LIBRARY OF MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY
WOODS HOLE, MASS.
LOANED BY AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
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RETURN TO
THE CANADIAN
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EDITED BY WILLIAM SAUNDERS,
LONDON, ONTARIO.
Ja SSA Ste aD) 2S Se
Rev. C. J. S. Bethune, D.C L., Port Hope, Ont., J. M. Denton, London,
Ont., and E. Baynes Reed, London, Ont.
London:
PREE PRESS PRINTING COMPANY
1883.
——
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS VOLUME.
BOWUEES, WGrpacet. calle:
BUNKER, ROBERT........
CLARKSON, FREDERICK
CORPSE OEE FEW ons eine ee sti Neo aie
COQUILLETT, D. W
DDESVIBIRIEF AUX OWieot Lis cf. 8 ceteris aioteremielne
BDIWIARD SS SW tbh roc cae orate ae
EVANS, JOHN D.........
PERWALD GOH...) .:
FISCHER, PH........
BEETOCHDR. Percy cc ehcdees
BELLEVILLE, ONT.
Port Hops, ONT.
.. MONTREAL, QUEBEC.
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.
.. NEW YorK CITY.
AKRON, OHIO.
WoopstTock, ILLINOIs.
CLYDE, NEW YorRK.
.. COALBURGH, WEST Va.
TRENTON, ONT.
ORONO, MAINE,
BUFFALO, NEW YorRK.
. OTTAWA, ONT.
REBAN Gane GaN eek, Ri ee gers ets mos ohh ay CARBONDALE, ILLINOIs.
YE GRID Vide Wiens k. ee ewan. oe LEVI, QUEBEC.
CE DID BS) G@ANIBIG By spied eos CARBONDALE, ILLINOIs.
NEGO) BBP AGT cea netanie ys tees te atts ole ote HAMILTON, ONT.
MING PARED tet tees, eet in. ae FAIRBURY. ILLINOIs.
VU RS BRED ie WEAIROY Bie. 5) hae os ae KIRKWOOoD, MIssouri
OSBORN SBEULR BE Riese san oe eee ee AMEs, Iowa.
ROLE] ODP Dd bts ae a ee aor ren Ae ee LONDON, ONT.
125) D1 Dad bard ie eee ate ep a ae . LONDON, ONT.
1G UIA DIN. | ONY Gn ee Ua Ee Ae Re RA Od . WASHINGTON, D. C.
FEO) Gr ESS ME ech oo Se ee ees. Oe ee KINGSTON, ONT.
SAUNDERS, W. (The Editor)...... . LONDON, ONT.
SUING BS RIGS VV dun. he see. i cet LONDON, ONT.
SOE VVIAINZ: EBAY. Makes ti CR ero eaten WASHINGTON, D. C.
SVU) ON! Bi aa. ky toee oss ehraereee ae BROOKLYN, NEw York.
SVE Ro DIRS Am... as Sites ye . GERMANY.
“TECON Ys SMD DS HDS O30) Beg 1 PA oe oR a CONSTANTINE, MICHIGAN.
VAN WAGENEN, G. H................, RYE WESTCHESTER ComeN., Ve.
WEA STINGEHAM. TeORID 5204s oc oes. ENGLAND.
PVE CoE Ales Wiel, Gal. I8. a aerate oy Rane en aie SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA,
ENGLAND.
ALLEGHENY, PA.
.Orrawa, ONT.
au ; ‘
¢- PO hh | Ais la Py h oy
aety We ae if
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Pa tis! mS, -
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Pui.
Wats = cr
B tn a talberice vy ef =
6. Pyrameis Atalanta iE i
ae re Cardui “ rf A
8. Coenonympha /xornata, Edw. i
g. Chionobas Ca/azs, Scud., 2. Under side only.
to. Chrysophanus Ap7xanthe, Bois. 2 figs.
11. Lycaena Aguzlo, Bois. bf
ey 4 Couper?, Grote. F
13. Ff Aster, Edw. ¢
The figures of C. Zvornata agree with the type specimen of the butter-
fly from Lake Winnipeg. [have also four examples taken at St. John’s,
Newfoundland, in 1880, by Mr. T. L. Mead. I have seen this species
from no locality between Winnipeg and the island.
