The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Butterfly Book by W.J. Holland, PH.D., D.D., LL.D.

The chrysalids are of peculiar form, with bifid heads and broad wing-cases. They are generally brown in color, with metallic spots. The only species in our fauna is confined to southern California, Arizona, and Mexico.

(1) Adelpha californica, Butler, Plate XXII, Fig. 2, ♁ (The Californian Sister).

Butterfly.—Easily recognized by the large subtriangular patch of orange-red at the apex of the primaries. In its habits and manner of flight it closely resembles the species of the genus Basilarchia. Expanse, 2.50-3.00 inches.

Early Stages.—So far as is known to the writer, these have not been described, except partially by Henry Edwards in the "Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences," vol. v, p. 171. The caterpillar feeds upon oaks.

Butterfly.—Small butterflies, generally some shade of fulvous, marked with eye-like spots on the posterior margin of the secondaries, and occasionally upon the outer margin of the primaries, the fore wings as well as the hind wings being in addition more or less strongly spotted and banded with black. The eyes are naked; the antennæ are straight, provided with a stout, oval club; the palpi are porrect, the second joint heavily clothed with hairs, the third joint short, likewise covered with scales. The costal vein of the fore wing is stout. The first subcostal vein alone arises before the end of the cell. The cell is open in both wings.

Egg.—The eggs, which are deposited in clusters, are nearly globular, the summit broad and convex. The egg is ornamented by from eighteen to twenty rather broad vertical ribs, having no great elevation, between which are numerous faint and delicate cross-lines.

Caterpillar.—The head is subquadrate, with the summit crowned by a pair of diverging stout coronal spines which have upon them a number of radiating spinules. Back of the head, on the sides, is a frill of curved spines. The body is cylindrical, thickest at the middle, tapering forward and backward from this point. The anal prolegs are widely divergent and elongated, as in many genera of the Satyrinœ.

Chrysalis.—The chrysalis is compressed laterally and keeled on the dorsal side, concave on the ventral side, the head distinctly bifid. The cremaster is very remarkable, presenting the appearance of a flattened disk, the sides studded with hooks, by means of which the chrysalis is attached to the surface, from which it depends in such a manner that the ventral surface is parallel to the plane of support.

There are a number of species, mainly confined to the southwestern portion of the United States, though some of them range southward into Mexico. Two only are known in the Middle States. The species are double-brooded in the more northern parts of the country, and the caterpillars produced from eggs laid by the second brood hibernate.

(1) Chlorippe celtis, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XXIII, Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♁; Fig. 11, ♂, under side (The Hackberry Butterfly).

Butterfly, ♂.—The primaries at the base and the secondaries except at the outer angle pale olive-brown, the rest of the wings black. The dark apical tract of the primaries is marked by two irregular, somewhat broken bands of white spots. There is a red-ringed eye-spot between the first and second median nervules, near the margin of the fore wing, and there are six such spots on each hind wing. On the under side the ground-color is grayish-purple; the spots and markings of the upper side reappear on this side.

♁.—The female has the wings, as is always the case in this genus, much broader and not so pointed at the apex of the primaries as in the male sex, and the color is much paler. Expanse, ♂, 1.80 inch; ♁, 2.10 inches.

Early Stages.—These are beautifully described and delineated by Edwards in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. ii. The caterpillar feeds on the hackberry (Celtis occidentalis).

This species is found generally from southern Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. It is not, so far as is known, found on the Pacific coast.

Butterfly.—Bright yellowish-fulvous on the upper side. Easily distinguished from celtis by the two eye-spots near the margin of the primaries. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.

(3) Chlorippe montis, Edwards, Plate XXII, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♁ (The Mountain Emperor).

Butterfly.—Very closely allied to C. antonia in the style and location of the markings, but tinted with pale ashen-gray on the upper side of the wings, and not yellowish-fulvous as in the last-named species. Expanse, ♂, 1.75 inch; ♁, 2.15 inches.

Montis occurs in Arizona and Colorado, and by some writers is regarded as a varietal form of antonia, in which opinion they may be correct.

Butterfly.—Like antonia, this species has two extra-median eye-spots on the primaries, and thus may be distinguished from celtis. From antonia it may be separated by its larger size and the deeper reddish-brown color of the upper surfaces. Expanse, 2.10-2.50 inches.

