Chapter IV: Books About North American Butterflies (10)

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_Early Stages._--The food-plant is clover. The eggs are pale yellow, changing, after being laid, to crimson. The caterpillar is slender, green, striped longitudinally with paler green. The chrysalis is pale green.

The species ranges from New England to Florida, and westward to the Rocky Mountains.

(5) =Colias chrysomelas=, Henry Edwards, Plate XXXV, Fig. 12, ♂; Fig. 13, ♀ (The Gold-and-black Sulphur).

_Butterfly._--Larger than _C. philodice_. The male on the upper side is bright lemon-yellow, with broad black margins on both wings. The female is paler, with the black margin of the hind wing lacking or very faintly indicated, and the margin of the fore wing much broken up by yellow spots. On the under side the wings of the male are dusky-orange, pale yellow on the disk of the primaries; the wings of the female on this side are pale yellow. Expanse, ♂, 2.00-2.10 inches; ♀, 2.25-2.30 inches.

_Early Stages._--Undescribed.

The home of this species is on the Coast Range of northern California.

(6) =Colias alexandra=, Edwards, Plate XXXV, Fig. 6, ♂; Fig. 7, ♀ (The Alexandra Sulphur).

_Butterfly._--Larger than _C. philodice_. The male is pale canary-yellow, with much narrower black borders than the preceding species. The female is pale yellow or white, without black borders, or, at most, faint traces of them at the apex of the primaries. On the under side the wings are silvery-gray, yellow only at the base and on the inner margin of the primaries. The discal spot on the hind wings is white. Expanse, ♂, 1.85 inch; ♀, 2.10-2.30 inches.

_Early Stages._--The caterpillar is uniformly yellowish-green, with a white band on each side, broken with orange-red dashes running through it. The chrysalis, which resembles that of _C. philodice_ in form, is yellowish-green, darkest on the dorsal side, and adorned with three small red dots on the ventral side of the abdomen near the wing-cases. The caterpillar eats _Astragalus_, _Thermopsis_, and white clover. Expanse, ♂, 1.90-2.15 inches; ♀, 2.00-2.30 inches.

The species is found in Colorado and the mountain regions to the north and west of that State.

(7) =Colias interior=, Scudder, Plate XXXV, Fig. 10, ♂; Fig. 11, ♀ (The Pink-edged Sulphur).

_Butterfly._--The male on the upper side closely resembles _C. philodice_, but is smaller, the fringes of the wings rose-colored. The female is pale yellow above, more frequently white, with the tips of the fore wings lightly marked with blackish. On the under side the fore wings at the apex and the entire surface of the hind wings are rusty orange-yellow. The discal spot on the hind wings is silvery, bordered with rosy-red. Expanse, ♂, 1.30-1.75 inch; ♀, 1.60-2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--Little is as yet known of these.

The species was first found by Professor Louis Agassiz on the north shore of Lake Superior. It ranges through a rather narrow belt of country, through Quebec, Ontario, and westward to the Rocky Mountains north of the valley of the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes.

(8) =Colias scudderi=, Reakirt, Plate XXXV, Fig. 8, ♂; Fig. 9, ♀ (Scudder's Sulphur).

_Butterfly._--The male on the upper side is colored like _C. philodice_, but the black borders are much wider. The fringes are rosy. The female is generally white,--very rarely slightly yellow,--with very pale dark borders, or often without any trace of black on the outer margin of the wings. On the under side the apex of the fore wings and the entire surface of the hind wings are greenish-gray. The discal spot of the secondaries is well silvered and margined with pale red. Expanse, 1.80-2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--We know but little of these, except that the caterpillar feeds on the leaves of the huckleberry and the willow.

Scudder's Sulphur is found in Colorado, Utah, Montana, and British Columbia.

(9) _Colias pelidne_, Boisduval, Plate XXXV, Fig. 14, ♂; Plate XXXVI, Fig. 15, ♂; Fig. 16, ♀ (The Labrador Sulphur).

_Butterfly._--The male on the upper side is pale yellow, with a greenish tinge on the hind wings; the black borders are narrow; the fringes are pink. The female on the upper side is white, with very little or no black on the outer borders, the black marking being confined to the apex of the fore wings. On the under side the wings are much as in _C. interior_, and it is possible that the two forms are varieties of one and the same species. Expanse, 1.60-1.85 inch.

_Early Stages._--Little is known of these.

_Pelidne_ is rather abundant in Labrador at the proper season, and ranges thence westward and northward in boreal America.

(10) =Colias nastes=, Boisduval, Plate XXXVI, Fig. 11, ♂; Fig. 12, ♀ (The Arctic Sulphur).

_Butterfly._--Easily recognized in both sexes by the pale-greenish tint of the wings and the tendency of the outer border of the fore wings of the male to become divided, like those of the female, by a band of pale spots. Expanse, 1.50-1.65 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This is an arctic species, which is found in Labrador, Greenland, the far North in British America and Alaska, and on the summits of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia.

(11) =Colias behri=, Edwards, Plate XXXVI, Fig. 17, ♂ (Behr's Sulphur).

_Butterfly._--This very rare little species may be easily recognized by the dark-greenish tint of the upper side of the wings and the light spot on the upper side of the hind wings. The female has the outer borders dusky like the male, the dusky shade running inward on the lines of the veins and nervules. Expanse, 1.50 inch.

_Early Stages._--We know little of these.

The insect has hitherto been taken only at considerable elevations among the Western Sierras, and the peaks and lofty meadows about the Yosemite Valley have been until recently the classic locality for the species.

