47 



first moths made their appearance. Between August 21 and August 

 29, 12 moths had issued. 



The method of hibernation is not definitely stated by any of the 

 writers, but it is reasonably certain that the moths pass the winter 

 secreted in bark crevices and fence corners, or in old logs and stumps 

 or other favorable localities. We have shown the insect in all stage- a I 

 fig. 36. The larva, as above stated, has been carefully described by 

 Fitch, and the pupa needs no especial description, the cremastral char- 

 acters being indicated at e. 



Natural enemies. — No natural enemies have been recorded, but from 

 our 1883 lot of larvae we reared, on September 5, a Tachina fly to which 

 Mr. Coquillett has given the manuscript name of Exorista hypence. 



Remedy. — An arsenical spray. 



HOP MERCHANTS. 



The so called "hop merchants" are insects of which one hears a great 

 deal in the hop fields. They are the chrysalides of two common butter- 

 flies, the larvaa of which, although feeding upon a number of different food 

 plants, are particularly partial to hops. The species are Polygon ia inter- 

 rogationis and Polygonia comma. The spiny caterpillars of both species 

 occur abundantly in the fields, feeding upon the leaves, and the chrys- 

 alides into which they transform are beautifully marked with gold or 

 silver spots, which, under certain conditions, probably through para- 

 sitism, become suffused and give a general golden or silver tinge to the 

 chrysalis. An interesting superstition holds among hop growers to the 

 effect that when the golden- spotted chrysalides are plentiful the crop 

 will be good and the price high, while if the silver-spotted ones are 

 plentiful and the golden-spotted ones are scarce the price will be low. 

 Although belonging to the same genus, the habits of these insects 

 differ in certain important respects, and we shall consider them 

 separately. 



THE SEMICOLON BUTTERFLY. 

 (Polygonia interrogationis Godart.) 



GKOC.RAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



This large and handsome butterfly is widespread in the United 

 States, occurring east of the Kocky Mountains from the borders o{ the 

 Gulf of Mexico to and beyond the northern boundaries o( the Alleghany 

 fauna from Texas to central Florida, and north into the Lake Supe 

 rior region. It is very abundant in the New Fork and Wisconsin 

 hop-growing regions on account of the abundant supply o\' what is 

 perhaps its favorite food plant. The butterfly itself is "found in gar- 

 dens, in open glades, and upon the roadside in the vicinity of woods. 

 It is attracted by the sap tlowing from wounded trees and by the juices 

 of decaying fruits. It is subject to many fluctuations in numbers and 

 while exceedingly common one year may be very rare the next. 