Butterfly.—Very bright fawn at the base of the wings, shading into pale buff outwardly. There is but one eye-spot on the primaries. The six eye-spots on the secondaries are black and very conspicuous. The marginal bands are darker and heavier than in any other species of the genus. Expanse, ♂, 2.00 inches; ♁, 2.50 inches.

(6) Chlorippe clyton, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XXIII, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♁; Plate III, Fig. 20, larva; Plate IV, Figs. 15-17, chrysalis (The Tawny Emperor).

Butterfly, ♂.—The fore wings without an extra-median eye-spot, and the secondaries broadly obscured with dark brown or blackish, especially on the outer borders, so that the eye-spots are scarcely, if at all, visible.

♁.—Much larger and paler in color than the male, the eye-spots on the secondaries conspicuous. Expanse, ♂, 2.00 inches; ♁, 2.50-2.65 inches.

Early Stages.—The life-history has been carefully worked out, and the reader who wishes to know all about it should consult the writings of Edwards and Scudder.

This species is occasionally found in New England, and ranges thence westward to Michigan, and southward to the Gulf States. It is quite common in the valley of the Ohio.

(7) Chlorippe flora, Edwards, Plate XXIII, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♁ (Flora).

Butterfly, ♂.—The ground-color is bright reddish-fulvous on the upper side. The usual markings occur, but there is no eye-spot, or ocellus, on the primaries. The hind wings are not heavily obscured with dark brown, as in clyton, and the six ocelli stand forth conspicuously upon the reddish ground. The hind wings are more strongly angulated than in any other species. The borders are quite solidly black.

♁.—The female is much larger than the male, and looks like a very pale female of clyton. Expanse, ♂, 1.75 inch; ♁, 2.35 inches.

Early Stages.—The life-history has been described by Edwards in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xiii, p. 81. The habits of the insect in its early stages and the appearance of the larva and chrysalis do not differ widely from those of C. clyton, its nearest ally.

Butterfly.—Medium-sized butterflies, on the upper side of the wings for the most part red or fulvous, on the under side of the wings obscurely mottled on the secondaries and the costal and apical tracts of the primaries in such a manner as to cause them to appear on this side like rusty and faded leaves. Structurally they are characterized by the somewhat falcate shape of the primaries and the strongly produced outer margin of the secondaries about the termination of the third median nervule. The first and second subcostal nervules coalesce with one another and with the costal vein. The costal margin of the fore wing at the base is strongly angulated, and the posterior margin of the primaries is straight. The cell of the secondaries is very feebly closed.

Egg.—Spherical, flattened at the base and somewhat depressed at the apex, with a few parallel horizontal series of raised points about the summit.

Caterpillar.—Head somewhat globular in appearance; the anterior portion of the first thoracic segment of the body is much smaller in diameter than the head; the body is cylindrical, tapering to a point.

Chrysalis.—Short, stout, with transverse ridges above the wings on the middle of the abdomen, keeled on the sides. The cremaster is small and furnished with a globular tip, the face of which is on the same plane as the ventral surface of the body, causing the chrysalis to hang somewhat obliquely from the surface which supports it.

This is a large genus of mostly tropical species, possessed of rather singular habits. The caterpillars in the early stages of their existence have much the same habits as the caterpillars of the genus Basilarchia, which have been already described. After passing the third moult they construct for themselves nests by weaving the edges of a leaf together, and thus conceal themselves from sight, emerging in the dusk to feed upon the food-plant. They live upon the Euphorbiaceæ, the Lauraceæ, and the Piperaceæ. The insects are double-brooded in the cooler regions of the North, and are probably many-brooded in the tropics.

(1) Pyrrhanæa andria, Scudder, Plate XXIV, Fig. 1, ♁ (The Goatweed Butterfly).

Butterfly, ♂.—Solidly bright red above, the outer margins narrowly dusky on the borders. On the under side the wings are gray, dusted with brown scales, causing them to resemble the surface of a dried leaf.

♁.—The female has the upper side paler and marked by pale fulvous bands, as shown in the plate. Expanse, ♂, 2.50 inches; ♁, 3.00 inches.

Early Stages.—In Fig. 21, on p. 9, is a good representation of the mature caterpillar, the nest which it constructs for itself, and the chrysalis. A full account of the life-history may be found in the "Fifth Missouri Report" from the pen of the late C.V. Riley. The caterpillar feeds on Croton capitatum.