There are a number of other species of the genus _Colias_, and numerous varieties which have been named and described from the western and northwestern portions of our region; but it requires almost as much skill to distinguish them as is required to discriminate between the different species of willows, asters, and goldenrods, among plants, and we do not think it worth while to burden the student with an account of these, and of the controversies which are being waged about them. If any reader of this book becomes entangled in perplexities concerning the species of _Colias_, the writer will be glad to try to aid him to correct conclusions by personal conference or correspondence.

Genus TERIAS, Swainson

(The Small Sulphurs)

"Hurt no living thing:
Ladybird, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing,
Nor cricket chirping cheerily,
Nor grasshopper so light of leap,
Nor dancing gnat, nor beetle fat,
Nor harmless worms that creep."

CHRISTINA ROSSETTI.

_Butterfly._--Small butterflies, bright orange or yellow, margined with black. They are more delicate in structure and have thinner wings than most of the genera belonging to the subfamily of the _Pierinæ_. The outer margin of the wings is generally straight or slightly rounded, though in a few species the apex is somewhat acuminate. The outer margin of the hind wings is generally rounded, though in a few species it is acuminate.

_Egg._--Strongly spindle-shaped, pointed and rounded at the base and at the apex, much swollen at the middle, its sides marked by numerous broad but slightly raised vertical ridges.

_Caterpillar._--The caterpillars are small, relatively long, cylindrical, with the head quite small, the thoracic segments somewhat larger than the others, giving the anterior portion of the body a slightly humped appearance. They feed upon leguminous plants.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is compressed laterally, with the head pointed and the wing-cases forming a deep, keel-shaped projection on the ventral side, more pronounced than in any other genus except _Catopsilia_.

There are an immense number of species belonging to this genus scattered through the tropical and subtropical regions of both hemispheres. Many of the species are dimorphic or polymorphic, and much confusion has arisen, especially in relation to the Oriental species, on account of the great tendency to the production of seasonal varieties, many of which are strikingly different from one another.

(1) =Terias gundlachia=, Poey, Plate XXXVII, Fig. 1, ♂ (Gundlach's Sulphur).

_Butterfly._--This species is easily recognized by the orange-yellow tint of the upper side of the wings and the sharply pointed hind wings. Expanse, 1.80 inch.

_Early Stages._--We know nothing of these.

The species is found in Texas, Arizona, Mexico, and Cuba.

(2) =Terias proterpia=, Fabricius, Plate XXXVII, Fig. 2, ♂ (_Proterpia_).

_Butterfly._--Even deeper orange than the preceding species. The hind wings are, however, less pointed; the veins and nervules are black at their ends, and the costal margin of the fore wings is evenly bordered with black, which does not run down on the outer margin as in _T. gundlachia_. Expanse, 1.50-1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

_Proterpia_ is found in Texas, Arizona, and Mexico.

(3) =Terias nicippe=, Cramer, Plate XXXVII, Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♀; Fig. 5, var. =flava=, ♂; Fig. 6, ♀, _under side_; Plate II, Fig. 6, _larva_; Plate V, Figs. 51, 52, _chrysalis_ (Nicippe).

_Butterfly._--The plate gives so full a presentation of this common species as to make a lengthy description unnecessary. It is subject to considerable variation. I have specimens of many varying shades of orange and yellow, and a few albino females. The orange form depicted in Plate XXXVII, Figs. 3 and 4, is typical. The form _flava_ is not uncommon. Expanse, 1.50-2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--These are not as well known as they should be in view of the excessive abundance of the insect in long-settled parts of the country. The caterpillar feeds upon _Cassia_ in preference to all other plants, but will eat other leguminosæ.

_Nicippe_ is very rare in New England, but is common south of latitude 40° as far as the Rocky Mountains, and ranges over Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala, into Venezuela and even Brazil. It fairly swarms at times in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and southern Indiana and Illinois. I have encountered clouds of it on the wing near Jeffersonville, Indiana, and thence north along the lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad as far as Seymour. It is not common in western Pennsylvania, but in former years was taken rather frequently about Pittsburgh.

(4) =Terias mexicana=, Plate XXXVII, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♀, _under side_ (The Mexican Yellow).

_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished from all other species in our fauna by the pointed hind wings, margined on the outer border with black, and by the heavy black border of the fore wings, deeply excised inwardly, recalling the fore wing of the species of the genus _Meganostoma_. Expanse, ♂, 1.75 inch; ♀, 1.85 inch.

_Early Stages._--We do not, as yet, know much about these.

_T. mexicana_ is very common in Arizona, and occurs also in Texas. It is abundant in Mexico.

(5) =Terias damaris=, Felder, Plate XXXVII, Fig. 9, ♂; Fig. 10, ♂, _under side_ (Damaris).

_Butterfly._--Allied to the preceding species, but readily distinguished from it by the less deeply excised outer border of the fore wing, by the fact that the black outer margin of the secondaries extends inwardly beyond the angulated point of the wing, and by the different color and style of the markings of the lower side. Expanse, 1.35-1.65 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

_Damaris_ occurs in Arizona, and thence ranges south into Venezuela.

(6) =Terias westwoodi.= Boisduval, Plate XXXVII, Fig. 11, ♂ (Westwood's Yellow).

_Butterfly._--Pale yellow or orange-yellow, with a narrow black border on the fore wings, beginning on the costa beyond the middle, and not quite reaching the inner angle. On the under side the wings are pale yellow, immaculate, or at the apex of the fore wing and the outer angle of the hind wing broadly marked with very pale reddish-brown. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

Westwood's Yellow occurs in Texas and Arizona, but is not common. It is abundant farther south.

(7) =Terias lisa=, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XXXVII, Fig. 13, ♂; Plate II, Fig. 3, _larva_; Plate V, Fig. 56, _chrysalis_ (The Little Sulphur).