Chion. CaZazs was described from a single female from Rupert House,
Hudson’s Bay, and to this day I have not seen another example. I for-
merly thought it was the same as Ch. Chryxus, Doubl., but am satisfied
of its distinctness. ‘This admirable figure by Mr. Gosse is unmistakably.
the likeness of Ca/ais, which like /nornata, is thus found in localities
thousands of miles apart.
Lyc. Aster was taken by Mr. Mead at St. John’s, and I have not seen
it from localities outside Newfoundland.
Lyc. Couper? was taken by Mr. Wm. Couper on Anticosti, and is also
found in South Labrador.
W. H. Epwarps.
Coalburgh, W. Va.; 18th Dec., 1882.
NOTES ON BUTTERFLIES OBTAINED AT CARBONEAR
ISLAND, NEWFOUNDLAND, 1832-1835.
BY P. H. GOSSE, F. R. S., ETC.
PAPILO BREVICAUDA, SAUND. ; AND ITS TRANSFORMATIONS.
[Extracts from journals, kept by P. H. Gosse, at Carbonear, New-
foundland, in 1834 and 1835. |
1834, July 25.—A friend, A. E., caught for me an example of the
THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 45
Black Swallowtail,* in torn condition, on Carbonear Island, a high rocky
islet, about a mile in length, lying off the mouth of the harbor, uninhabited,
uncultivated, partly covered with bushes—visited occasionally for summer
picnics. ‘This is my first cabinet specimen ; but I had possessed an old
rubbed and patched specimen which had been captured in the same
locality several years before I began to collect.
July 31.—I made a visit with A. E., to Carbonear Island. We saw
immense numbers of the little Orange-brown Butterfly (the Cenonympha
figured on page 22 of my Entom. of Newfoundland, 4to), and many of the
Polyommatus (Argus of Ibid, p. 23).¢ After searching the Island, in vain,
for a Swallowtail, we were just going down to our boat, when I caught
sight of a great black fellow fluttering over a bed of tansy. I ran towards
him, but I had to look about some time before I could find my beauty,
for he had now alighted, and was so fearless that he did not attempt to fly,
but continued sucking the aromatic flowers. I threw my net over him,
and found I had secured a specimen much more perfect than my former
acquisition.
Aug. 8.—My neighbor, Mr. Peters, gave me a beautiful caterpillar,
which had been feeding on parsnip in his garden, and a few hours later
he sent me another (No. 2), younger. ‘They are of a clear apple-green
hue, each segment marked by a black transverse band of velvet-black, car-
rying five spots of bright yellow. Each segment is also separated from
its fellows by a narrower line of black. I feel confident they are the larvee
of one of the Swallowtails. The No. 2 protruded, and instantly retracted,
a soft red organ from its neck.
Aug. 9.—I observed the orange-colored organ of the neck much farther
projected ; it was then forked, in form of a Y; it left a wetness on my
finger, and diffused a strong odor of parsnip.
Aug. 11.—I am convinced that the Y-organ of the neck is used as a
defence ; for, on my touching the side of the caterpillar—the left side, for
instance—it would jerk its head round to the place, and protrude the Ze/t
branch of the forked horn ; if I touched the right side, the 7¢g?t branch
would be protruded ; tie other branch, on each occasion, being kept un-
displayed, while a strong fetor was manifest. The caterpillar No. 1 has
moulted to-day.
* Papilio-brevicauda, Saund.
+ Lyc. Aster, Edw.
46-- THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST.
Aug. 16.—The younger (No. 2.) moulted. There is a marked differ-
in the coloring of the two examples. ‘This one has the yellow spots cir-
cular in outline, and quite insulated, centrally, on the black bands ; but
No. 1 has the spots of oblong shape, and placed cag the front edge of
the black bands, interrupting it.
Aug. 21.—In Peters’ garden I found, on the parsnip leaves, two more
Swallowtail caterpillars, larger than my largest (Nos. 3 and 4).
Aug. 22.—My No. 1 is hanging, back downward, from the roof of its
cage, a silken band round its body, and its tail fastened to a knob of
white silk. In the evening No. 3 suspends itself in like. manner.
Aug. 23.—This morning I was so fortunate as to see the process of
No. 4 putting the already spun silken girth over his head, and adjusting
it around his shoulders.
