LEPIDOPTERA . 
405 
wild gooseberry. This is a Canadian species; but it is also 
found in the mountains of New England and of New York, 
and in the northern portions of the Western States, extend¬ 
ing as far south as Iowa. 
The Hop-merchant, Polygonia comma (P. com'ma). 
—As in the preceding species, the silvery mark of the 
hind wings is in the form of a C or a G (PI. VI, Fig. 3); 
but the general color of the lower surface of the hind wings 
is very different, being marbled with light and dark brown ; 
and the green spots so characteristic of faunus are repre¬ 
sented here by a few liliaceous scales on a submarginal row 
of black spots. 
Two forms of this species occur. In one, P. comma dry as , 
the hind wings above are suffused with black on the outer 
half, so that the submarginal row of fulvous spots is ob¬ 
scured, and on the lower side the wings are more yellowish 
than in the other form. The latter is known as P. comma 
harrisii (P. c. har-ris'i-i). 
The larva feeds upon hop, elm, nettle, and false-nettle. 
It is often abundant in hop-yards, and the chrysalids are 
commonly known as hop-merchants, from a saying that the 
golden or silvery color of the metallic spots on the back of 
the chrysalis indicates whether the price of hops is to be 
high or low. This species is found in Canada and the 
northern part of the eastern half of the United States; its 
range extends south to North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, 
and Indian Territory. 
The Gray Comma, Polygonia progne (P. prog'ne).— 
In its general appearance this butterfly closely resembles 
P : comma , but it can be readily distinguished by the form 
of the silvery mark, which is L-shaped and tapers towards 
'che ends. 
The larva feeds on currant, wild gooseberry, and rarely 
elm. This species occurs in Canada and in the northern por¬ 
tion of the United States except in the extreme West. 
The Violet Tip, Polygo 7 iia interrogationis (P. in-ter* 