_Butterfly._--Allied to the three following species, from which it may at once be distinguished by the absence of the black bar on the inner margin of the fore wings and by the profusely mottled surface of the under side of the hind wings. It is subject to considerable variation, albino females and melanic males being sometimes found, as well as dwarfed specimens of very small size. Expanse, 1.25-1.60 inch.

_Early Stages._--These have not been thoroughly studied and described, in spite of the fact that the insect is very common in many easily accessible localities. The caterpillar feeds on _Cassia_ and on clover.

_T. lisa_ ranges from New England south and west as far as the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains, and into Mexico and Honduras. It is found in the Antilles and Bermuda. An interesting account of the appearance of a vast swarm of these butterflies in the Bermudas is given by Jones in "Psyche," vol. i, p. 121:

"Early in the morning of the first day of October last year (1874), several persons living on the north side of the main island perceived, as they thought, a cloud coming over from the northwest, which drew nearer and nearer to the shore, on reaching which it divided into two parts, one of which went eastward, and the other westward, gradually falling upon the land. They were not long in ascertaining that what they had taken for a cloud was an immense concourse of small yellow butterflies (_Terias lisa_, Boisduval), which flitted about all the open grassy patches and cultivated grounds in a lazy manner, as if fatigued after their long voyage over the deep. Fishermen out near the reefs, some few miles to the north of the island, very early that morning, stated that numbers of these insects fell upon their boats, literally covering them. They did not stay long upon the islands, however, only a few days, but during that time thousands must have fallen victims to the vigorous appetite of the bluebird (_Sialia sialis_, Baird) and blackbird (_Mimus carolinensis_, Gray), which were continually preying upon them."

As the nearest point of land is Cape Hatteras, about six hundred miles distant, it is seen that, weak and feeble as this little creature appears, it must possess, when aided by favoring winds, great power of sustained flight.

(8) =Terias elathea=, Cramer, Plate XXXVII, Fig. 12, ♂ (Elathea).

_Butterfly._--Distinguished from its near ally, _T. delia_, by the fact that the ground-color of the hind wings is white. The female in this, as in the allied species, is without the black bar on the inner margin of the primaries. Expanse, 1.25-1.40 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

_Elathea_ is found in Florida, Mexico, and the Antilles.

(9) =Terias delia=, Cramer, Plate XXXVII, Fig. 14, ♂ (Delia).

_Butterfly._--Almost exactly like the preceding species, but having the upper side of the hind wings yellow. On the under side the fore wing at the tip and the entire hind wing are red. Expanse, 1.25-1.50 inch.

_Early Stages._--But little is known of them. The caterpillar feeds on _Cassia_.

_Delia_ occurs commonly in the Gulf States.

(10) =Terias jucunda=, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XXXVII, Fig. 15, ♂; Fig. 16, ♂, _under side_ (The Fairy Yellow).

_Butterfly._--Distinguished from the preceding species by the dark marginal band surrounding the hind wing and the pale under surface. Expanse, 1.60-1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This little species is found in the Gulf States.

RED RAIN

"The lepidopterous insects in general, soon after they emerge from the pupa state, and commonly during their first flight, discharge some drops of a red-colored fluid, more or less intense in different species, which, in some instances, where their numbers have been considerable, have produced the appearance of a 'shower of blood,' as this natural phenomenon is sometimes called.

"Showers of blood have been recorded by historians and poets as preternatural--have been considered in the light of prodigies, and regarded, where they have happened, as fearful prognostics of impending evil.

"There are two passages in Homer, which, however poetical, are applicable to a rain of this kind; and among the prodigies which took place after the death of the great dictator, Ovid particularly mentions a shower of blood:

"'Sæpe faces visæ mediis ardere sub astris,
Sæpe inter nimbos guttæ cecidere cruentæ.'

"('With threatening signs the lowering skies were fill'd,
And sanguine drops from murky clouds distilled.')

"Among the numerous prodigies reported by Livy to have happened in the year 214 B.C., it is instanced that at Mantua a stagnating piece of water, caused by the overflowing of the river Mincius, appeared as of blood; and in the cattle-market at Rome a shower of blood fell in the Istrian Street. After mentioning several other remarkable phenomena that happened during that year, Livy concludes by saying that these prodigies were expiated, conformably to the answers of the aruspices, by victims of the greater kinds, and supplication was ordered to be performed to all the deities who had shrines at Rome. Again, it is stated by Livy that many alarming prodigies were seen at Rome in the year 181 B.C., and others reported from abroad; among which was a shower of blood which fell in the courts of the temples of Vulcan and Concord. After mentioning that the image of Juno Sospita shed tears, and that a pestilence broke out in the country, this writer adds that these prodigies, and the mortality which prevailed, alarmed the Senate so much that they ordered the consuls to sacrifice to such gods as their judgment should direct victims of the larger kinds, and that the decemvirs should consult their books. Pursuant to their direction, a supplication for one day was proclaimed to be performed at every shrine in Rome; and they advised, besides, and the Senate voted, and the consul proclaimed, that there should be a supplication and public worship for three days throughout all Italy. In the year 169 B.C., Livy also mentions that a shower of blood fell in the middle of the day. The decemvirs were again called upon to consult their books, and again were sacrifices offered to the deities. The account, also, of Livy, of the bloody sweat on some of the statues of the gods, must be referred to the same phenomenon, as the predilection of those ages to marvel, says Thomas Browne, and the want of accurate investigation in the cases recorded, as well as the rare occurrence of these atmospherical depositions in our own times, inclines us to include them among the blood-red drops deposited by insects.

