Feb., 1889.] elliott society. 219 



ever, chiefly seen Ma/rcellus flying rapidly, with quick, incessant strokes through 

 the woods, and at such times a sharp run and a quick, sure stroke are required 

 to secure the specimen. 



Papilio cresphontes, Cramer. 



Owing to the number of orange trees that grow in and around Charleston, 

 cresphontes constitutes a conspicuous element in the butterfly fauna of this re- 

 gion. In the City I have found it decidedly the most common of the Papilios, 

 more so even than asUrias. There is something very tropical looking in the 

 appearance of this large butterfly, with its broad spatulate tails and handsome 

 contrasts of color, as it floats with lazy flappings through the gardens, and the 

 presence here and there of a cluster of banana trees adds to the impression. 

 In the early part of April cresphontes is generally on the wing, and as early as 

 May its large yellow eggs can be found on the tender yonng leaves and new 

 stems of the orange trees. The larvae bear a decided resemblance to the ex- 

 crement of fowls, and though this resemblance is doubtless protective, they 

 are readily eaten bv birds. Cresphontes has a habit, especially in wet weather, 

 of resting upon the leaves of the orange trees, or other trees and shrubs, pro- 

 tected by the overhanging foliage, and when so at rest its wings are not eleva- 

 ted, but are depressed at a reentrant angle. 1 once saw, during a Summer 

 thunder shower, about a dozen individuals of this butterfly, some at rest, and 

 others slowly flying to and fro under the protecting screen of a mass of Wistaria 

 that offered a complete shelter from the storm. The lai-vae, as is usual with 

 all the large handsome larvas of lepidopterous insects, are considered by the 

 vulgar as intensely poisonous and most deadly to life. Of course they are ab- 

 solutely hai-mless, though when touched, like the larvae of all Papilionce, they 

 emit a pungent odor. 



Papilio turniis, Linn. 



I have only twice seen this species in the City of Charleston, though it is 

 quite common in Clarendon County, where it may be readily caught at pools of 

 water and moist places in the roads. The males I have found more frequent- 

 ly than the females, and larger and more richly colored than northern exam- 

 ples. The prevailing female type is the black form, ( Papilio glaucus^ ) and 

 this is sometimes caught of an extraordinarily large size. I have in my collec- 

 tion a fine example of the normal yellow female form, caught in Clarendon 

 County, S. C. , and this is the only one of the kind that I have ever seen in the 

 South, though it is the usual form met with at the North, where glaucus is 

 rarely, if ever, taken. 



Papilio asterias, Fab. 



This is one of the commonest of our Papilios, and its large, handsome green 

 larvae may be found in fennel patches at the proper season. I have found them 

 most common on the sweet fennel, and as early as the middle of April. I have 



