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Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUiVRE", ie symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent dtre film^s d des taux de reduction diff^ents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est fHm^ d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche it droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 ■■,,■*:•' 3 4 5 6 LIBRARY 757192 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ^yrz^^ /Ct^i^ PIGON. SOME NOTES UPON COLLECTING AND BREEDING BUTTERFLIES FROM THE EGG. BT JAMES FLETCHER, OTTAWA. It is a recognized fact in Economic Entomology that the most important inTvati- gations are those bv which the life-histories of insects are made out, in order that dbb most appropriate remedies may be adopted for injurious species. In Scientific Emib^ mology these investigations are no less important, but are undeitaktn with different ylytaa* in view. For the accurate determination and separation of closely related sfiecitjR, it ^ frequently necessary to know an insect in all its statues from the egg to the perfect i^m^ In no branch of Natural History is this more necessary tlmn with some of our DiTiinii«J Lepidoptera — the butterflies — those living flowers which flitting from blossom to blossom add such an unspeakable charm to the summer landscape. In th important points aimed at. Sometimes, as in the well-known cases of Papilw Ajax. C'Jinu Euryllmnu blwA Grapta Interrogationis, several apparently very different varieties hav^'Diaea shown to Ik? merely varietal forms of one species, and the interesting discovery has b«eu wada- that one or other of these forms prep(jnderate3 at certain seasons of the year. Tb^BP dis- coveries are cliiefly due to the constant and untiring labours of Mr. W. H. Edwards, of Wff*fc Virginia, who not only himself patiently and persistently perseveres in his studies, hm& has also taken great pains to induce others to help in the work. His kinduefie aod prompt attention in advising and helping others cannot be too highly spoken of. In the Cutiailian EntmifJogigt, for 1885, appeared some admirable articles upon Vjireed- ing frtMu the eg'4, in which the results of lii-s long experience were given. These ii*«» been of great assistance to those who have taken up this most interesting brajac&t «it entomology, and the writer acknowledges with gratitude his own indebtedness. Titow who have never caught a butterfly and caged it to obtain its eggs, and then bred th«we so maturity, cannot form the slightest idea of the all-absorbing interest and pleasure tJsat attend these observations. Moreover, their utility, as teaching what to observe, buv ■i^ observe it, and then how to record what is seen, so that it may be of use to others, cuuMt be over-estimated. At first, of course, there are some dilficulties, but with a litsJb practice these can be overcome. This fact is particularly manifest in drawing or de- scribing the young caterpillars at the different moults. All caterpillars chan^ skins four or fire times after they leave the egg, so as to allow for the rapid ii in size of their growing bodies. At all these moults, important changes ifi structure and in the markings of the skin take place, and for this rea«(»i '^^ 2 should be carefully described and the head case should always bo preserved at Bach moult. The skin cannot as a rule be preserved, for the younjj caterpillar after having worked it oil" generally devours it at once. There is a prevalent idea that great difficulty attends the obtaining eggs and rearing the larvae ; but this is not at all tlie case ; a few e;.;gs of many species may bo obtaincid from ripe females l)y merely sliutting them in a pill box. In tliis way I have secured eggs of Pieris Xdpi, P. liapK, Tluiclu Xiplii.n, 7'. Cahinns, Li/cceiia Lucin, etc., etc. These eggs hatch after a few days and then ail that is necessary is to put them in any small receptacle which will prevent their fuod I'roni drying up, as a tin box or glass jar, or what is better they ni ly be placed upon a living plant out of doors. iNFany ei^'gs may be obtained and much valuable information may be gathered by hunting for the eggs upon tiie food t)lant, or by watching the females in nature. The action of butterflies when intent upon Bgg-laying, will soon be recognized, and patient observation will frequently reward the student by the discovery of a i unknown food plant. A knowledge of the habits and food of allied species even in other parts of the world will frequently assist greatly. The field, too, is so large and the amount of work yet to be done, so great that the taerest tyro may hope to obtain good results in a very short time. 1 purpose in the pre- sent paper to give an account of a collecting trip I had the privilege of making with Mr. S. H. Scudder, of Cambridge, during the past summer. I believe that the experience then gained and a description of the apparatus used will In of assistance to others who have not yet taken up this fascinating study. Our trip together was made in the beginning of July, and was from Ottawa to Nepigon and back. Nc^pigon is a small station on the Canadian Pacific Railway, very picturesquely situated at the mouth of the rapid river Nepigon, which brings down the icy Waters from the lake of the same name, about fifty miles due north ; and discharges them into Nepigon Bay, the most northern point of that great triangular inland sea, Lake Superior. Tt is claimed for this river, that it is the only river which discharg"s clear Water into the lake, and that its trout are larger and fishing better than those of any t>ther river in Canada. Be this as it may, it has gained such celebrity that during the lummer there is a constant stream of visitors who come for a week or fortnight to try their luck with Nepigon trout, and the verdict of all seems to be " we must come again." The village consists of the railway station, which is also used as a church, an hotel and two stores, as well as several surveyed lots for the site of the future town. About half a mile from the railway, by the side of the riv^r is the neat Hudson Bay post of Red R )ck, now presided over by the genial and courteous Mr. Fianigan, who always remembers anyone he has once met, takes an interest in their pursuits and is ready with *dvice and assistance whenever required. Nepigon is very prettily situated ; as you Approach it by the railway from the east, the first glimpse you get is from the iron bridge which spans the river half a mile from the station. Then a charming picture bursts on the view. Away to the left lies a long range of hills, behind which are the lake and Nepigon Bay with its islands anil indented shores. They are some miles away and the river gradually widening, winds its way down to them amongsv green fields and wooded banks. A glimpse is got of the pretty Hudson Bay post with its neat white building and the rest of the landscape is filled in by the high banks of the river, thickly clothed at the top with trees. After passing beneath the bridge the river swings away to the right, and has cut out from the clay an extensive bay, leaving a steep cliff of clay over 100 feet in height. Looking out on the other side, up the river you see Lake Helen, a beautiful sheet of water, stretching away to the north for eight miles, with a width of one mile, and bounded on its eastern side by a rocky ridge of laurentian gneiss and with elevated Wooded banks to the west or left. " The Ridge," as we called it, to the right is the higher of the two, and was found to be bare rock in many places with little vegetation. Arri- ving at Nepigon station we took our traps to the Taylor House, an excellent hotel, most clean and comfortable, and having made arrangements for meals, wo sallied forth at Dnce with our nets to " look at the locality." It may not be amiss to stop here for a few moments and explain what brought us to Nepigon in preference to any other place. 