BUTTERFLIES OF THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK CITY 



time audacious and pugnacious. It darts recklessly at and about 

 objects in the air, vainly pursuing even a passing bird or dragonfly. 

 They tussle with one another too to such an extent that their wings 

 are almost invariably rubbed and broken after their wrangle. When 

 disturbed, the butterfly takes a zigzag trip over a tree, house-top or 

 fence, often without alighting anywhere, and returns to within a few 

 inches of the old spot. The butterfly usually takes his pastime 

 toward sunset, when only now and then a patch of sunlight remains 

 among the shadows of the trees. The caterpillar is sometimes very 

 destructive to hop vines, and in some localities it is known to growers 

 as the "Hop Merchant," and according as the metallic color on the 

 chrysalis is gold or silver, the price of hops will be high or low. This 

 insect is quite common in the vicinity of New York. The hibernating 

 form of this butterfly is called harrisii and the summer form dry as. 

 The former differ from the latter in having the hind wings above 

 considerably paler. It feeds on the elm and false-nettle (B&hmeria), 

 as well as on the hop-vine. The butterfly has a silver comma on the 

 under side of the hind wing, hence the name " Comma Butterfly." 



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30. Marbled Comma Butterfly (Polygonia f annus). 



Very rare in this vicinity. It is a northern insect, and is com- 

 mon in mountainous districts. It may be recognized easily by the 

 deeply incised and notched outer margins of the wings; and by the 

 under side of the wings, which is beautifully marbled with various 

 shades of brown, from light to dark, and mottled with gray- white. 

 In the light shade there is a row of olive- green spots, followed by a 

 band of the same color within the outer border. The caterpillar 

 lives on birch (Betula lenta), willow and wild and cultivated gooseberry. 