Aug. 24.—No. 1 went into chrysalis during the forenoon. It is large
and rough of surface, of a yellowish pink hue, green in some parts, marked
with a broad streak of sooty brown down the back, and one down each
side of the abdomen.
Aug. 25.—This morning I saw that No. 3 had already become a chry-
salis. About 5 p. m., I witnessed, with great pleasure, the whole process
of the evolution of another chrysalis, my No, 4—the one whom I had seen
put on his necktie. This caterpillar appearing uneasy and restless, I
watched it at intervals for about half an hour ; when, by strong and ap-
parently painful distension of the part, a slit was made in the skin, down
the back of the third ring. Through this the soft chrysalis forced itself,
gradually extending the slit wpwards, till the head was divided and
separated ; and also downwards, for several rings’ length. The skin was
now gradually pushed down. I had been curious to see how the creature
would get through this part of the business, for its weight pressed the
silken girth very tight around the body. ‘There seemed, however, no real
difficulty ; I thought it kept itself, by muscular effort, from pressing its
whole weight on the girth until the skin had passed the part. As soon as
it was pushed down to the extremity, the tail of the chrysalis was thrust
out beneath, very cleverly, and pushed upward to take hold of the little
knob of silk. When this was done, the old wrinkled skin was jerked off,
and cast away, by the writhing of the pupa. The silken girth was now
encircling the body, between the sixth and seventh rings ; but the chrysalis
twisted and turned, till it got the girth three rings nearer the head, namely,
THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 47
across the middle of the wing-covers. ‘The skin was as yet so soft, and
the silk so slender, that it cut into the wing-covers, so far as to be in-
visible ; but, as all my specimens are alike in this respect, I presume it is
no other than natural. The shape of each was different, immediately on
expulsion, from what it became after some hours ; the fore parts being
awkwardly shortened and shrivelled, and the hind wings stretched out.
Aug. 27.—Caterpillar No. 2 finished his girth, and put it over his
head, about 8 a. m., and so is suspended.
Aug. 30.—This No. 2 went into pupa in the early morning. — In this
case when the skin was stripped down, the tail was not put out to take
hold of the silken knob ; and, by and by, the old skin loosed its hold of
the silk, and the chrysalis was swinging about, suspended only by the girth.
I proceeded carefully to assist nature by removing the old skin, and put-
ting the tail to the silk, of which its projecting points now took firm hold.
The girth, however, remains between the sixth and seventh rings, so as to
cause the fore parts to hang down considerably. In shape it resmbles the
other three ; but in color it is widely different, being wholly of a bright
yellowish green, except a wide band of pale yellow down the back. This
individual is the one which, as a larva, had the peculiarity of the yellow
spots, which I noticed on the 16th inst., and from both circumstances, I
fully expect the imago to be of a different species from the others.
1835. June 25.—To-day I sailed from Carbonear for Canada, carrying
with me the four Swallowtail chrysalids of last summer, all alive and
apparently healthy. .
July 4. At sea, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.—From the yellow and
green chrysalis, No. 2 (see note on Aug. 30, 1834), was evolved before
day, a specimen of the Black Swallowtail—Papz/o Asterias (brevicauda of
Saunders.) It is identical with the examples taken on the Island last
summer, but in great beauty of perfection ; the wings are not in the least
injured from the cutting of the pupa-skin by the girth (see Aug. 25, 1834),
nor by the accident that the girth has been, for some weeks past, broken ;
one side first giving way, then the other, so that the chrysalis has been
hanging perpendicularly.
July 14th.—One of the drab-hued, brown-striped chrysalids produced
the butterfly this afternoon.
July 18 and 20. At Quebec.—The other two were evolved. Those
of the 4th and r4th had been kept in glasses, exposed to the sunlight, all
48 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST.
the winter ; these last two had been shut up ina dark box. ‘Thus all my
four examples have produced perfect imagines. I can discern no specific
difference among these last three, zvfer se. ; nor—what is much more re-
markable—between them and the one from the yellow and green chrysalis,
evolved on the 4th instant. The variation in color, which distinguished
this individual, both in the larva and pupa: (as I have described under
dates Aug. 16 and 30, 1834), seems, therefore, a very noteworthy circum-
stance.
