178 
Psyche 
[Sept.-Dee. 
WINGS OF THE MOURNING CLOAK BUTTERFLY 
SNIPPED BY ANT 
By Arthur Loveridge 
When passing the stump of a silver birch at noon, I noticed 
that it was oozing sap from two spots where poles had been cut 
recently. On each was a Mourning Cloak Butterfly ( Euvanessa 
antiopa). One was drinking the sap quietly, the other moved 
about restlessly and continually flapped its wings. Approaching 
closer I saw that several ants (subsequently identified for me 
by Dr. W. M. Wheeler as Camponotus herculeanus ligniperda 
var. noveboracensis Fitch) were running about and around the 
butterfly. One ant in particular seemed to be annoying the 
butterfly by climbing on its abdomen. This caused the insect 
to flap its wings violently until the ant decamped. It soon re- 
turned and reaching up began biting at the inner posterior edge 
of the butterfly’s hind wings. I now saw for the first time how 
ragged the wings were at this place, and as I watched, first one 
and then another piece of wing floated away on the gentle breeze 
that was blowing. Then I realized that the ant was snipping off 
pieces. Another ant ran up and touched the butterfly’s pro- 
boscis, causing the butterfly to draw it up and move about for 
a time before settling to feed again. Then a wasp ( Polistes sp.) 
alighted near the butterfly and fed up to its very flank. At that 
the butterfly, without ceasing to feed, flapped its wings down 
and held them so for a moment. The wasp just crouched flat 
beneath them until they were raised again, then went on with 
its own meal. I had an excellent view of its action under the 
wing as my face was level with the stump and a bare eighteen 
inches away. Then an ant, hurrying up, seized the wasp by one 
leg; they rolled over and over until they fell off the stump to 
the ground a foot below. There they separated and the wasp, 
in leisurely fashion, crawled up the stump and recommenced 
feeding. I moved slightly but enough to startle the Mourning 
Cloak, which must have been about full fed by this time, and 
she flew off (Newton Centre, May 12, 1935). 