(2) Pyrrhanæa morrisoni, Edwards, Plate XXIV, Fig. 2, ♁ (Morrison's Goatweed Butterfly).

Butterfly, ♂.—Much like P. andria, but more brilliantly and lustrously red on the upper side, and marked with paler macular bands like the female.

♁.—Differing from the female of P. andria in the more macular, or spotted, arrangement of the light bands on the wings, as is well shown in the plate. Expanse, 2.25-2.50 inches.

Butterfly.—Splendid purplish-red on the upper side. On the under side the fore wings are laved with bright yellow on the basal and inner marginal tracts, and the secondaries are dark brown, irrorated with blackish scales arranged in spots and striæ. Expanse, 2.75-3.00 inches.

Butterfly.—The antennæ moderately long, delicate, terminated in a gradually thickened club. The eyes are naked; the palpi are compressed, only slightly porrect, not densely covered with scales. The neuration is alike in both sexes, the costal and the median veins greatly thickened toward the base. The first and second subcostals arise from before the end of the cell; the fourth and fifth subcostals arise from a common stem emitted from the third subcostal beyond the end of the cell. The cells in both the fore and hind wings are closed. The butterflies are of medium or large size, curiously marked with checkered spots, blue and white, with broad paler shades on the under side of the secondaries. They are rapid fliers and are said to alight on the trunks of trees with their wings expanded and their heads down. When flying they emit a clicking sound with their wings.

This genus is, strictly speaking, neotropical. About twenty-five species have been described from Central and South America, some of them being exceedingly beautiful and rich in color. The two species credited to our fauna are reported as being occasionally found in Texas. I have specimens of one of the species which certainly came from Texas. I cannot be so sure of the other.

(1) Ageronia feronia, Linnæus, Plate XXIV, Fig. 4, ♂ (The White-skirted Calico).

Butterfly.—Easily distinguished from the only other species of the genus found in our fauna by the white ground-color of the under side of the hind wings. Expanse, 2.50 inches.

(2) Ageronia fornax, Hübner, Plate XXIV, Fig. 5, ♂, under side (The Orange-skirted Calico).

Butterfly.—Closely resembling the preceding species on the upper side, but at once distinguished by the orange-yellow ground-color of the under side of the hind wing. Expanse, 2.60 inches.

Butterfly.—Large butterflies, curiously and conspicuously marked with light-greenish spots upon a darker ground; wings upon the under side marbled with brown about the spots and having a satiny luster. The third median nervule of the fore wing is very strongly bowed upward. The cells of both wings are open. The hind wing is tailed at the end of the third median nervule. The two first subcostals arise before the end of the cell; the fourth and fifth spring from a common stem which is emitted from the third beyond the end of the cell, as the cut shows.

This genus, in which are reckoned five species, all found in the tropics of the New World, is represented by but a single species in our fauna, which occurs in southwestern Texas and in Florida. It is very common in the West Indies and Central America.

(1) Victorina steneles, Linnæus, Plate XXIV, Fig. 6, ♂ (The Pearly Malachite).

This splendid insect is occasionally found in southern Florida and the extreme southern part of Texas. It is common throughout tropical America. Nothing has ever been written upon its early stages.

Investigations within comparatively recent times have led to the discovery of a host of fossil insects. A few localities in Europe and in North America are rich in such remains, and the number of species that have been described amounts to several thousands. Strangely enough, some of these fossil insects are very closely allied in form to species that are living at the present time, showing the extreme antiquity of many of our genera. One of the comparatively recent discoveries has been the fossil remains of a butterfly which Dr. Scudder, who has described it, declares to be very near to the African Libythea labdaca, which differs in certain minor anatomical respects from the American Libytheas which are figured in this work; and Dr. Scudder has therefore proposed a new generic name, Dichora, meaning "an inhabitant of two lands," which he applies to the African species because related to the extinct American butterfly. The strange discoveries, which have been made by palæontologists as to the huge character of many of the mammals, birds, and reptiles which at one time tenanted the globe, are paralleled by recent discoveries made in insect-bearing strata in France. M. Charles Brongniart of the Paris Museum is preparing an account of the collection which he has made at Commentry, and among the creatures which he proposes to figure is an insect which is regarded by Brongniart as one of the forerunners of our dragon-flies, which had an expanse of wing of two feet, a veritable giant in the insect world.

