FAMILY HABITS IN BUTTERFLY LARV^ THE URBICOLIDS. 23 



of Chapra mathias only leaves its tent at night, when it comes out to 

 feed. Among the Nearctic species, the larvae of Epargyreus tityrus 

 keep themselves closely concealed by day, coming forth to feed only, 

 or mostly, by night (Harris); the larva of Thanaos persius rarely, if 

 ever, ventures from home, except under cover of darkness, and, of 

 hundreds collected, Scudder observes that he does not recall having 

 seen one out of its tent during daylight. The larva of T. juvenalis 

 also feeds only by night, resting quietly by day upon the inside of the 

 roof of its nest, whilst that of T. icelus also rests on the roof of its 

 retreat, coming out to feed only by night. The larva of T. lucilius only 

 leaves its tent to get food from a neighbouring leaf, when its rapid 

 feeding soon satisfies its appetite and it returns quickly to its shelter, 

 where it resumes its normal position with its head and thorax at right 

 angles to the rest of the body. Scudder also notes (p. 1456) that the 

 larva of Eudamus proteus eats by night, keeping itself closely con- 

 cealed in its tent by day. The leaf-tents made by the larvae of 

 Pholisora catullus, form the permanent home of the larvae, the latter 

 remaining curled up and hidden in them during the day, and emerging 

 from them only at night to feed (Edwards). The larva of Atrytone 

 zabulon remains quietly in its nest by day, but ranges its immediate 

 neighbourhood for food by night. Of exceptions to this pretty general 

 rule, Scudder notes that the larva of Polites peckius feeds both by day 

 and night, retiring within its nest if in the least alarmed, whilst the 

 larva of Limochores taumas appears to feed only by day, but returns to 

 its hiding-place if in the least disturbed. Mathew observes (Trayis. 

 Ent. Soc. Lond., 1888, p. 180) that the larva of the Australian 

 Pamphila phineus feeds only at night, and only at this time comes out 

 of its tent, composed of part of a leaflet of palm, usually eating the 

 leaflet from the tip towards the base ; similarly, he states (op. cit., p. 

 182) that the larva of Netrocoryne repanda also only feeds by night, 

 only then coming out of its tent, formed of a folded-over Eugenia 

 leaf. The larva of Trapezites symmomus feeds also only by night, on 

 Cladium, hiding by day very low down among the stems of its food- 

 plant, whilst the larva of Hesperilla picta has a similar habit, but 

 hides by day at the base of a Cladium leaf. 



Many species produce " forwards." In the higher temperate 

 regions, the number is, as a rule, comparatively small and confined to 

 few species, but, in a lower latitude, the number is sometimes greatly 

 increased, e.g., in Britain, Nisoniades tages produces "forwards" only 

 in years with an exceptionally early spring followed by a hot summer, 

 as in 1893, whereas, in southern France, "forwards" are produced in 

 this species every year, and the insect becomes almost permanently 

 double-brooded in its most southern haunts. Similarly among the 

 Nearctic species, Thanaos persius, T. brizo, and T. juvenalis produce 

 "forwards" in the more southerly part of their range, whilst in the 

 northern parts they are exceedingly rare ; another ally, T. lucilius, 

 produces " forwards " in each of its two earliest broods, so that larvae of 

 at least three ages, May, June and September, go over the winter together 

 as full-fed larvae. This appears to be the case also with Pholisora 

 catullus. Scudder says that Atalopedes huron (Butts. New Engl., ii., p. 

 1666), produces, in Florida, forwards at a very rapid pace, culminating 

 in at least three broods and maturing as larvae in about 27 days. 

 Eudamus proteus also appears to develop many or few " forwards " 



