64 



OR:^riTHOLOGIST 



[Yol. 12-Ko. 4 



Samia Ct/nthia, ailanthus, lilac, laburnum, 

 cherry. 



Cithn'onia Begalis, buttenuit and sumach. 



Eades Imperialis, white pine, maple, liickory 

 and bay berr3\ 



Hyperchiria lo^ white birch, willow, wild 

 clierry. 



Callosamia Promcthea, wild tulip, wild cherry, 

 white birch, sassafrass. 



Samia ceannthi, wild cherry. 



Samia Columbia, wild cherry and pine. 



The following are the food plants for several 

 foreign moths : 



Sphinx ligustri^ sweet potato, lilac. 



Saturnia Pyri, plum, hazel. 



Saturnia Yama-moi, oak. 



Saturnia lo, willow and plum. 



Attacus atlas, oak, plum, barberrJ^ 



Attacus pernyi, oak. 



Attacus sclene, walnut. 



I.arvft? found on the columbine, may be tried 

 on marsh marigold or meadow I'ue; on the vio- 

 let, tried on cabbage or tui-nip; on the straw- 

 berry, tried on the bramble or raspberry; on 

 parsley, tried on carrot or celery; on elder, 

 tried on honey-suckle; on the sun-flower tried 

 on golden rod or tansy; on beet, tried on spin- 

 ach ; or poplar and aspen, tried on osier, sal- 

 low, willow. 



Experimenters have found that larv;e taken 

 while feeding upon the apple would take the 

 foliage of ash, lime or poplar ; those on birch 

 take beech, hazel, whortleberry ; those on 

 broom take honeysuckle and lilac; those on 

 ivy take elder and holly; those on elm take 

 lime; those on oak take ash, elm and willow; 

 those on plum take birch, oak and sallow. 



I trust the above facts and suggestions may 

 prove of use to amateurs who are trying to 

 study the habits and transformations of butter- 

 flies and moths. 



Collecting on the Amazon. 



The Arjeronias and EpicalUas are charactei-is- 

 tic butterflies frequenting the more open forest 

 paths. Tlie formei- are variously mottled but- 

 terflies, most of them of a grayish color, while 

 others are deep black with numerous light blue 

 spots. Some species have a broad oblique 

 white band through the fore wings, which in 

 others is represented by irregular spots. The 



under surface of the hind wings is variously 

 colored in the diff"erent species — white, yellow, 

 red or dark, with black, and sometimes addi- 

 tional white markings, following moi-e or less 

 the pattern of the upper surface. These but- 

 terflies alight on the tree trunks, with their 

 wings open and resting on the bark, the gray 

 ones in this position greatly resembling the 

 light colored bark, so that it is generally no 

 easy matter to distinguish them. They are 

 very shj' and rapid in their motions, and on be- 

 ing disturbed immediately dart into the top of 

 the tree, where they again alight on the trunli 

 or branches. 



An interesting peculiarity of these butterflies 

 is the sharp clattering noise they often pro- 

 duce with their wings, and which may be 

 heard at quite a distance. When this noise is 

 made they generally seem to be in pursuit of a 

 mate, or perhaps in sport. 1 have often seen 

 three or four of them pursuing each other 

 closely in rapid circles around the trunk of a 

 tree, continually rattling with their wings. 

 The sound sometimes is also a sign of alarm as 

 well as of pleasure ; for on being approached, 

 they often give a sluirp click before they fly oft'. 



Ag. Anomala, entirely of a deep velvet black 

 with bright blue spots, is one of the handsom- 

 est species, and when settled on a white tree- 

 trunk, with its wings spread wide open, is cer- 

 tainly a conspicuous object. 



But the species which intei'csted me most, 

 and which I saw for the flrst time at Tquitos, is 

 Ag. Alicia, discovered by Bates on the upper 

 Amazon, and considered one of the rarest spe- 

 cies. I saw it often at Iquitos but never more 

 than one or two at a time, and only succeeded 

 in obtaining a few during ray several months 

 stay. It is the largest species, spreading nearly 

 four inches across the wings. Above, it is a 

 dull greenish-blue, covered with black spots 

 which are surrounded by lines paler than the 

 ground color. On the fore wings are some 

 grayish dashes, which look as if the color had 

 been rubbed oft" in those places. Beneath, the 

 hind wings are pale ochre-yellow, spotted with 

 black on the edge, while the fore wings are 

 spotted black and w^hite. 



Another species peculiar to the Upper Ama- 

 zon is Ag. Bdladduna. It closelj'^ resembles 

 Ag Anphinome of the Lower Amazon in every 

 detail of marking, both on upper and under 

 surface; the only difterence, quite a marked 

 one, however, being that the broad white bar 

 of Anphinome is represented bj' a few conspic- 

 uous gray spots. 



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