Of fossil butterflies there have thus far been discovered sixteen species. Of these, six belong to the subfamily of the Nymphalidæ, and five of the six were found in the fossiliferous strata of Florissant, Colorado. Two species belong to the subfamily Satyrinæ, both occurring in deposits found in southern France, and representing genera more nearly allied to those now found in India and America than to the Satyrinæ existing at the present time in Europe. One of the fossils to which reference has already been made belongs to the subfamily of the Libytheinæ. The remainder represent the subfamilies of the Pierinæ, the Papilioninæ, and the family Hesperiidæ.

It is remarkable that the butterflies which have been found in a fossil state show a very close affinity to genera existing at the present time, for the most part, in the warmer regions of the earth. Though ages have elapsed since their remains were embedded in the mud which became transformed into stone, the processes of life have not wrought any marked structural changes in the centuries which have fled. This fixity of type is certainly remarkable in creatures so lowly in their organization.

SUBFAMILY SATYRINÆ (THE SATYRS)

"Aught unsavory or unclean Hath my insect never seen; But violets and bilberry bells, Maple-sap and daffodils, Grass with green flag half-mast high, Succory to match the sky, Columbine with horn of honey, Scented fern and agrimony, Clover, catch-fly, adder's-tongue And brier-roses dwelt among."

Emerson.

The butterflies belonging to this subfamily are, for the most part, of medium size, and are generally obscure in color, being of some shade of brown or gray, though a few species within our territory are brightly colored. Gaily colored species belonging to this subfamily are more numerous in the tropics of both hemispheres. The wings are very generally ornamented, especially upon the under side, by eye-like spots, dark, pupiled in the center with a point of lighter color, and ringed around with one or more light circles. They are possessed of a weak flight, flitting and dancing about among herbage, and often hiding among the weeds and grasses. Most of them are forest-loving insects, though a few inhabit the cold and bleak summits of mountains and grassy patches near the margins of streams in the far North, while some are found on the treeless prairies of the West. In the warmer regions of the Gulf States a few species are found which have the habit of flitting about the grass of the roadsides and in open spaces about houses. The veins of the fore wings are generally greatly swollen at the base, enabling them thus to be quickly distinguished from all other butterflies of this family.

The eggs, so far as we have knowledge of them, are subspherical, somewhat higher than broad, generally ribbed along the sides, particularly near the apex, and rounded at the base, which is generally broader than the apex.

The caterpillars at the time of emergence from the egg have the head considerably larger than the remainder of the body; but when they have reached maturity they are cylindrical, tapering a little from the middle to either end. They are bifurcated at the anal extremity, a character which enables them to be distinguished at a glance from the larvæ of all other American butterflies except those of the genus Chlorippe. They are mostly pale green or light brown in color, ornamented with stripes along the sides. They feed upon grasses and sedges, lying in concealment during the daytime, and emerging at dusk to take their nourishment.

The chrysalids are rather stout in form, but little angulated, and without any marked prominences or projections. They are green or brown in color. Most of them are pendant, but a few forms pupate at the roots of grasses or under stones lying upon the ground.

The butterflies of this subfamily have been arranged, so far as they are represented in the faunal region of which this book treats, in nine genera, which include about sixty species. It is quite possible that a number of species still remain to be discovered and described, though it is also true that some of the so-called species are likely to prove in the end little more than local races or varieties.

"The wild bee and the butterfly Are bright and happy things to see, Living beneath a summer sky."

Eliza Cook.

Butterfly.—Characterized by the stout but not greatly swollen costal vein of the fore wing, by the rather short costal vein of the hind wing, which terminates before quite reaching the outer angle, by the great length of the lower discocellular vein of the fore wing, and by the prolongation of the outer margin of the hind wing at the end of the third median nervule. The outer margin of the fore wing is either rounded or slightly excavated. The palpi are long and narrow, thickly clothed with hairs below; the antennæ are moderately long, gradually thickening toward the tip, without a well-marked club; the fore legs in both sexes greatly atrophied.

Egg.—Flattened spheroidal, broadly truncated at the base, the surface smooth.

Caterpillar.—Body long, slender, tapering from the middle; the head cleft, each half being produced upward as a conical horn; the anal segment provided with a pair of horns similar to those of the head, produced longitudinally backward.

