602 A Cosmopolitan Butterfly. II. Its History. (October, 
An English translation of Dr. Dohrn’s pamphlet could not fail 
to be serviceable to the large number of students who take an 
interest in the genealogical problems of morphology. — G. T. 
BETTANY, in Nature. 
A COSMOPOLITAN BUTTERFLY. IJ. ITS HISTORY. 
BY SAMUEL H. SCUDDER. 
De ee TARDE the ubiquity and general abundance 
of Vanessa cardui, its natural history is imperfectly known. 
Of its life in the tropics there is no published statement beyond 
the brief account given by the indefatigable Horsfield ; he simply 
mentions that in Java the caterpillar feeds on a species of Arte- 
misia, the native name of which is Godomollo, and that the but- 
terfly appears in December. Just beyond the tropics, at the 
Cape of Good Hope, Trimen reports it as found in the imago 
state throughout the year, but most abundant from September to 
March. At about an equal distance north of the tropics, on the | 
same continent, in Egypt, this butterfly flies through the winter, l 
and from November to March caterpillars in almost every stage 
may be found upon a species of Malva, called by the Arabs Mu- 
kheh, while the thistles growing abundantly by the railway lines 
are untouched. These fragments comprise the account of this 
butterfly outside of Europe and North America, and the follow- 
ing remarks are confined to this insect as it exists in north tem- | 
perate regions. | 
In New England this butterfly is double-brooded and hiber- 
nates in the imago state.! The hibernating butterflies do not 
usually begin to emerge from their winter quarters until the mid- 
dle of May, and badly worn specimens continue to fly until after 
the middle of June. They lay their eggs during the latter half | 
of May and early in June ; these hatch in from six to eight days; A 
and the caterpillars therefrom become fully grown between the , 
middle of June and the middle of July ; the chrysalids hang from : 
eight to fourteen days, and disclose the first fresh butterflies about 
the 10th of July. These usually become abundant by the mid; d 
dle of the month, and at the end of the third week innumerable; 
they continue to emerge from the chrysalis until the early days ° 
August, and fly until the next brood appear ; these lay their egg 
during the last of July and first of August, and the caterpillars | | 
often | 
t ao 
| 
1 At least so far as is known. In Europe, according to some bien poin 
passes the winter in the chrysalis state; but authorities do not agree upon thi 