8 of I I i Tliat there ^^ as some strong attraction it will be r«ad% '*:iraatwL I liad gone there ftmn Ottawa (808 miles) two years runnin;;, before this; wk^m^ and had now persuaded Mr. Si'udder to come all the way from Boston to acc^infiajnx rin*. I have elsewhere mentioned that in 1885 ProfeBBor Muiuiia brought back with him from this locality a collection of butterllieH. In tliis coIU'tfliHtL were some of exceptional intRrest and one of which was a great .surprise. This wn*. ;ii m-w species f)f the Arctic gpnus Lhioiiobns (or CEaeis, Hiil)). It wa.s a surprise ucA «5) nmch trom i)eing a species of that genus but from being of a distinctly western tr^i*-.. Et resembles most nearly 6V». (^tiUfinnicn of the Pacific coast and is a large speciefe, •♦■xpihmimg from 2 to 2\ inches. Besides this there were several specimens of C'w/ia,'.' Int.rri;ir^ jwad^ Arrjynnin Electa, Edw., a» well as many other insects, and amongst them a siuaJJ Ck/ri/.-topkanu/t, of which Mr. Edwards .says "it may be Floras." I am of the opinioDtlaiiiitt certainly is not Hi'Uoidea, Bd.. but it seems to me to approach more nearly to Z>orf;«M;, iiiirftjr, and Epixanthe, B. L. The finmale is the same size as Dorcaa and the spots are almrnrt aIi«icicaJly the same. In the 5f<>pigon species, however, the color of the up|»er Burfuw or deep purplish brown, and upon both primaries and secondaries, between the margin vwM che post-median band of black spots, is a band of orange lunules running out to tix- '(roa*! margin from each spot on the primaries. These are larger and longer outside ti» ttiiunw lowest spots, correspond- inj5 with the greater distance of these three spots from tbf manjji th m the three upper- moat. On the secondaries the orange spots are much BmBikir and the continuous band although discernible is indistinct towards its upjier ecnd. Toa coloration of the under aide is very rich, being bright rusty orange, slighiJy -w^ih^i with purple over the secondaries and at the apices ol" primaries. The spots &,uii mairks, as on the upper side, am like those of Dorcas, of which indeed this form b posHibly a variety. I have mentioned it here at some length because it has not been t&Bkea again at Nepigon since Professor Macoun took the five specimens he brougtot fitack with him. Specimens identical with these were sent to me by Dr. W. Brodie., rf Toronto, who took them at Toberrnorey in the same district in September. Now, the eggs of the s[)ecies I have mentioned and tit^jiw ■■si C'zrterocephalus Manian •WBTO our particular desiderata and these were the attrawtiome v^riuch led ua to Nepigon in preference to nearer places. The whole fauna and flora of the locality nre, ho w^reir..irf particular interest from their northern character. The geographical position of Nepigcm if about lat. 49', Ion. 88°, and apart from its northern position it has a cooling influence tiinreiaed on it by the proximity oirthe large mass of cold water found in Lake Su[>erior. THb* dilference in the state of development of tlie plants here and at Ottawa was at onoe mimajeitble when we left the hotel amd began to search for the treasures we had come for. Id lii** clearing round the station and " village " wild strawberries and raspberries were BtiU iim ifower, and the white stars at (Jomua Canadensis were a conspicuous feature. In tftie woods the Like Superior 2R)«lding Trillium, T. dexlinatum, was still in flower, togtrtft»«r witih Clintonia borealis. A variety of Rosa blanda was just beginning to exjtand, mA a&fr bushes of Amelanchier ^antule,ni8 were a beautiful sight. Strevtoput ron"H¥ and J *»i iilha w^re everywhere aiiundant beneath the trees, and amongst the mossy staiBpt Coptis trif'oiin and Mitella nuita opened their gemlike flowers. By the river banks ■ntsijailiu'ent clumps of Caltha pnlii8tri«, the marsh marigold, caught the eye. AH tbeet asa spring flowers which at Ottawa expand their blossoms in the middle or end of May. *ad although there were anme flowers of a later date amongst them, the character off tti» fliora was such as we had SBen at Ottawa at least a month sooner. We learnt npcm iimmiFy that upon the 1st of .Fune the woods had a great deal of snow in them and tft»f i>!i» had only lately left the river. The collecting grounds at Nepigon may be described u Mlo-ws : — Starting from the hotBl near the railway and going down to the Hudson Bbt "piiHt; ia a tract of low wood- land and beyond this are the fields and meadows l»elan£iiatt5 Go the Hudson Bay post. OppoHite the hotel and north of the railway is a road ranauiaif back into the woods, and pai-ollel with Lake Helen. This is called " the wood rciui.' ;fcn,d is used in the winter tame to bring down firewooi from the highlands beyond aftit clearing. Turning west- ward along the track, high rocks and banks soon come dow^s to the railway on the right huid side ; but to the left are low woods with open grassy glades which at once tempt the mtomologist — nor will lie be disappointed for this is the now celebrated " Macoun's glade," the home of Chionobas Macounii and many other little beauties. The other looditj lies in the opposite direction, and turning eastward after leaving the hotel you pus dovn through a hot gravelly cutting and cross the the iron bridge over the river. Oa yoar right hand you have high woods and on the left an extensive swamp tliickly covered with sn-al! spruce and tamaruc. About a mile from the bridge the Ridge is reached and this runs away to the north until it reaches the hhores of the lake. Upon July 5th we reached Nepigon at 12:20 p. m. and by 1 o'clock had unpacked ihe necessary apparatus, had disposed of dinner and were ready to start. Out apparatus tut each collector, consisted of a net, two cyanide bottles, one for lepidoptera, the other for grasspoppers, etc., a bottle of spirit for beetles, and a flat tin box 4 inches by 3 and 1 inch deep filled with envelopes for butterflies, as well as a supply of pill boxes for boxing living females and a yard or two of netting for making cages. Before leaving the hotel we picked up half a dozen empty tomato cans and having removed the two ends we covered one of them with a piece of netting kept in place by au ehistic band. We were now ready and turning westward before many yards were passed we were arrested by a clump of Anaphalis Margaritacea which was receiving the busy attention of a female Pyrarmis Huntera ; she was secured and boxed at once. I'assing on along the line we found tha banks on either side resplendent with clumps of Jiertenna paniculnta, a beautiful plant with rich deej^green leaves and a profusion of pure blue bell-shaped flowers which hang pendant from small branchlets. Flowers of a real blue are very uncommon in nature and to see such prolusion as we here found was very charming. Darting around these flowers with lightning swiftness were a few pugnacious skippers. We caught one specimen which was at once recognized as strangeL It belongs to the " Comma group " of Paniphila and somewhat resembles Man- itoba. What is probably the same species was afterwards taken on " the iid;;e " and egg^ were secured. After passing a deep gully a few hundred yards along the track we turned in by a bridle path towards Macoun's glade. Insects of all descriptions were in the greatest profusion and this is undoubtedly a character