Chrysalis.—Strongly convex dorsally, concave ventrally, with a stout tubercular eminence on the thorax, without any other projecting tubercles or eminences; light green in color.

This genus is large, and is well represented in Asia and the Indo-Malayan region. I cannot see any good ground for generically separating the two species found in North America from their congeners of Asiatic countries, as has been done by some writers.

(1) Debis portlandia, Plate XVIII, Fig. 20, ♂; Plate III, Fig. 16, larva; Plate IV, Fig. 6, chrysalis (The Pearly Eye).

Butterfly.—The butterfly, the male of which is well depicted as to its upper side on the plate, does not differ greatly in the sexes. The hind wings on the under side are marked with a series of beautiful ocelli. In the North the insect is single-brooded; in the region of West Virginia and southward it is double-brooded. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.

Early Stages.—The illustrations give a good idea of the mature larva and the chrysalis. The caterpillar, like most of the Satyrinæ, feeds upon grasses.

The range of this pretty insect is extensive, it being found from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico, and westward to the Rocky Mountains.

(2) Debis creola, Skinner, Plate XVIII, Fig. 18, ♂; Fig. 19, ♁ (The Creole).

Butterfly.—Easily distinguished from the preceding species by the elongated patches of dark raised scales upon the fore wings, situated on the interspaces between the median nervules. The female has more yellow upon the upper side of the fore wings than D. portlandia. Expanse, 2.25 inches.

Butterfly.—The head is moderately large; the eyes are not prominent, hairy; the antennæ are about half as long as the costa of the fore wing, not distinctly clubbed, gradually thickening toward the extremity. The palpi are slender, compressed, hairy below, with the last joint rather short and pointed. The fore and hind wings are evenly rounded on the outer margin. The costal vein of the fore wing is thickened, but not greatly swollen. The first and second subcostals are emitted well before the end of the cell, the third beyond it, and the fourth and fifth from a common stem, both terminating below the apex. The upper discocellular vein is wanting, and the upper radial, therefore, springs from the upper angle of the cell of the fore wing.

Egg.—Flattened spheroidal, broader than high, flat at the base and rounded above.

Caterpillar.—The head is full, the summit of either half produced upward and forward into a slender, conical horn. The body is nearly cylindrical, tapering backward, the last segment furnished with two pointed, backward projections, resembling the horns of the head.

Chrysalis.—Relatively longer and more slender than in the preceding genus, with the thoracic prominence more acute and the head more sharply pointed.

This genus was erected to receive the single species which, until the present time, is its sole representative.

(1) Satyrodes canthus, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XXV, Fig. 1, ♂; Plate III, Fig. 9, larva; Plate IV, Fig. 9, chrysalis (The Common Grass-nymph).

Butterfly.—It always haunts meadows and hides among the tufts of tall grasses growing in moist places. It is rather common in New England and the Northern States generally. It is found in Canada and is reported from the cool upper mountain valleys in the Carolinas. It has a weak, jerking flight, and is easily taken when found. Expanse, 1.65-1.90 inch.

Early Stages.—These have been well described by various writers. The caterpillar feeds upon grasses.

"Oh! the bonny, bonny dell, whaur the primroses won, Luikin' oot o' their leaves like wee sons o' the sun; Whaur the wild roses hing like flickers o' flame, And fa' at the touch wi' a dainty shame; Whaur the bee swings ower the white-clovery sod, And the butterfly flits like a stray thoucht o' God."

MacDonald.

Butterfly.—Eyes hairy. The costal and median veins of the fore wings are much swollen at the base. The palpi are thin, compressed, thickly clothed below with long hairs. The antennæ are comparatively short, gradually thickening toward the outer extremity, and without a well-defined club. Both the fore wing and the hind wing have the outer margin evenly rounded.

Egg.—Globular, flattened at the base, marked with irregular polygonal cells.

Caterpillar.—The head is large, rounded, the two halves produced conically and studded with little conical papillæ. The last segment of the body is bifurcate.

Chrysalis.—Relatively long, strongly produced at the vertex; elevated on the thorax into a blunt tubercular prominence; green in color.

This genus, which has by some writers been sunk into the genus Euptychia, Hübner, is quite extensive. Nearly two hundred species are included in Euptychia, which is enormously developed in the tropical regions of the New World. Seven species of Neonympha are found within the region of which this book treats.

