirty individuals collected, two-thirds were males which 

 were nearly all in good condition, while the females were worn. 

 This butterfly is more difficult to capture on the wing than oleracea, 

 for while the flight is not more rapid than of that species, it is undoubt 

 edly more erratic, for less than one-third of my attempts to inclose 

 them in the net were successful. 



July 25th. No P. oleracea were observed at Schoharie, but some 

 full-grown larvae were collected from horse-radish, and a few of its 

 chrysalides were found. 



July 28th. A large number of larvae of Nisoniades Lucilius were 

 found resting concealed on the under surface of leaves of Aquilegict 

 Canadensis, growing abundantly in an elevated rocky locality in 

 Bethlehem. Their shelter, as observed in numerous specimens col 

 lected at this time and in larvae subsequently taken, is constructed in 

 a very ingenious manner. Shortly after the larva leaves its shell, and 

 with its first feeding it commences to cut a narrow channel in the 

 leaf from the margin inwardly a short distance; this completed, from 

 another point on the margin not far removed from the first, a second 

 channel is cut, curving toward the former, the two not uniting, but 

 frequently running parallel for a short space. The portion thus 

 nearly separated retains its connexion with the leaf by only a pedi 

 cel-like attachment. Its own weight carries it downward to nearly 

 the position which it is to assume, when a very slight effort by the 

 young larva serves to bring it to its desired place, almost in contact 

 with the lower side of the leaf, to which it is then fastened by threads 

 passing between the two surfaces at several points. Sometimes, as 

 if with the object of economizing time or labor, the lobe of a leaf is 

 selected of which to construct this shelter, when but a moderate 