The liquid discharged by these butterflies, immediately after their evolu-
tion, is whitish, or cream-colored. The duration of the period of pupa-
repose is not quite uniform. It does not fall much short of eleven
months, from about the middle of August to about the middle of July.
And the evolution of my individuals kept in unnatural confinement through
the winter, does not sensibly vary, in seasonal period, from that of the
examples caught on Carbonear Island, last July.
One of my evolved specimens, before it was killed for the cabinet, laid
five globular yellow eggs. So that I have seen this beautiful insect in all
its stages. .
P. Turnus, Linn. Dwarfed in size, and paled in hue, from the normal
American condition. It is very uncertain in its appearance; in some
seasons I have seen 15 or 20 examples ; in others not one ; it must always
be considered scarce. In my “Canadian Naturalist” I have given a few
notes of these species.
Pieris Oleracea, Harr. Always abundant ; a nuisance in the cabbage-
gardens. ‘The rst brood appears early in June ; the 2nd late in August
and early in September, at which times we find oleraceous plants studded
with the oblong, whitish eggs. I once saw a @ lay an egg; she alighted
on the under side of a leaf of horse-radish, and immediately, bending her
abdomen down, touched the leaf for an instant, and flew away. Looking
at the spot I found the white egg adhering by its end. I have had females
lay several eggs, when pinned on the setting board. I once found a pupa
which was all over of a light pellucid green hue ; this is always the color
when newly evolved, but in this instance the green hue remained without
any change till the imago appeared, some ten days after I had found it.
Another unusual circumstance was that this chrysalis, instead of being
horizontal, was bound in a perpendicular position, head downward to an
upright post. The June brood have remained in pupa through the winter,
THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 49
the August brood only about a fortnight. What becomes of butterflies at
night ? I had often asked. One evening after dark, I saw a P. Oleracea
resting with closed wings on a stalk of grass. I threw it into the air re-
peatedly, but it would not fly ; it merely fluttered to the ground, and made
no resistance to my taking it up again.
Vanessa Milberti, Godart. The first butterfly that gladdens our eyes
in spring, appearing on sunny days in the middle of April, but in no con-
siderable number in May. ‘Then it becomes by far the most abundant of
all our butterflies, more common than even the Garden White, and that in
every season. It seems to survive the long and severe winter. I once
found one, half-torpid, on the 15th October, resting, with closed wings, on
a stone 77 the midst of a loose heap ; and a gentleman presented me with
another, living, but torpid, which had fallen from a loft on the 5th of April.
This last was certainly a survivor of the winter.
About the middle of June we see the tops of the growing nettles covered
with unsightly webs, which are inhabited by families of the little black
caterpillars of A/7/bertz. They live in society some time after they are
hatched ; but as they grow up they separate into groups of four or five on
each plant. As they are not long eating the choice leaves of one nettle,
they colonize to others, leaving their deserted habitations mere leafless
stalks, covered with the dense and cloth-like web, and with the excrement
and sloughed skins of the caterpillars.
When full grown they_have a rather repulsive appearance, being black
above, dingy green below, with toothed spines. But the beauty of the
chrysalis atones for the ugliness of the caterpillar ; for the numerous sharp
points on the brown segments are of a most brilliant gold, like polished
metal. Occasionally we see examples of more than usual splendour ; the
abdominal rings of a dull red, and the whole fore parts of polished gold,
tinged with green. Alas! it is a fatal beauty! for all such specimens are
punctured by parasitic flies, the terrible ‘‘ Long Stings ;’ and from every
one there are sure to emerge one or more of these rascally ichneumons.
V. Antiopa, Linn. Rather rare, flying round the tops of willows.
Fine specimens measure 31% inches in expanse ; the border of the wings,
which in European examples is buff, is in Newfoundland examples pure
white, speckled with blackish ; at least in the female.
Pyramets Atalanta, Linn. The Red Admiral is sufficiently abundant
with us, As soon as summer is fully set in our gardens are gay with this
~
D0 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST.
very fine insect, itself looking like a brilliant flower. Like other members
of the group, it often alternately expands and closes its beautiful black and
scarlet wings in the sun when resting from flight. There seem to be two
broods in the season ; one appearing in June, one in Sept. and Oct. The
transformations of this wide-spread species are sufficiently known.