"In Stow's 'Annales of England' we have two accounts of showers of blood, and from an edition printed in London in 1592, we make our quotations: 'Rivallus, sonne of Cunedagius, succeeded his father, in whose time (in the year 766 B.C.) it rained bloud three dayes: after which tempest ensued a great multitude of venemous flies, which slew much people, and then a great mortalitie throughout this lande, caused almost desolation of the same.' The second account is as follows: 'In the time of Brithricus (A.D. 786) it rayned blood, which falling on men's clothes, appeared like crosses.'

"Hollingshed, Grafton, and Fabyan have also recorded these instances in their respective chronicles of England.

"A remarkable instance of bloody rain is introduced into the very interesting Icelandic ghost-story of Thorgunna. It appears that in the year of our Lord 1009 a woman called Thorgunna came from the Hebrides to Iceland, where she stayed at the house of Thorodd; and during the hay season a shower of blood fell, but only, singularly, on that portion of the hay she had not piled up as her share, which so appalled her that she betook herself to her bed, and soon afterward died. She left, to finish the story, a remarkable will, which, from not being executed, was the cause of several violent deaths, the appearance of ghosts, and, finally, a legal action of ejectment against the ghosts, which, it need hardly be said, drove them effectually away.

"In 1017 a shower of blood fell in Aquitaine; and Sleidan relates that in the year 1553 a vast multitude of butterflies swarmed through a great part of Germany, and sprinkled plants, leaves, buildings, clothes, and men with bloody drops, as if it had rained blood. We learn also from Bateman's 'Doome' that these 'drops of bloude upon hearbes and trees' in 1553 were deemed among the forewarnings of the deaths of Charles and Philip, dukes of Brunswick.

"In Frankfort, in the year 1296, among other prodigies, some spots of blood led to a massacre of the Jews, in which ten thousand of these unhappy descendants of Abraham lost their lives.

"In the beginning of July, 1608, an extensive shower of blood took place at Aix, in France, which threw the people of that place into the utmost consternation, and, which is a much more important fact, led to the first satisfactory and philosophical explanation of this phenomenon, but too late, alas! to save the Jews of Frankfort. This explanation was given by M. Peiresc, a celebrated philosopher of that place, and is thus referred to by his biographer, Gassendi: 'Nothing in the whole year 1608 did more please him than that he observed and philosophized about, the _bloody rain_, which was commonly reported to have fallen about the beginning of July; great drops thereof were plainly to be seen, both in the city itself, upon the walls of the churchyard of the church, which is near the city wall, and upon the city walls themselves; also upon the walls of villages, hamlets, and towns, for some miles round about; for in the first place, he went himself to see those wherewith the stones were coloured, and did what he could to come to speak with those husbandmen, who, beyond Lambesk, were reported to have been affrighted at the falling of said rain, that they left their work, and ran as fast as their legs could carry them into the adjacent houses. Whereupon, he found that it was a fable that was reported, touching those husbandmen. Nor was he pleased that naturalists should refer this kind of rain to vapours drawn up out of red earth aloft in the air, which congealing afterwards into liquor, fall down in this form; because such vapours as are drawne aloft by heat, ascend without colour, as we may know by the alone example of red roses, out of which the vapours that arise by heat are congealed into transparent water. He was less pleased with the common people, and some divines, who judged that it was the work of the devils and witches who had killed innocent young children; for this he counted a mere conjecture, possibly also injurious to the goodness and providence of God.

"'In the meanwhile an accident happened, out of which he conceived he had collected the true cause thereof. For, some months before, he shut up in a box a certain palmer-worm which he had found, rare for its bigness and form; which, when he had forgotten, he heard a buzzing in the box, and when he opened it, found the palmer-worm, having cast its coat, to be turned into a beautiful Butterfly, which presently flew away, leaving in the bottom of the box a red drop as broad as an ordinary sous or shilling; and because this happened about the beginning of the same month and about the same time an incredible multitude of Butterflies were observed flying in the air, he was therefore of opinion that such kind of Butterflies resting on the walls had there shed such like drops, and of the same bigness. Whereupon, he went the second time, and found, by experience, that those drops were not to be found on the housetops, nor upon the round sides of the stones which stuck out, as it would have happened, if blood had fallen from the sky, but rather where the stones were somewhat hollowed, and in holes, where such small creatures might shroud and nestle themselves. Moreover, the walls which were so spotted, were not in the middle of towns, but they were such as bordered upon the fields, nor were they on the highest parts, but only so moderately high as Butterflies are commonly wont to fly.

"'Thus, therefore, he interpreted that which Gregory of Tours relates touching a bloody rain seen at Paris in divers places, in the days of Childebert, and on a certain house in the territory of Senlis; also that which is storied, touching raining of blood about the end of June, in the days of King Robert; so that the blood which fell upon flesh, garments or stones could not be washed out, but that which fell on wood might; for it was the same season of Butterflies, and experience hath taught us, that no water will wash these spots out of the stones, while they are fresh and new. When he had said these and such like things to various, a great company of auditors being present, it was agreed that they should go together and search out the matter, and as they went up and down, here and there, through the fields, they found many drops upon stones and rocks; but they were only on the hollow and under parts of the stones, but not upon those which lay most open to the skies.'"

+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| EXPLANATION OF PLATE XXXVIII |
| |
| 1. _Papilio zolicaon_, Boisduval, ♂. |
| 2. _Papilio daunus_, Boisduval, ♂. |
| 3. _Papilio pilumnus_, Boisduval, ♂. |
| |
| (The figures in this plate are reduced, being only two |
| thirds of the natural size.) |
| |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+

"This memorable shower of blood was produced by the _Vanessa urticæ_ or _V. polychloros_, most probably, since these species of butterflies are said to have been uncommonly plentiful at the time when, and in the particular district where, the phenomenon was observed."

FRANK COWAN, _Curious History of Insects_.