of this locality. In no place, except |:<«^rfaap8 Vancouver Island, have I seen such enormous numbers of specimens oa we found here. The air seemed to be filled with them. Hynienoptera, Lepidi>ptera, Orthoptiera, Diptera — Ah ! the very word carries me back in thought. Yes. Tliere imr6 Diptera and the character of the locality was carried out — they were in profusion. Nepigon as well as being famed for its trout is famed for its " flies," mosquitoes, black- flies, sand flies, tabanus, chrysops. Oh ! The thought of them ! ! An appropriate Tsriety for every hour of the day and they all carried out their mission in life with a vengeance. They could however be kept within reasonable bounds with a littln care and forethought " Mosquito oil " composed of sweet oil, oil of penny-royal and carbolic acid applied to the face and neck and backs of the hands was found to be eflicient out-of- doors. Seme people however are too obstinate to use this harndess ungent averring that " jQies don't trouble them much," and they don't like putting such mess on them- selves. These people however sometimes have to suflTer severely and it will be found that the prevention is well worth the trouble. In our bedrooms at night we enjoyed perfect immnnitT from attack by burning a small quantity of Pyrethrum powder belore we went to bed. The recollection of that phalanx of bloodthirsty flies which met us at the entrance to Maoonn's glade has led me to digress somewhat ; but at any rate they were a fe.ttnre of the place and a most noticeable one. As we stepped into the pathway which leads into the glade, I was carefully pointing out to my companion that we were now in the exact spot where the original type specimens were collected, when he rushed by me with a yell and sprang out into the bushes, exclaiming, Look out ! There is one — here it is ! and the first specimen of Chionobas Macounii was secured — a minute later I had another. Hurrah ! well done. We were now in a high dtate of glee. I had been to Nepigon once before at exactly the right season and again a month later, but had not seen a specimen, and had begun to think that perhaps after all there might possibly be some mistttke about the localil^. It was all right now, though, and aa we were to stay a week we felt cons'" dent of getting egga We took four more males on the 5th of July. We examined . 5 thoroughly this beautiful glado and collected several specimens, but the most im|)ortant part of the afternoon's work was settling upon a spot for our cages. For ease in examining them, these were all placed near to each other. In the glade was a great profusion of flowers and grasses, a few spruces, cedars and pines mixed with poplars, aspens (^Populus tremlnides) and birches, all of which were dotted about in a waving sea of grasses. The moat conspicuous and abundant ol which were, in the low parts Avnia striata and Poa debilis, together with a profusion of low Carices, C. bromoides being very plentiful. Upon a sandy bank towards the ruilway Danthonia apicata grew in tufts with Carex Houghtonii and other lower r,pecies of carex. Amongst them Ci'iiviilvulus spithamrenn opened its glorious white coroll.is. To the west- «rn end of the glade was a dry swampy tract, or rather a dry track whore were growing many ]ilant8 which in the east only grow in wet bogs and swamps. The Labrador tea i^Ledum lutifolium), Cassandra cal/fculata, Viburnum cassinoides, Kalmia^, Eriophorunis, Sphagnums and Drosfira rotundifolia were all here in luxuriant profusion . Willows of various species were everywhere. Through the centre of this glade runs a path which had been used during the construction of the railway, and along this as everywhere through the country where hay has been carried for horses, red and white clover and timothy grass grow abundantly. Beyond this swampy comer the ground rises again and is covered with trees and bushes. Upon this elevated knoll was the only place where we took Lyco'na Comyitlus and L. Couperi neither of which were abundant. IJefore leaving the glade for the night, we caged Pyrameis Huntera over a plant of Anaphalis maryari- tacea, this is too large a species for confining in a tomato can cage, so another kind had to bo constructed. This is made by cutting two flexible twigs from a willow or any other shrub and bending them into the shape of two arches which are put one ov« r the other at right angles with the ends pushed into the ground ; over the pent-house thus formed a piece of gauze is placed, and the cage is complete. The edges of the gauze may be kept down either with pegs or earth placed upon them. This kind of cage was used for all the larger species which lay upon low plants. Besides the specimens of Ch. Macounii we had taken many other species of butterflies, moths, beetles and flies. Among the moths several specimens of Nemeophiln Selwynii another new species discovered by Prof. Macoun in this locality. When we got home in the evening we found that a party of American fishermen had arrived and in tho hour before tea had already stock 2d the larder with Nepigon trout, the reputed excellent qualities of which we afterwards tested and unanimously concurred in. The evening was pleasantly spent enjoying Mrs. Flanigan's genial hospitality, and after we got home labelling, dating and packing away our specimens. This is a most important duty and must be done every day. Nothing is so easy to forget as the exact date or locality of a specimen, and when this is lost much of the value of the specimen is gone. We never allowed fatigue oi any other cause to induce us to put off this part of our ■work till the morrow. The delicious cool nights were a great treat to us after the exceedingly hot weather we had both experienced during June, and we appreciated all the more the cool breezes, the exhilarating air and the refreshing bathing in the icy Nepigon, when our daily letters kept telling us of the gieat heat which was prevailing at this time throughout the greater part of Ontario and the Northern States. The next morning wo were up early, note books were written up and preparations made for the day. We found that few insects were moving before 8. 30, so we seldom started until that hour. Our daily routine was as follows : — Write up notes before breakfast, visit the cages after breakfast, then work down to the river about noon, and take a swim, call at Mr. Flanigan's to receive and post letters, dinner at one ; collect in the afternoon. After tea walk a mile down the track to a delicious spring and bring back a tin pailful of water for drinking. After this one pipe, then label, discuss and put away the captures of the day, and go to bed. On the 6th we started off at once to Macoun's glade with the set purpose of getting females of Macounii, and, as is generally tiie case when one starts witii a set purpose, we were at last successful. As we stepped out into the glado there sailed away from our feet a bright brown butterfly, with black stripes. So much of the size, appearance and graceful flight of Limenitia Disippus as almost to have escaped our notice. Something about it, however, seemed different, and a few steps and the woll-known twist of tho wrist, captured our first speci- men of Ceniale Maconnii Oh, but she was a beauty ! Colour bright brown, with the nervures all darkened, and bearinfj on tho primaries two large and white-pupilled black ocelli with one small one between them. The females we found to vary very much. Most of them were handsomer and darker than the males, with larger ocelli and the nervures almost always clearly marked out with black — some, however, and particularly one