40 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



February, the February-March larvae pupating, however, and remaining 

 such till August ; similarly, Papilla anactus is continuously-brooded 

 from October to March. We know, however, no details of the propor- 

 tions of " forwards " in each of the broods, or whether only some in 

 each brood exhibit this " forward " habit. 



This meagre summary indicates very clearly our ignorance of the 

 larval habits of this most conspicuous, and widely distributed, group of 

 large butterflies on many interesting and vital points, and shows how 

 much still remains to be done. No doubt a fuller knowledge of larval 

 habits and larval structure would help us to an understanding between 

 the Thaines and the Aristolochia-ieeding Papilionines, but, in such a 

 matter, structure is more important than habit, which, however, may 

 give excellent indications. Even whilst this chapter is going through 

 press, Floersheim writes that he has already noticed how the imagines 

 of non-pharmacophagous Papilionid species have a tendency to lay 

 their eggs on Aristolochia when the neighbourhood of their proper 

 foodplant is wanting. He reports that he watched both Iphielides 

 ajax and Jasonm&es glaucus (titrnus) do so this year. He adds that he 

 could not get the latter to oviposit on cherry, birch, or plum, although 

 these trees are accounted among its favourite foodplants, the species 

 preferring Ptelea, and, when it could not find this, chose Aristolochia ; 

 the young larvae tried to eat the latter, but died during ecdysis. The 

 larvae of I. ajax also tried to feed on Aristolochia, but it killed them at 

 once. Such indications as these are, however, very suggestive. Con- 

 sidering the great attention that has been paid to collecting the 

 Papilionids, it is much to be regretted that so little time has been 

 spent on the early stages, and that, of the many species whose larvae 

 are known, so little has been recorded of their habits. Still this 

 chapter may serve as a peg on which some future worker will be able 

 to hang a much more illuminating thesis on the larval habits of this 

 delightful and attractive superfamily of butterflies. 



