THE SWALLOW-TAILS 



This species is found throughout the United States and in 

 the southern part of Canada. 



Owing to an unfortunate mistake this species is commonly 

 known under the specific name astr.rias. 



Caterpillar. — Length about two inches. In the early 

 stages it is angular and covered with spiny warts ; the color 

 is black with a white saddle at the middle. When fully 

 grown it is green and each segment has a black band across 

 it which near its front edge encloses six yellow spots. The 

 scent-horns are orange. 



Food-plants. — Parsley, wild carrot, caraway, celery, and 

 other Umbellifera. 



This graceful butterfly haunts the weedy way- 

 sides, the flower beds on lawns, and the kitchen 

 gardens in every state in the Union, though it is 

 found but rarely in the Rocky Mountain region. 

 The female is more familiar to us than is the 

 male, perhaps because her habits of egg-laying 

 make her bolder when visiting the garden herbs 

 on which her young must feed. Her wings are 

 so much darker and have so much more metallic 

 blue on them than do the yellow banded wings 

 of the male that the two sexes are often regarded 

 as different species by the amateur collector. 



When we were children " caraway-worms," as 

 we called the caterpillars that fed on that spicy 

 herb in our backyard, were favorite playmates of 

 ours ; at least we played with them, though we 



63 