female taken by Professor Macoun in 1885, at Morlev. in the- Rocky Mountains, is of the beautiful pale golden brown of Ch. CoJifomicn. Morley is the only other known locality for this fine species. Its most interestinsj feature is the total absence in the males of the sexual streak of special scales, or Androeonia, which marks tho males of this genus. During the day we secured altogether nine females, and tied them in three cages over clumps of grass, {Avena striata). When we left we carried away with us upwards of 250 eggs, which were afterwards dis- tributed to everyone wo knew of who would tako the trouble to rear the larvie. Con- spicuous objects at this time were the Yellow Swallow-tails, (P. Turnus), and one wa» seen to lay an egg upon a small aspen. This was a new food plant to us both, so captu- ring half a dozen females they were tied in a gauze bag over a branch of a living aspea tree. This was another kind of cage, and is very useful for such insects as Paptlio, Limenitis and Grapta. Care must be taken, however, that the leaves of the branch inside may be in a natural position, for some species are very particular about where they place their eggs. For instance, Nisoniades- ! celiis and Papiliu Tnrnus lay on top of the^ leaves, Limenitis on the edgo near the tip, and many others as Daruiis Archippivi, Pi/ra- meis lltintera, Colias Euri/l/inme, underneath. Some, as the Lycienas, lay upon the small flower stems. A few, as Aryijiinis Afyrina, A. liellona and some of the Paniphilii it. When a bag made beforehand is used the points must be rounded, and in tying a piece of gauze over a branch care must be taken to pull out all creases and folds, or the insects will be sure to get into them and either die, or as we found in somi; instances, be killed by spiders from the outside of the big. It is better to put more thin one ftmiale in the same caj^e. I have frequently noticed that one specimen alone is apt to crawl alx>ut or settle on the top of the cau;e, and not go near the food plant. When there are two or three they disturb each other and are fre(juently moving and falling upon the food plants when they will sometimes stop for a second and lay an egg. A stubborn female of Colias Eurythf.me was only induced to lay by having a male placed in the cage with her^ by his impatient fluttering and efforts to get out she was frequently knocked down from the top and every time she fell upon the clover plant beneath she laid an egg before crawling to the top again. By the evening of the 7th we had the following species cageil : — PtipHio Turnug, Golia8 Eariflheme, Pyramtris Ilvniera, Chionobas Afacounii, Pamphila ifygtic, Ambly^ ncirtes Viidis, Nisoniddes Icelus. The Colias was tied upon a plant of clover (Trifolium pratc,n')ulile. In these you can take two pots of grass {Poa pralen»is pre- ferred) for Satyrida; and Pamphilidaj, a plant of red clover and one of white clover for Cali- ads. Nearly, if not all these species will lay upon these pLin'.s, although it would appear from this year's experience they will not all eat them. One pot with a smooth-l.Mved violet {V. blanda) ami one with a rough-leaved spncies {V. cacaUafn). These are f .r the Argynniiite. If grass is abundant and in convenient tufts for caging insects upon, one of the pot8 of grass may l)o emptied and the pot used for any local plant which is thou^iit to be the food of a local species. On Sunday, 8th, the only note of interest w.is the aj'p -ar- ancii of sand flies in such numbers as to almost drive out the little congngation which gathered at the station-house for service. On Monday morning, the 9th, we got up early and made an early start. After visit- ing the Zoological Garden, as we now called our vivarium, we fought our way through a I 0 ( t P a n f< tl tt thick swampy meadow over/^rown with willows, down to the i iver.s edgi^ ia hopes oi finding Ckri/aophanus Florun. We were, however, unsucccssfu in this etfort. Up ta this time wo had not seen a single Coliag Int^ior, although a hundred miles oast on our journey up wo had seen them in abundance along tlie liin' of railway. On this account wo decided to return the way we came, instead of going, as wo had arranged, down the kko by steamer. Kven if the species ap!)earce smooth ami liemispliericnl, like those of the Pamphilidtc, he was positive that grass was its food plant. As this was an important question, we decided that if another specimen were taken we would dissect it, and discover tho nature of the egt;s. Later in the afternoon this o|)portunity occurred, and the egga were then discovered to be smooth, as he had anticipat<'(l. The correctness of his views as to the food, were also afterwards corroborated by the females laying on the grass and the young larvre eating it reaJily, and refusing plantain leaves. The same day we caged Ambli/scirtes Vtalis, Pninphila Cenifs and Ltjctftia Lucia. The first two on grass, the last on a flower bearing twig of Coriius atoloniferii, the Red-osier Dogwood. As we passed through the heavy herbaceous undergrowth, a sharp eye was kept on the stems of the Epiloliiuni au(fU8f I folium for the larva; of the rare A!i/pia McCiillochii. In 1887 I dis- covered this to bo the food-plant without recognizing the larvte. Unfortunately no notes were taken of th(Mr appearance ; all I can r<'member is that they were smooth and black, with yellow markings — more like the larvie of Eudryaa, 1 should say, than of Alypia ociomacuhita. I collected two larvse and placed them in a jaP with some of their food. The next morning they had buried, and not thinking they were of any special interest I did not uneaith them. Tlii.s spring I discovere^l, with chagrin, what they were, and that I had no description of the larva. The pupji was very similar to that of Eudryaa (jrafa, both in .shape and col-ur. This day marked an era in the records of our trip. I find it underlined in my diary. "Today Clirysops first appeared in numbers." There seemed to "be a plague of them. Directly we enten-d the woods we were set upon, and at last were compelled to put nets over our lieails and wear handkerchiefs over the bncks of our necks. Amongst the new captures of the day were one specimen each of Lyciena Coiiperi and Arfjynnis Aphrodite^ the latter fresh from the chrysalis. On Tuesday morning, lOth, Argnnis Bel/ona and A. Afyrina were both tied over plants of Viola reniiolla, and egj,'8 were laid within a few hours. Upon clover flowers in a small meadow near the Hudson Bay Post, and, curiously, nowhere else, a few speci- mens of Colias Philodifi' were taken. In the woods the Eurytheme and Keewaydin forms of Co/ias Eurylheine were caught and lied on clover. After dinner we had decided that we would take a tiip to "the Kidga" Soon after pa.ssing the railway bridge over the Nopigon, our first specimen of Colias Interior was bagged. What a lovely species it 8 i ■ i ■ Is. The colour, when once wen, iu recognized again, even on the wing, at once. The •clear brimstone yellow, and the conspicuous triple frinpe. |>iuk with a carmine streak in the centre, and the perfectly immaculate underside, make it a great favourite with all who have seen it in its native wilds. From this |>oint, westward to Port Arthur, on f^ake Superior, and eastward as far as Lake Nipissing, this beautiful species is abundant. During the afternoon we took nine specimens, all newly emerged males. To get to the ridge we struck off from the railway in a north-easterly direction, across a sphagnous bog. We found no insects of interest in the hog, although there was a profusion of flowering plants ; the wild roses being very beautiful. We at last reached the