FOR A DESIGN OF A BUTTERFLY RESTING ON A SKULL

"Creature of air and light,
Emblem of that which may not fade or die,
Wilt thou not speed thy flight,
To chase the south wind through the glowing sky?
What lures thee thus to stay,
With Silence and Decay,
Fix'd on the wreck of cold Mortality?

"The thoughts once chamber'd there
Have gather'd up their treasures, and are gone--
Will the dust tell us where
They that have burst the prison-house are flown?
Rise, nursling of the day,
If thou wouldst trace their way--
Earth hath no voice to make the secret known.

"Who seeks the vanish'd bird
By the forsaken nest and broken shell?--
Far thence he sings unheard,
Yet free and joyous in the woods to dwell.
Thou of the sunshine born,
Take the bright wings of morn!
Thy hope calls heavenward from yon ruin'd cell."

MRS. HEMAN.

SUBFAMILY PAPILIONINÆ

_Butterfly._--Generally large, and often with the hind wings adorned by tail-like projections. The most characteristic structural feature of the group is the absence of the internal vein of the hind wings. The submedian vein occupies the position usually held in other subfamilies by the internal.

_Early Stages._--In that portion of the group which includes the genus _Parnassius_ and its allies, the caterpillars are not, so far as is known, provided with scent-organs, and pupation takes place upon the ground, or among loosely scattered leaves, which are interwoven, at the time of pupation, with a few strands of silk. The genus _Papilio_ and its allies have large, fleshy, more or less cylindrical caterpillars, possessed of osmateria, or offensive scent-organs, and a general resemblance runs through the chrysalids of all species, which are attached by a button of silk at the anal extremity and supported in the middle by a silk girdle.

Genus PARNASSIUS, Latreille

(The Parnassians)

"Some to the sun their insect wings unfold,
Waft on the breeze, or sink in clouds of gold;
Transparent forms, too fine for mortal sight,
Their fluid bodies half dissolv'd in light."

POPE.

_Butterfly._--Of medium size, with more or less diaphanous wings, generally white or yellow in color, marked with black spots and round pink or yellow spots, margined with black. The head is relatively small, thickly clothed with hairs. The antennæ are short and straight, having a gradually thickened club. The palpi are very thin, straight, and clothed with long hairs. The wings are generally translucent on the margin, with a rounded apex. The upper radial is lacking. The subcostal is five-branched, the third, fourth, and fifth nervules being emitted from a common stalk which springs from the upper outer angle of the cell. The first subcostal nervule rises well before the end of the cell; the second from the same point from which the stalk which bears the other three nervules springs. The cell of the hind wing is evenly rounded at its outer extremity. The inner margin of the hind wing is more or less excavated.

_Early Stages._--The egg is turban-shaped, flattened, profusely covered with small elevations, giving it a shagreened appearance. The caterpillars have very small heads. They are flattened, having a somewhat leech-like appearance; they are black or dark brown in color, marked with numerous light spots. The chrysalis is short, rounded at the head, and pupation takes place on the surface of the ground, among leaves and litter, a few loose threads of silk being spun about the spot in which transformation occurs.

The butterflies of this genus are classified with the _Papilioninæ_, because of the fact that the internal vein of the hind wings is always wanting, a characteristic of all papilionine genera.

(1) =Parnassius clodius=, Ménétries, Plate XXXIX, Figs. 7, 9, ♂; Figs. 8, 10, ♀ (Clodius).

_Butterfly._--The species may be distinguished from the following by the uniformly larger size and the more translucent outer margins of the fore wings in the male. Expanse, ♂, 2.50-2.75 inches; ♀, 2.50-3.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--These await study. The egg and young larva were described by W.H. Edwards in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xi, p. 142, but we have no account of the later stages. The caterpillar feeds on _Sedum_ and _Saxifraga_.

_Clodius_ is found upon the mountains of California in spring and early summer. It is, like all its congeners, an alpine or boreal species.

(2) =Parnassius smintheus=, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XXXIX, Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♀; var. =behri=, Edwards, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀; var. =hermodur=, Henry Edwards, Fig. 6, ♀; _mate of hermodur_, Fig. 5, ♂ (Smintheus).

_Butterfly._--This very beautiful insect is greatly subject to variation, and the plate shows a few of the more striking forms, of which the dark female, named _hermodur_ by the late Henry Edwards, is one of the most beautiful. Expanse, ♂, 2.00-2.50 inches; ♀, 2.25-3.00 inches.

_Smintheus_ is found at proper elevations upon the mountains from Colorado to California, and from New Mexico to Montana. The life-history is most exquisitely delineated by Edwards in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. iii.

The caterpillar feeds on _Sedum_ and _Saxifraga_.

Genus PAPILIO, Linnæus

(The Swallowtails)

"The butterfly the ancient Grecians made
The soul's fair emblem, and its only name--
But of the soul, escaped the slavish trade
Of mortal life! For in this earthly frame
Ours is the reptile's lot--much toil, much blame,--
Manifold motions making little speed,
And to deform and kill the things whereon we feed."

COLERIDGE.

_Butterfly._--Generally large, frequently with the hind wings tailed. A figure of the neuration characteristic of this genus is given on p. 20, Fig. 38. From this it will be seen that the internal vein of the hind wing is lacking, the submedian vein occupying the space which is commonly occupied by the internal vein. The median vein of the fore wing is connected with the submedian by a short vein, from the point of union of which with the submedian there proceeds a short internal vein in this wing. There is great diversity of form in the wings of this genus, some species even mimicking the species of the _Euploeinæ_ and _Heliconiidæ_ very closely, and being entirely without tails. In all cases, however, in spite of obvious diversities in color and in form, there is substantial anatomical agreement in the structure of the wings; and the caterpillars and chrysalids reveal very strongly marked affinities throughout the whole vast assemblage of species, which at the present time includes about five hundred distinct forms.

