MELITiEA I. 
bordering on the Ohio River, and in Kansas. It is the only Melitaa which 
inhabits the Atlantic slope, though from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific 
the genus is numerously represented, and it is probably the only butterfly in 
its district whose larvae construct and pass the winter within webs. It is 
always local, abundant where found at all, and is usually to be seen only in the 
vicinity ol swamps. It is of slow and sluggish flight, and alights on the leaves of 
shrubs and on the ground rather than on flowers. The life-history of this species 
was long a mystery, and has only come to he understood within the last five 
years. In November, 1868 Mr. Billings, Can. Ent. I, p. 28, writes that he Z 
accidentally discovered a locality for this rare butterfly within two miles of the 
ci y units of Ottawa. It is in an open swamp, densely surrounded by coniferous 
tiees which are almost impenetrable, and occupies a space of eight or ten acres 
Tins season I watched faithfully for the appearance of the imago, makiim occa¬ 
sional visits to the spot during the month of June. It was first observed on the 
f d a '! d W f en this and the 20th I made five or six excursions, captur¬ 
ing over two hundred specimens. I seldom met them on the win*, but o-enerallv 
resting on the alders or ferns.” And Mr. Billings states that it is°not improbable 
that the species is double-brooded, judging from the fact that two years before he 
lad seen a female late in August or early in September, which, as will appear 
must have been an exceptional occurrence. The food-plant Mr. Billings had not 
discovered. 6 
J" , \? l ' bS T eq , Uen . t " umb , er of the same vol ™e, page 59, I communicated some 
facts which I also had gathered. In May, 1868, a boy living in the neighborhood 
Coal mrgh had brought me several chrysalids of Phaeton, part of which he had 
found suspended on the under side of fence rails close to a small swamp near his 
a 101 s house, and said that he had seen many caterpillars on the rails. Being 
ia We to go to the spot, I sent him back with directions to bring me caterpillars 
and to search for the food-plant. A few days later he returned with about eHity 
irysahds and but two caterpillars, which changed immediately after I received 
cm. e reported that the caterpillars were running over the branches of the 
pawpaw bushes (Asimina triloba), though he could discover none feedin* thereon 
and that such as he had taken had changed to the chrysalids brought in The fol’ 
17K"- f"'“y. V” p'~ v yn,„ s ‘ii.2,", 
. 1 7 the border of the swamp and he led me to a clump of Chelone glabra 
fe?daTs a ffol T r ter ’ an< ' Said that this had been b,ack with * b « caterpillm* a 
sulceeded hffi v T ^ dum P S in view ’ a " “"<* eaten, and I 
sTampfand in m‘T 7 °" 0116 ° f them ' P Iaa ‘ - common in 
a large stool Z 7 7 7'' ^ n0rthern P art of the continent, and from 
° stool sends up many fleshy stems to the height of about three feet. 