ridge, and found the sides very precipitous. After a time, however, we came to the dry \ied of a stream, and tjlimbing up through the tangled growth of spiked maple, cedar, vibamuni and cornel, we gained the top after a hard climb ; here we found the vegetation much parched ; flakes of moss slipped from the bare rocks as we trod upon them, and the leaves of trees and bushes were faded and drooping. In every shaded crevice grew mosses and bog plants — glorious Cypripfidiums (G. acauln and C. parvijiorum), which it was impossible to pass bj. Upon the bare, exposed rocks, in some places, grew patches of Potentilla tridnntala, now in blossom, and the only flower growing out in the o[>en snnshine. Uere we took some more specimens of the little skipper, like P. Manitoba. They were very difficult to take, and when once disturbed, dashed off over the edge of the cliff. One speci- men of Ch. Macounii was taken on the top of the ridge, after a most exciting chase. It rose from a wet bog some distance from the brink of the clilf, and ws were sure that ■we had a specimen of C. Jutta, which species Professor Macoan had taken here at this time of the year. Nothing else of any particular interest, with the exception of some sub-arctic plants, was foun(i on the ridge. Luthyrus ochroUueus, the Pale-flowered Ever- lasting pea was noticed in the rocky woods as we descended, and was noted as a possible food-plant of Colias Interior. 12th July. This was our last day, and wn had a ijood deal to do before we left. Our cages had all to be examined, the eggs collected and packed, and the start for homa to be made. In collecting butterflies for the cabinet, if good specimens are desired, it is necessary to kill them in a cyanide bottle. This is easily made, either by putting a small quantity of cyanide of potassium in a wide-mouthed ijottle, or by cutting out a hole in the cork and putting a piece of the poison in the cavity. A convenient bottle I use myself, is made in this manner : the cyanide is kept in place by a piece of chamois leather, which entirely covers the cork, and is tied over the top like the mouth of a sack. I leave about an inch of the leather above the tie, and this is very convenient for holding the bottle, or extracting the cork with your teeth when both hands are occupied. But as cyanide of potassium is a deadly poison, great care rnxuX be tak«;n not to get any of it tipon the 1( ather. By this upper portion, too, the cork is easily tied to the neck of the bottle, a precaution which will frequently save much annoyance and trouble, especially when mosquitoes are troublesome. A further precaution, which has many times been of service to me, is to tie a short piece of bright scarlet cloth to the neck of the bottle. It IS a much easier matter than some would imagine to drop, lose, or even forget your cyanide bottle when stopping frequently to put away specimens, or make notes. Many times have I found a lost bottle by this means. When specimens are thoroughly dead, they should be taken from the poison bottle and dropped into envelopes. If left in the bottle they soon become rubbed and spoilt. Some sp<^cimens when dying, instead of closing their wings, opon them right out tmtil the two undersides meet. These may be left aa they are, because the underside of every species must be shown in a collection. If, however, it is d sired to close the wings, they should be taken out of the cyanide bottle, which makes them ri^'id, and left for a few hours, when the muscles will relax ; or, on the other band, they may be left in the poison bottle for 24 hours, or longer, and the same thing will take place. This List plan, however, is not a good one. The envelopes for lepidop- tera are made by taking small squares of paper and folding them across, almost in the middle, so as to make a triangular form with one flap a liitle smaller than the other. When the insect is placed between the two flaps, the two edges of the larger one are folded over the lesser, and your insect is now ready to be labelled and packed away. Small ■^igar boxes are very convenient for carrying lepidoptera, or for sending them by mail. «• •= When we came to pack up our live stock, we found that we had secured eggs of 17 «pecie8 and varieties, all that we had tied but three. These three were Grapta Proyrw. A very much worn hibernated specimen was caught on the 9th, and being mistaken for G. Satiirus, was tied upon the wrong food-plant rhi/ciode,i N'l/rteiH, tied on Soliddgo as an experiment to see if eggs would be laid. LyctBiM Lucia, two specimens got into the folds of the gauze, and were killed by flpidors from the outside. Some of our caged females were quite fresh, and as we thought we might get more eggs, sticks were bent over our potted plants, and they were caged and packed away in their basket for travelling Amongst them were G. Mamhm and the form Erlphyle of Coliaa Eunithenu!. This last laid no eggs, and one only was obtained by a process which one of my corres|>ondents calls " Egg laying extraordinary." It consists, simply, of gently pressing the abdomen of a female, which lias died without laying eggs, until one, and sometimes two, perfect eggs are passed through the ovipositor. This method may, I believe, at some time, be useful in securing larvie of rare species. My first female Colian Interior was taken in 1886, and died without laying. I then secured one egg, which hatched a laydays afttrrwards; from not knowing the food-plant, however, it was lost. From a beautiful variety of Pnpilio Turnus I secured two eggs in the same way, both of which hatched. Fertile eggs were also got in this way from Carterncephalus Mandan, (and one of these was the only specimen I got through all its stages to full growth,) and from Coliaa Philodice. There are one or two points which should be remembered when obtaining eggs and rearing larvte. In the first place the females should not be left exposed to the direct rays of the sun ; but it will be found sometimes that if a butterfly is sluggish, putting her in the sun for a short time will revive her and make her lay eggs. Confined females, whether over branches or potted plants, should always be in the open air. If females do not lay in two or three days they must be fed. This is easily done. Take them from the cage and hold near them a piece of sponge (or, Mr. Edwards suggests evaporated apple) saturated with a weak solution of sugar and water. As soon as it is placed near them they will generally move their antennie towards it and uncoiling their tongues suck up the liquid. If they take no notice of it the tongue can be gently uncoiled with the tip of a pin when they will nearly always begin to feed. It is better to feed them away from the plant they are wanted to lay upon, for if any of the syrup be spilled upon the flower pot or plant it is almost sure to attract ants. I kept one female Colian Interior in this way for ten days before eggs were laid. When eggs are laid they should as a rule be collected at short intervals. They are subject to the attacks of various enemies — spiders, ants, crickets, and minute hymenopterous parasites. Tliey may be kept easily in small boxes, but do better if not kept in too hot or dry a place. When the young caterpillars hatch they must be moved with great care to their food plant ; a fine paint brush is the most convenient instrument. With small larvae, or those which it is desired to examine often, glass tubes, or jelly glasses with a tight fitting tin cover, are best. These must be kept tightly closed and in a cool place. Light is not at all necessary, and the sun should never be allowed to shine directly