_Early Stages._--The eggs are somewhat globular, flattened at the base, and smooth. The caterpillars are cylindrical, smooth, fleshy, thicker in the anterior portion of the body than in the posterior portion, and are always provided with osmateria, or protrusive scent-organs, which, when the larva is alarmed, are thrust forth, and emit a musky odor, not highly disagreeable to the human nostrils, but evidently intended to deter other creatures from attacking them. The chrysalids are always attached by a button of silk at the anal extremity, and held in place by a girdle of silk about the middle. The chrysalids are, however, never closely appressed to the surface upon which pupation takes place.

There are about twenty-seven species of this genus found within the limits of boreal America. Our fauna is therefore much richer in these magnificently colored and showy butterflies than is the fauna of all Europe, in which but three species are known from the Dardanelles to the North Cape and Gibraltar. The genus is wonderfully developed in the tropics both of the New and the Old World, and has always been a favorite with collectors, containing many of the largest as well as the handsomest insects of the order.

(1) =Papilio ajax=, Linnæus, Plate II, Fig. 14, _larva_; Plate VI, Figs. 11, 12, _chrysalis_ (Ajax).

_Butterfly._--This insect, which is one of the most beautiful in our fauna, has been the subject of attentive study in recent years, and is now known to be seasonally polymorphic. We have given in Plate XLIV figures of several of the forms.

(_a_) Winter form =walshi=; Edwards, Plate XLIV, Fig. 4, ♂. In this form, which emerges from chrysalids which have been exposed to the cold of the winter, the black bands of the wings are narrower and a trifle paler than in the other forms, the tails of the hind wing tipped with white, and the crimson spot on the inner margin near the anal angle forming a conspicuous bent bar. A variety of this form, with a more or less distinct crimson line parallel to the inner margin on the upper side of the hind wing, has been named _Papilio ajax_, var. _abbotti_, by Edwards.

Another winter form, for which I propose the name =floridensis=, is represented in Plate XLIV, Fig. 2, by a male specimen. It is characterized by the great breadth and intensity of the black bands on the upper side of the wings, which are quite as broad as in the summer form _marcellus_. I find this form prevalent in the spring of the year on the St. Johns River, in Florida. Expanse, 2.50-2.75 inches.

(_b_) Winter form =telamonides=, Felder, Plate XLIV, Fig. 1, ♂. In this form the tails of the hind wings are somewhat longer than in _walshi_, and are not simply tipped, but bordered on either side for half their length with white, and the red spots near the anal angle do not coalesce to form a crimson bar, but are separate. The black transverse bands on the upper side are wider than in _walshi_. Expanse, 2.75-3.00 inches.

(_c_) Summer form =marcellus=, Boisduval, Plate XLIV, Fig. 3, ♂. In this form, which represents the second generation emerging in the summer and fall from chrysalids produced from eggs of _walshi_, _floridensis_, and _telamonides_, the tails of the hind wings are greatly lengthened, being fully twice as long as in _walshi_, the black bands are greatly widened, and there is but a single small spot of crimson (sometimes none) above the anal angle of the secondaries. Expanse, 3.00-3.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--These are well known. The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of the papaw (_Asimina triloba_), and wherever this plant is found the butterfly is generally common.

_Ajax_ ranges from southern New England, where it is very rare, west and south over the entire country to the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains. It is very common in the lower Appalachian region, and in southern Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee is especially abundant.

(2) =Papilio eurymedon=, Boisduval, Plate XLIV, Fig. 5, ♂ (Eurymedon).

_Butterfly._--This beautiful insect belongs to the same group as the four succeeding species. In the style of the markings it recalls _P. turnus_, but the ground-color is always pale whitish-yellow or white, the tails of the hind wings are more slender, and the white marginal spots on the under side of the fore wings are fused together, forming a continuous band. There are other differences, but these, with the help of the plate, will suffice for the ready identification of the species. Expanse, 3.50-4.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--The caterpillar resembles that of _P. turnus_, but may be distinguished by its paler color and the much smaller spots composing the longitudinal series on the back and sides, and by the different color of the head. It feeds upon a variety of plants, and is especially partial to _Rhamnus californicus_.

The species ranges from Mexico to Alaska, and eastward as far as Colorado. It is abundant in the valleys of the Coast Range, and I have found it very common in the cañon of the Fraser River, in British Columbia, in the month of June.

(3) =Papilio rutulus=, Boisduval, Plate XLV, Fig. 1, ♂ (Rutulus).

_Butterfly._--The insect very closely resembles the following species in color and markings, but the female is never dimorphic as in _P. turnus_, and the marginal spots on the under side of the fore wings run together, forming a continuous band, as in _eurymedon_, and are not separate as in _P. turnus_. By these marks it may always be distinguished. Expanse, ♂, 3.50-4.00 inches; ♀, 3.75-4.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--These have been described with accuracy by W.H. Edwards in the second volume of his great work. The caterpillar differs from that of _P. turnus_ in many minute particulars. It feeds on alder and willow. It is the representative on the Pacific coast of its Eastern congener, the common Tiger Swallowtail.

(4) =Papilio turnus=, Linnæus, Plate XLIII, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, dimorphic form =glaucus=, Linnæus, ♀; Plate II, Figs. 15, 26, 28, _larva_; Plate VI, Figs. 1-4, _chrysalis_ (The Tiger Swallowtail).

