352 Canadian Butterflies. 



but is by no means uncommon in the latter. It appears in July, 

 and there is but one brood during the season. "We remember it 

 being named to us, in our early entomological days, as the Storm 

 Fritillary. We have retained this name, although not strictly 

 correct, for it does not belong to the same family as the Fritilla- 

 ries. It is, however, a very appropriate appellation, as it appears 

 to be most active v?hen the atmosphere is charged vpith electricity, 

 and often, in those death-like calms which precede a thunder- 

 storm in this country, when not a breath of wind ruffles the glassy 

 surface of the water, and the lurid clouds are hurrying up from 

 tbe horizon, one of these splendid butterflies may be seen floating 

 past on the sultry air, like a herald of the approaching storm. It 

 generally flies in a slow and heavy manner near the ground, but 

 occasionally soars to a great height in the air. Professor Em- 

 mons has repeated an old error in his work on the Insects of New 

 York, by calling this species plexijjpus, and moreover misspells 

 the name of the genus. He also, for some reason not obvious to 

 us, places two species of Nymphalis, (iVT, disippus and Ursula) with, 

 it ii! the family Helicomiidse, which he inserts between Papilio- 

 nidi and Pieridi ! JV. disippus is certainly very similar in colour 

 and markings, but the neuration of the wings is totally different, 

 and the discoidal cell of the posterior wings is open, instead of 

 being closed as in the present species. 



FAMILY 3. NYMPHALID^. 



Palpi close together, very erect, densely clothed with hair-like 

 scales, the front of the two first joints almost as broad as their 

 sides, which are also broad ; antennae long, generally furnished 

 with a more or less distinct club which is never hooked ; anterior 

 legs entirely rudimentary in both sexes, and quite unfitted for 

 walking ; the hind legs with only a single pair of spurs at the 

 extremity of the tibia and the tarsal ungues strongly bifid ; pos- 

 terior wings strongly grooved and their inner margins almost 

 meeting beneath the abdomen, which rests upon them, and their 

 discoidal cell generally open. The caterpillars are cylindric, vari- 

 able in structure, but generally clothed with numerous strong 

 spines ; others have the body smooth, with the head or tail 

 forked. The chrysalides are naked, sometimes armed with small 

 conical protuberances, generally ornamented with metallic colours, 

 and suspended by the tail only. 