upon them. If moisture gathers inside the glasses the top should be removed for a short time. Larvro may also be placed upon growing plants. These can be planted in flower-pots and the young caterpillars kept from wandering, either by a cage of wir« netting, or by, what I have found very satisfactory, glass lamp chimneys. These can be placed over the plant, with the bottom pushed into the earth, and then should have a loose wad of cotton batting in the top. This has the double effect of preventing too great evaporation of moisture and keeping its occupants within bounds. Some larvie wander very much and climb with the greatest ease over glass, spinning a silken path for themselves as they go. When caterpillars are bred in the study it must not be forgotten that the air inside a house is much drier than it is out of doors amongst the trees and low herbage, where caterpillars live naturally. The amateur will require some experience in keeping the air at a right degree of moisture, when breeding upon growing plants. In close tin boxes or jars, where the leaves must be changed every day, there is not so much trouble. An important thing to remember with larvse in jars, is to 10 thoroughly waah out the jars with cold water every day. If, however, a caterpillar ha» apua a web on the side and is hung up to moult, it must not be disturbed. In chang- ing the food it is better not to remove the caterpillars from the old food, but having placed the new supply in the jar, cut oflf the piece of leaf upon which they are and drop it into the jar. If they are not near a moult, a little puff of breath will generally die- lodge them. Some ceterpillars, as Papilio Turnus, which spins a platform to which it retires after feeding, can best be fed upon a living tree out of doors, but must be covered with a gauze bag to keep ofi enemies. A piece of paper should be kept attached to each breeding jar or cage, upon which regular notes must be taken at the time, giving the dates of every noticeable feature, particularly the dates of^the moults and the changes which take place in the form and colour at that time. The following is a list of Diurnals, of which I have seen specimens, taken at Ifepigon. Some of the species were only taken by one collector, but most of them by all of us. The following record is of Prof. Macoun's collection, made in the last week of June, 1884 ; Dr. Bethune's, in the third week in August, 1888 ; my own in the last week in. June, 1887, the first week in July, 1888, and the first week in August, 1886. Tb» collection made in the first week in July is of course the trip above recorded, when I L ad the yble assistance of Mr. Scudder : Papilio Turnus, L. — July — Eggs laid freely on aspen. Pier is Napi, Esper. Winter form Oleraceahievialia, Harr. Bred from eggs laid in 1887, by the next form. Pierls Napi. Summer form Oleraceawstiva. Bred from eggs laid by above form upon Arabia perfoliuta. Colias Enri/lhevi'i, Bd. Summer form Eurylhirne, Edw. Co/ias Earijtheme, BJ. Winter form K>'.ewaydin, Edw. Of 36 eggs laid by the form Eurythemp, which I brought to maturity this summer, 33 were Keewaydin, 2 Eury'heirUy and 1 questionably Ariadne, Edw. Colias Euryt/ieine, EJw. Winter form Eriphyle, Edw. Not uncommon ; eggs laid upon white clover. Colias I'liilndice, Godt. — Uncommon. Colias Christina, Edw. One female taken by Dr. Bethune, identified by W. H. Edwards. Colias Interior, Scud. — Abundant in July and August, |)articuiarly in bltieberry barrens ; certainly single brooded ; females lay after being caged on white clover for a few days, but the young larvte (over four dozen) would not eat this plant. Two beauti- ful albino females were taken. Danais Archippus, Fab. — Two remarkable wrecks, with only fragments of their wings, were taken on 9th July. Argynnis Cybele, Fab. — August. Argynnis Aphrodite, Fab. — July, August. Argiinnis Cipris, Edw. Some specimens taken by Dr. Betliune have been given this name by Mr. W. H. Edwards ; they resemble Aphrodite, but the brown area Ix neatb hind-wing is more mottled in Cipris, not .so solid as in Aphrodite, yellow showing in between the nervures. Mr. Edwards has bred this species from the egg and says that while the larva of Aphrodite is chocolate brown, when full grown, that of Cijjris is mottled with brown and yellow, and is one of the gayest larva; among the Augynnidte. Argynnis Atlantis, Edw. — Abundant ; July, August. Argynnis Electa, Kdw. — First taken here by Prof. Macoun. It is a smaller species than Atlantis, lighter in colour, and some sppcimens seem to resemble the western Lait, This is also taken in Colorado, and its occurrence here is remarkable. Argynnis Myrina, Cram. — Abundant ; eggs laid on 10th July hatched and hiber- nated at once, without feeding. Argynnis Chariclea, Suhneid. — This is a late species. Dr. Bethune took two per- fectly fresh specimens, 21st August. It is abundant at Port Arthur, 65 miles farther west, in the beginning of September. Identified by Mr. W. H. Edwards. Argynnis Bellona, Fab. — Abundant; a handsome form, much darker than thft nsu&l one. A very fine melanic variety was taken on 2nd August, 1886. 11 I Grapta Comma, Hair. Winter form Harrisii, Edw, — Some hibernated females. Grapta Faunus, Eklw. — Several fresh specimens were taken by Dr. Bethune in AuguRt. Grapta Progne, Cram. — Common. . Vanessa Antiopa, L. — Common. Vanessa Milbertii, Godt. — Common. Pyramris Atnlanla, L. — Common. Pyrameis JInntera, Fab. — Very common. The females laid readily on the under side of Aiipiihali.1 margarit-i/cea, the Pearly Everlasting. The small eggs were pushed beneath the down and attached to the epidermis of the leaves. Over 100 eggs were obtained. Pi/rameis Cardiii, L. — Common ; eggs and larva common on thistle. Mr. Scudder collected one larva upon A. Margph'inns Jli/pophl/nat, Bd — Xot uncommon. , Lyco'.n.i Coupi'iii, Grote. — Cue S|iecimen ; July. Lyrwna Purudnrgiolus, IM. Lee. Winter form Lucia, Kirby. Lyccerm Psendar^iuhis, Bd. I>?c. Winter form Marginata, Edw. ; July, common. Ljir(viin J'seuilargiolua, Bb. Lee Summer form Neglecta ; two specimens. Prof. Macoun. Lycrrna Comyntas, Godt. — Ijocal ; not uncommon. Lycdnta Sotflih'iii, K\^. — Three specimens ; Prof. Macou n. C'utrroc./iliftfiii }fan'{'(n. — Xot uneomnjon ; eggs on gra«s. P(tm/)hi!it I/ohoiiiok, Har. — .\bandant ; July; eggs on grass. I'antphila llolomok, dimorphic female Porahontas, Scud. — Abundant; July; eggs on grass. Pniii/>fn/a Munitobn, Scud. — Xot uncommon ; August ; eggs on grass. Pniiip/ii/a " Manitoljoide*.'" — Xot uncommon ; June, July ; eggs on grass. Panijtiiila Peclius, Kirby. — One fresh specimen, first emerged, July 12 ; eggs on 8 rasss. Pamphita Mystic, 's^cM'X. — Abundant ; July ; eggs on grass. Pamphila Vernes, Bd. Lee. — Abundant ; July ; eggs on grass. Ainbli/scirtes Vlalis, Edw. — .\bnndant ; June, July; eggs on grass. Niiioiiiddeji Icehis, Lintn. — Abundant , June, July ; eggs on a rough-leaved willow. Exulamus Pyladfs, Scud. — Not common. Concerning the alwve the following points seem to me worth recording, as adding something to the known life-histories of the species mentioned. Cdfias Interior. — The food pUnt of this .species is a mystery. It was thought that all 8|)eoi>H of Colias would feed upon white clover. This, however, is not the case, for Interior certainly will not. Several e^gs were obtained during the past summer from females, taken at Sudbury, Ont , and from others, sent down to me alive, by mail, from Mr. J. D. Evans. These females were packed inside a tomato can, with a piece of card- board at one end, through which a hole htd been cut. A cover of gauze let in light and air. Inside the can were some stems of clover to give the insects a foothold. They arrived in perfect order afier their journey of 320 miles, and after having been fed laid eggs. I may mention here, that butterflies m ly be sent alive for long distances by mail if properly packed, I have received, daring the past season, from Rev. W. A. Burman, 12 ^ ^ which travelled to J.,> «.rc left upon tlie clove^ ^^^ «"?'