_Butterfly._--The "lordly Turnus" is one of the most beautiful insects of the Carolinian fauna. The plate shows the figures about one third smaller than in life, but they are sufficient for the immediate identification of the species. The species is dimorphic in the female sex in the southern portions of the territory which it occupies. The black form of the female was regarded for a long while as a distinct species, until by the test of breeding it was ascertained that some eggs laid by yellow females produced black females, and that, conversely, eggs laid by black females often produced yellow females. In Canada and northward and westward in northern latitudes the dark dimorphic female does not occur. A small yellow dwarfed form is common about Sitka, whence I have obtained numerous specimens. Expanse, ♂, 3.00-4.00 inches; ♀, 3.50-5.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--The egg is outlined on p. 4, Fig. 3. It is green or bluish-green, quite smooth, with a few reddish spots in some specimens. The caterpillar feeds on a great variety of plants, but has a peculiar preference for the leaves of various species of wild cherry (_Cerasus_). The chrysalis is accurately portrayed in Plate VI, Figs. 1-4.

The metropolis of this species seems to be the wooded forests of the Appalachian ranges at comparatively low levels. It abounds in southwestern Pennsylvania, the Virginias, the Carolinas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. I have often found as many as a dozen of these magnificent butterflies congregated on a moist spot on the banks of the Monongahela. At Berkeley Springs, in West Virginia, I counted, one summer day, forty specimens hovering over the weeds and flowers in a small deserted field. The movements of the butterfly on the wing are bold and rapid. Its flight is dashing. Now aloft to the tops of the highest trees, now down in the shadows of the undergrowth, hither and thither it goes, often settling for a moment on some attractive flower, or staying its flight to quench its thirst on the sandy edge of a brook, and then away again over the fields and into the forests. In New England it is not very abundant, and in the Gulf States, while numerous, is still less common than about the head waters of the Ohio.

(5) =Papilio daunus=, Boisduval, Plate XXXVIII, Fig. 2, ♂ (Daunus).

_Butterfly._--This magnificent species, which is even larger than _turnus_ (the figures in the plate are greatly reduced), resembles the preceding species in color and markings, but may at once be distinguished by the two tails on the hind wing and the projection of the lobe at the anal angle of this wing. It is found among the eastern valleys of the Rocky Mountain ranges, and descends into Mexico. In Arizona it is quite common. Expanse, 4.00-5.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--These have not yet been thoroughly studied, but what we know of them shows that the species is allied very closely to its immediate congeners, and the caterpillar feeds upon the same plants, principally _Rosaceæ_.

(6) =Papilio pilumnus=, Boisduval, Plate XXXVIII, Fig. 3, ♂ (Pilumnus).

_Butterfly._--Resembling the preceding species, but smaller, having the bands and black margins of the wings decidedly broader, and the lobe of the anal angle of the hind wing so much lengthened as to give the wing the appearance of being furnished with three tails. Expanse, 3.80-4.30 inches.

_Early Stages._--All we know of these is derived from the brief account given by Schaus in "Papilio," vol. iv, p. 100. Mr. Schaus says that the larva "feeds on laurel."

The insect is Mexican, and only occasionally occurs in Arizona.

(7) =Papilio thoas=, Linnæus, Plate XLII, Fig. 4, ♂ (Thoas).

_Butterfly._--This species is readily distinguished from its near ally, _P. cresphontes_, by the greater and more uniform breadth of the median band of yellow spots traversing both the fore and the hind wing, and by the almost total absence of the curved submarginal series of spots on the primaries. There are other points of difference, but these are so marked as to make the determination of the species easy.

_Early Stages._--These have never been fully described, but we know that the caterpillar feeds upon the leaves of the lemon, the orange, and other plants of the citrus group.

_P. thoas_ is not common within the limits of the United States, where it is generally replaced by the following species; but it occasionally occurs in the hot lands of the extreme southern portion of Texas.

(8) =Papilio cresphontes=, Cramer, Plate XLII, Fig. 3, ♂; Plate II, Fig. 16, _larva_; Plate VI, Figs. 8-10, _chrysalis_ (The Giant Swallowtail).

_Butterfly._--The principal points of difference between this and the preceding species, its closest ally, have already been pointed out, and are brought into view upon the plate.

_Early Stages._--These are quite well known. The caterpillar feeds upon _Ptelea_, _Xanthoxylon_, and various species of _Citrus_. It is very common in the orange-groves of Florida, where the people call the caterpillar the "orange-puppy," and complain at times of the ravages perpetrated by it upon their trees. It appears to have been gradually spreading northward, and in quite recent years has appeared at points in the Northern States where before it had never been observed. It has been recently taken in Ontario. It has become rather abundant in the vicinity of the city of Pittsburgh, where no observer had seen it prior to the year 1894. It is one of the largest and most showy species of the genus found within our faunal limits.

(9) =Papilio aliaska=, Scudder, Plate XLI, Fig. 1, ♂ (The Alaskan Swallowtail).

_Butterfly._--This interesting form of the species, known to entomologists as _Papilio machaon_, Linnæus, and to every English school-boy as "the Swallowtail," represents a colonization from the Asiatic mainland of this insect, which is the sole representative of the genus on English soil. It differs from the English butterfly by having more yellow on the upper side of the wings, and by having the tails of the secondaries much shorter.

_Early Stages._--Undoubtedly these are very much like those of the forms found in Europe and Asia, and the caterpillar must be sought upon umbelliferous plants.

Thus far this insect has been received only from Alaska, and is still rare in collections.

(10) =Papilio zolicaon=, Boisduval, Plate XXXVIII, Fig. 1, ♂ (Zolicaon).

_Butterfly._--This species is somewhat nearly related to the preceding, but may at once be distinguished from it by the broader black borders of the wings, the deeper black on the upper side, and the longer tails of the secondaries. The figure given in the plate is only two thirds of the natural size.

_Early Stages._--These have been fully described by Edwards, and are shown to be much like those of _P. asterias_. The caterpillar, like that of the last-mentioned species, feeds upon the _Umbelliferæ_.

