GRAPTA II. 
Body above dark fulvous, the thorax covered with greenish hairs ; below grey 
ferruginous; legs pale buff; palpi buff, fulvous at tip and and on upper side; an- 
tennae dark brown above, buff below ; club black, yellowish at tip. 
Female. Expands 2.5 inches. 
Bather less incised than the male and on upper side similar. Under side 
varying between dark brown and yellow brown ; in either case a grey shade over 
the extra basal space, and the markings nearly lost in the ground color. 
Comma is found in the Eastern and Middle States and at least as far West as 
Illinois. And also in Canada and British America. I have received it from Nova 
Scotia and from Fort Simpson, Mackenzies Biver. It is rather local, but where it 
is found it is abundant. It is one of the commonest species on the Kanawha 
Biver, there being several successive broods from early in the season to November. 
The larva is found on the hop, nettle and false nettle (Boehmeria) feeding 
singly. It conceals itself on the under side of a leaf the outer edges of which are 
drawn together by silken threads sufficiently to afford a protection from light and 
the weather. From this cover the larva emerges at night to feed, and beginning 
at the extremity of the leaf consumes it evenly across until not enough is left for 
shelter when it betakes itself to another and repeats the same process. Owing to 
this peculiarity this species is easily discovered, as the bent and eaten leaf betrays 
its presence. 
The egg is nearly spherical, rather smaller at top than at bottom, depressed 
slightly at either end, ribbed vertically, pale green and one sixteenth of an inch 
in diameter. It is usually laid upon the surface of a young leaf, or, in case of the 
hop upon one of the tendrils, near the extremity. The young larvae appear in four 
days, are one tenth of an inch long, black covered with short hairs, and like all 
young larvae of butterflies, have the faculty of spinning threads whereby they at- 
tach themselves to the leaf or break their fall in case of danger. As they become 
older and can better adhere to the leaf no such aid is required, but whenever ne- 
cessary for safety, as in a glass breeding cage, they will cover their path with a 
web and walk securely as on a rough surface. 
When one-third grown these larvae are black, with dorsal and first lateral 
rows of spines pale green more or less tipped with black, the second lateral row of 
spines black tipped with white and the lowest, or infra-stigmatal row, entirely 
white resting at base on greenish papillae; the head spines black; between the first 
two lateral rows are narrow, transverse whitish striae; from base of each dorsal 
spine fork greenish bars to anterior edge of the segment and similar bars start 
from the base of each of the first laterals ; the spiracles oval, black within a white 
ring. 
At the next moult all the spines become white and at the base of the second 