*'■"'!', h„t they fated no better tli.n ?ike the others, «l"»ea lo eat a „„,, upon h.t<:h.ng. b»t U.ey^ _. „,,„., y„„„g l^jtrJ conTned with '7;,^ti"rI:U~ 'a ->' -f" , 1?'^ .WW-. , , = of i Desmodium, ana uircc ^^ ,„__„ of Coluis LuryinKiiv, wu^^q three to the end oi -'^^'''^y^\ZelZ^- eresce^ also ^-ed a tmy pel ^ Ca-«den«e, a larvi« which spun these li^tl^ ^;^'' , Z)e,n,orf.«m »^*''*^'^^^,o„nt of the hairs. At They would not feed, however ^^^^^^^^^^^ get at the leaf ^^^^^^ ^ contirmatory hairy species, and It IS possilletliey^^ ^ ^ P*»"^lf„™v three, and spun its any rate the indications arc hat ^--^ ,^ ^e ^^ ^^hj ^i„-„, p,-«um, /„ter;or, is that b,f ^^^.^ein this as food. ^. ^ ^, ^^ ^^^^a, Battened at „,ore larv« 1 shall offe them th ^^^^ ^^^^ -^L^^t^.'t twenty ribs, a few of C/am>6as.Wacoun^u---l:Jg«>;g^8^ t^ ,«ttom with ^^^"^ \7„7from rib to nb. ton and bottom ; coarsely '^^'^^^^^f j^.^^^^^ are iigx*g t""^*\"'': " > from theeg;^ shell wlch divide at the bottom jbetwee.t. ^^^^ ^ "^rrU ni t intact. Very E^-3 laid on 6th July hatched on -»>^. j^^.- ^he eg-shell am .^^^^^ ^^^^^ fou^d the top and then P-^-| VeS- The young .-^ - ^\-f, ,lt Mack spots .re »mo c«ri0U3 ■"■'"'"l^'^JaVrmg the daytime. ,„„„ „,,re lour Ime. perch upon dead eave. o, g™« d^^^ _^,^^^|_ *»5"•■^i'';'J punctured, boa-ing on each Serf K-i^'rcUi:;r,:;r^^^^ . ..th .hi, ^elli. G«-"\f ""'Jt':! andUerior U, the .p.-^» * "J^^, Caricc. and Or.-.- bt: • Tti' ;«p'^.'9' byll" -^"- "^^^ - „rie. of ^'""ZZtTL abdiminal eegmenu. „„„ „ ,,, . »u.e«-'f"""'':^,_A„„ng-tth.morein«™.J <°»;-^^^^ .■^"''rtn7x';S^yact"««''Pl'Vl't"'^ "C»Vma°Uroup" of the genu. :K; of T e S„.»" 'Th,. in^t beloup u, the 13 Famphila, and bears a somewhat close resemblance to P. Manitoba, for which reason we call it " Atanitoboides." It occurs, however, six weeks sooner at Nepigon than an insect I take to be true Manitoba, As I do not wish to cause confusion by naming what may prove to be a described species, I refrain from further describing the perfect insect, but give below some notes on the egg and the larvae after the third moult, and on the appearance of the young larva in the first two stages. Five eggs were obtained upon the grass, Danthonia spicata. These were laid upon the gi-een leaves and were large and showy, of a dull, dead white, and of the same shape as those of P. Hobamok. Under the microscope the shell presents a surprising appearance, for it is covered all over with threads and much resembles a piece of ordinary printing paper under a magnifying glass. The shell of the empty egg is very thick, and it is with difficulty that the pentagonal and hexagonal cells on the surface can be made out. Eggs laid 10th July hatched upon 25th. There was no mottling with pink as in P. Cemeg, and the only indication that the eggs were good was the gradually darkening head of the young hitva which showed through the thick shell. The newly-hatched caterpillar is of a much yellower shade of cream colour than either P. Cernea, Mystic or Hobomok. The head, thoracic sliield and first thoracic foot, black. The whole body covered with knobbed hairs. Unluckily at the time the young caterpillars hatched I was moving into a new house, and my furniture and instru- ments all being packed up, my microscope was in access! I do, and the only observations I could make then were made with a Codriugton lens. Th(i shape of the young larvae was sack-shnped, somewhat like the grubs of the Scarabaeida; ; but not having the anal seg- ments curved under the body. From the very beginning, when the young larva; were placed upon a tuft of growing grass, they worked their way down to the bases of the leaves and kept out of sight. About four days after they hatched I lost sight of them, and it was not untiil 4th August that I found them again. They had evidently moulted, for instead of a yellowish white they had now assumed a delicate glaucous tint. By glaucous I mean an opaque white, with a faint bluish-green shade on the surface. The head, and spiracles, as well as the thoracic shield and first pair of thoracic feet were black as i^ first, making a continuous collar from the tip of one foot to the other. Down the centre of the back there w^as a green line, from the dorsal vessel showing through the skin. At this time they were transferred to a smaller tuft of grass consisting of small roots of Agrastis vulgaris and Carex varia. They seemed to eat either of these indiscriminately, and eating their way down into the heart of a shoot, would nibble the edges of the leaves all round them. Leaving home to attend the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, no note was taken of the date of the next moult. Indeed, I supposed that this, like Koiiie others, had died during my abdence. One morning in the month of September, however, to my great pleasure, I found one of these larvse snugly ensconsed, head upwards, in a d( 11 it had eaten out of the centre of one of the shoots of sedge. When it emerged to feed I found it had quite changed its colour. In the beginning of October it came out of this den, and for some reason it did not return to it again, but climbed about on the grass and seilge, and before it had constructed another winter quarters the cold weather set in. In November it had spun topether a few leaves of grass, but this seems to have been insufficient. Some warm weather in December caused a mould to spread all over the plant, and having decided that the caterpillar was dead, I placed it in alcohol. The fol- lowing is a description of this larva after what I consider was its third moult : — Ijength, 7 lines. General colour, greenish- brown, with head, thoracic shield and thoracic feet black. Head round, larger than either of the first three segments, very coarsely punctured and thickly invested with short pointed bristles. About the mouth-parts a few lonjj bristles. Thoracic shield black on a pale collar, and having two longitudinal furrows and bearing some truncate bristles just above the large spiracle on segment 2. The shield is divided by a transverse line which cuts off a small triangular piece of which the apex points downwards just over the spiracle. This triangle bears one long setaceous bristle similar to those on Chinnnbns Jiitta and Macounii and also one concave disk of the same nature as those on C. Mandan. The whole surface of the body is minutely shagieened and has the raised portions darkened. Bf'sides this the whole of the body but the head is covered with small black tubercles, each of which bears a short white trumpet-shaped 14 1^ hair which is apparently stellate, or bears .x few short teeth, at the top. On the thoracic shield these are rather longer tlian on tlm rest of the body, but less clubbed. On the last segments there are a few long bristles, particularly upon the anal Hap. Henoath the body are also a few pointed bristles, upon the last two segnicmt^, and on the prolegs and tlioracic feet. Thoracic feet black and bristly. Spiracles black and distinctly protruding (in tlie dead specimen). Concave disks. This species also bears two series of tiie processes mentioned under C. Mdwlan. In this instance, however, they are more like annuli. The edges, of the disks being raised and black. They are arranged as follows : There are two series, all of which, except the pair on the base of the thoracic shield and a pair on the anal-flap, are below the spiracles. On seg. 2, above spiracle and on base of thoracic foot. Se„'s. 3 and 4, on base of thoracic foot, large. Seg. "), just below second stigmatal fold, large ; above it is what appears to be another disk, but which bears a trnncate hair twice the ordinary length. Seg. 6 — On upper stigmatal fold, in the same place as the liristle on previous segment, and below lower stigmatal fold. Seg-<. 