_Zolicaon_ ranges southward from Vancouver's Island to Arizona, and eastward to Colorado. It is more abundant in the valleys and foot-hills than on the sierras.

(11) =Papilio nitra=, Edwards, Plate XLI, Fig. 2, ♂ (Nitra).

_Butterfly._--This insect, which is still very rare in collections, is very nearly related to the preceding species, it having, no doubt, with the succeeding species, sprung from the same original stock as _zolicaon_ and _aliaska_.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The insect occurs in Montana and the portions of British America adjacent on the north.

(12) =Papilio indra=, Reakirt, Plate XLI, Fig. 3, ♀ (Indra).

_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished by the short tails of the secondaries, and the narrow bands of yellow spots on the wings closely resembling those found in the same location on the wings of _P. asterias_, ♂. Expanse, 2.50-2.75 inches.

_Early Stages._--These still await description.

_Indra_ occurs on the mountains of Colorado, Nevada, and California.

(13) =Papilio brevicauda=, Saunders, Plate XL, Fig. 5, ♀ (The Newfoundland Swallowtail).

_Butterfly._--There are two varieties of this species--one with bright-yellow spots, one with the spots more or less deeply marked with orange-yellow on the upper sides of the wing. The latter variety is represented in the plate. The form with the yellow spots is common on the island of Anticosti; the other occurs quite abundantly in Newfoundland. Expanse, 2.75-3.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--Both the caterpillar and the chrysalis show a very strong likeness to those of _P. asterias_. The larva feeds on umbelliferous plants.

The range of the species is confined to the extreme northeastern part of our faunal territory.

(14) =Papilio bairdi=, Edwards, Plate XL, Fig. 2, ♂ (Baird's Butterfly).

_Butterfly._--This form, the male of which is represented in the plate, is the Western representative of _P. asterias_, and is characterized in general by the fact that the size is larger than that of _asterias_, and the postmedian band of yellow spots is broader. The female is generally darker and larger than that sex in _asterias_. Expanse, 3.25-3.50 inches.

_Early Stages._--Not unlike those of _P. asterias_. The caterpillar feeds upon _Umbelliferæ_.

The seat of this species or form is Arizona, whence it ranges northward.

(15) =Papilio brucei=, Edwards, Plate XL, Fig. 4, ♂ (Bruce's Butterfly).

_Butterfly._--This species, which is thought to be the result of a union between _P. oregonia_ and _P. bairdi_, is found in Colorado. _Oregonia_ is, unfortunately, not represented in our plates. It flies in Oregon and Washington, where _P. bairdi_ is not found. In Colorado and adjacent regions meeting with the form _bairdi_, which ranges northward from Arizona, hybridization has occurred, and we have a fixed form breeding either toward _bairdi_ or _oregonia_. To this form, characterized by more yellow on the bands of the wings than in _P. bairdi_, and less than in _oregonia_, Mr. Edwards has applied the name _P. brucei_, in honor of Mr. Bruce of Lockport, New York, who has done much to elucidate the problems connected with the species. Expanse, 3.25-3.60 inches.

_Early Stages._--These have been fully described by Edwards. They are much like those of _asterias_, and the food-plants belong to the same class.

Bruce's Butterfly is found quite abundantly in Colorado.

(16) =Papilio hollandi=, Edwards, Plate XL, Fig. 3, ♂ (Holland's Butterfly).

_Butterfly._--This species or form, which belongs to the Asterias-group, in the breadth of the yellow spots on the upper side of the wings holds a place intermediate between _P. bairdi_ and _P. zolicaon_, between which it has been suggested that it may be a hybrid, which has become fixed, and therefore a species. It is characterized by the fact that the abdomen is always striped laterally with yellow or is wholly yellow. Expanse, 3.25-3.50 inches.

_Early Stages._--We know as yet but little of these.

The insect occurs in Arizona and northward to Colorado.

(17) =Papilio asterias=, Fabricius, Plate XL, Fig. 1, ♂; Plate II, Figs. 17, 24, 27, _larva_; Plate VI, Figs. 13, 18, 19, _chrysalis_ (The Common Eastern Swallowtail).

_Butterfly._--The male is well represented in the plate. The female lacks the bright-yellow band of postmedian spots on the primaries, or they are but faintly indicated. The species is subject to considerable variation in size and the intensity of the markings. A very remarkable aberration in which the yellow spots cover almost the entire outer half of the wings has been found on several occasions, and was named _Papilio calverleyi_ by Grote. The female of this form from the type in the author's collection is represented in Plate XLI, Fig. 6. Expanse, 2.75-3.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--The caterpillar feeds on the _Umbelliferæ_, and is common on parsley and parsnips in gardens. In the South I have found that it had a special liking for fennel, and a few plants in the kitchen-garden always yielded me in my boyhood an abundant supply of the larvæ.

_P. asterias_ ranges all over the Atlantic States and the valley of the Mississippi.

(18) =Papilio troilus=, Linnæus, Plate XLI, Fig. 5, ♂; Plate II, Figs. 18, 19, 22, _larva_; Plate VI, Figs. 5-7, _chrysalis_ (The Spice-bush Swallowtail).

_Butterfly._--The upper side of the male is accurately depicted in the plate. The female has less bluish-green on the upper side of the hind wings. Expanse, 3.75-4.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--The caterpillar lives upon the leaves of the common spicewood and sassafras, and draws the edges of a leaf together, thus forming a nest in which it lies hidden.

The insect is found throughout the Atlantic States and in the Mississippi Valley.

(19) =Papilio palamedes=, Drury, Plate XLII, Fig. 1, ♀ (Palamedes).

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The Butterfly BookChapter IV: Books About North American Butterflies (10)

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