7 to 10 — On upper stigmatil fold and just above the foot of each proleg. Seg. 11 — One large disk below stigmatal fold having just above it a similar one from which comes a long pointed bristle. On one side of the body this tubercle bears two bristles. Those on the feet each have below them two similar bristle bearing disks. Seg. 12 has one large disk with two or three bristle bearing tubercles round it. Seg. 13 has a small one at the base of the second stigmatal fold in a line with the spiracles, and also another sniill pair above, one on each side of the anal-flap. P, Cernes, B. L. (Limochores taumas, Fab.) — The form of this species which occurs at Nepigon is very dark, so dark as fre<|uently to have been mistaken for A. Vialis when we were collecting. Several females wore caged over a tuft of CM.t^o'vfn A vena sir! iita and five eggs were secured on 10th July. These were all laid loose amongst the dead leaves on the ground. Hemispherical, dull ivory white, large for the size of the species — larger than those of P. Mystic, The suiface of the shell finely netted all over with irregular pentagonal and hexagonal cells. On IGth, the surface became rasttled with ruddy blotches and two or three days later the dark head of one of the young larvre began to be apparent, it hatched on 23rd July. The young larva was cream colour at first with a black head and thoracic shieM. After the first moult, which took place on 30th July, it was darker on the anal segments, and after the second moult, on 4th August, was quite rusty brown over the last segm'^nts. On 13th August it moulted the third time, and then the colour of the whole body changed to a dark brown, and the length was a quarter of an inch. On 29th August tht! fourth moult took place, and the fol- lowing description was taken on September 8th: — LMigth when walking, 1 inch. General colour, rich purplish-brown with a green tinge showing through the transparent skin. Contractions of dorsal vessel plainly visible, giving the appearance of a dark-brown dorsal stripe. Surface of body finely mottled with grey and dark purplish-brown, and, like the head and thoracic shield, covered with a tine short black pubescence. Head black, coarsely punctured and pubescent. The thoracic shield black and shining, reaching from the spiracle on ont; side of Seg. 2 right round to the other. This is very conspicuous by reason of being placed upon a milk white collar. The spiracles black, on Seg. 12 large and high up, giving with some marks on anal flap the appearance of a bear's face. On anal flap the dorsal stripe ends in a blackish triangle, on each side of which are two small sub dorsal black comma-like dashes, running backwards half way to the exterior margin of the anal flap, which is black above, whitish beneath Down the back are two rows of tubercles, sub-dorsal and lateral, which perhaps answer to the concave disks of C. Mandan. As there was only one of these young larvie, I kept it in a glass tube for better examination, and it turned out to be a very interesting captive. Insttiad of makiiig a tent by catching the opposite edges of leaves together, it spun a nest against the side of the bottle and would extend itself from the nest and eat its food. After third moult, it ■was removed to a tin-topped jelly glass. Here, too, it spun a cocoon-like nest from which it reached forth and ate its food. On September 8th it appeared sluggish and 1 thought )t was going to pupate. It was almost an inch long and I knew must be full grown, so it was placed in a tuft of grass, where it very soon spun a cocoon amongst the leaves close 15 to the root and remained in a semi-torpid condition, sometimes coming out on warm days and eating a little. On 13th October I found that it had pui)ated, and I was tbme is possession of the complete life-history of the species. The chry-salis which was coutainai in a light cocoon al^ut an inch long, made by catching a few blades of grass together uxki lining them with silk, was almost erect and seemed to be kept trom lying against ih» cocoon by a few strands of silk. Chrysalis six lines in length, head-case square in froaalt^ eye-cases large and bold, between the eyes and on each side of thoni are tuft? of tawmy hair, with which the thorax and abdomen are also invested. Wing, leg and antfinaa cases smooth. Abdomen at 3rd segment covered laterally by the wing-cases and Bligbtilj wider than thorax or eyes. On segments 4, 5, 6 of the abdomen, beneath, the proleg* of the caterpillar are still visible. Meso-thorax tumid and bearing upon its anterior mar;;^ behind the eyes two elevated tuberculated prominences, in front of whicli in the inrrow between the pro- and meso-thorax is the opening of the thoracic spiracle. Wing-casM extending to the middle of the 4th abdominal segment, from their apices the tongue-caBM run free and disconnected to the posterior margin of the 7th abdominal segment. Tb«re are also two shorter and wider cases which exceed the wings and run free to the postariOT margin of 5th abdominal segment. These are probably the extremities of the caseB of the metathoracic pair of legs. Upon the dorsal surface of the abdomen are two series ■off small concave disks, a subdorsal anterior series and a lateral posterior series, one pair upon each abdominal segment. Cremaster consisting of a few large rounded hooks. Tt*© colour of the hea'l, leg- and antenna-cases, black. Wing-cases at first green and afterward^ greenish-black. Pro-thorax black. Meso and meta-thorax brown. Abdomen light broiniiu All grasses offered were eaten readily, Panicum CrusGalU and Triticum repem* perhaps with the greatest avidity, and Plielum pratense with the least. Awblyscirlex Vialis, Edw. — This pretty little butterfly was caged on 9th in s. tomato can, and the same day live eggs were secured, white shaped like those of C. Martda^ !bmit rather larger. All were laid upon the green leaves of a cut down tuft of Avena slriaitcL The young larva' hatched on 20th, pretty little white caterpillars with black heads. Am soon as they were placed on a tuft of Poa jnatensis the> crawled up to the tip of a bTatis and made a tent by drawing the opposite sides half way together with one strong strand of silk. Here thfy remaine*] about five days, eating a little from the edge of the leaf «md then disappeared. Their tuft of grass was left uncovered, and I think they were killed by the dryness of the air. They should have been covered with a glass. yinoiiiaiies Icelut, Lint. — A female of this species tied upon willow (Salix corittil^a} laid one beautiful greenish winged and netted egg on 10th July. This was the same js had been foiir.d upon willow bushes in the open and supposed to belong to this species, ibnit the origin of which was now proved. My young larva was unfortunately drowned •!■*:.» days after hatthing. Mr. Scudder carried his to the third stage. The eggs are laid uj^kxi the upper surface of the topmost leaves of willow bushes from six to eight feet from lias ground, and were only found upon the willow above mentioned, which has rather rougfc pubescent leaves.