(1) Neonympha gemma, Hübner, Plate XXV, Fig. 2, ♂, under side (The Gemmed Brown).

Butterfly.—Upon the upper side the wings are pale mouse-gray, with a couple of twinned black spots on the outer margin of the hind wings. On the under side the wings are reddish-gray, marked with irregular ferruginous lines. Near the outer margin of the hind wings is a row of silvered spots, the spots corresponding in location to the dark marginal spots being expanded into a violet patch marked in the middle by a twinned black spot centered with silver. Expanse, 1.25-1.35 inch.

Early Stages.—These have been beautifully described and figured by Edwards in the third volume of "The Butterflies of North America."

The egg is somewhat globular, rather higher than wide, flattened at the base, and marked with numerous shallow reticulated depressions. The caterpillar of the spring brood is pale green, of the fall brood pale brown, marked respectively with numerous longitudinal stripes of darker green or brown. It has two long, elevated, horn-like projections upon the head, and on the anal segment two similar projections pointing straight backward. The chrysalis is small, green, or brown, strongly bifid at the head. The caterpillar feeds on grasses.

Butterfly.—Much like N. gemma, but considerably larger and decidedly reddish upon the upper side of the wings. Expanse, 1.65 inch.

Early Stages.—Mr. Edwards has figured the egg, which is different in shape from that of the preceding species, being broader than high, subglobular, flattened broadly at the base, green in color, and almost devoid of sculpturings upon its surface. Of the other stages we know nothing.

(3) Neonympha phocion, Fabricius, Plate XXV, Fig. 7, ♂, under side; Plate III, Fig. 8, larva; Plate IV, Figs. 10 and 11 (The Georgian Satyr).

Butterfly.—The upper side is immaculate gray; beneath pale, with two ferruginous transverse lines. Between these lines is a ferruginous line on each wing, rudely describing a circle. In the circle on the fore wing are three or four eye-spots with a blue pupil and a yellow iris; in the circle on the hind wing are six eye-spots which are oblong and have the pupil oval. Expanse, 1.25 inch.

Early Stages.—These have been fully described, and are not unlike those of other species of the genus. The caterpillar feeds on grasses.

(4) Neonympha eurytus, Fabricius, Plate XXV, Fig. 4, ♂; Plate III, Figs. 3, 6, 10, 13, 14, larva; Plate IV, Fig. 28, chrysalis (The Little Wood-satyr).

Butterfly.—Easily distinguished from other species in our fauna by the presence of two more or less perfectly developed ocelli on the upper side of the fore wing and also of the hind wing. Expanse, 1.75 inch.

Early Stages.—This is a rather common butterfly, the larval stages of which have been fully described by various authors. The egg is even taller in proportion to its breadth than that of N. gemma, which it otherwise closely resembles in outline and sculpturing. The caterpillar is pale brown, conformed in general form to that of other species of the genus, but somewhat stouter. It feeds on grasses. The chrysalis is pale brown, mottled with darker brown.

The insect ranges through Canada and the United States to Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas.

(5) Neonympha mitchelli, French, Plate XXV, Fig. 6, ♂, under side (Mitchell's Satyr).

Butterfly.—Easily distinguished from the other species of the genus by the eye-spots on the under side of the wings, four on each of the primaries and six on each of the secondaries, arranged in a straight series on the outer third, well removed from the margin. These spots are black, ringed about with yellow and pupiled with blue.

The species is local, and thus far is recorded only from northern New Jersey, near Lake Hopatcong, and the State of Michigan. No doubt it occurs elsewhere, but has been overlooked by collectors.

(6) Neonympha sosybius, Fabricius, Plate XXV, Fig. 5, ♂, under side (The Carolinian Satyr).

Butterfly.—The upper surface is immaculate dark mouse-gray. On the under side the wings are paler, with three transverse undulatory lines, one defining the basal, the other the median area, and one just within the margin. Between the last two are rows of ocelli. The spots in these rows are obscure, except the first on the primaries and the second and last two on the secondaries, which are black, ringed about with yellow and pupiled with blue.

Early Stages.—These have been described by Edwards, French, and Scudder, and do not differ strikingly from those of other species.

The species ranges from the latitude of New Jersey southward, throughout the southern half of the Mississippi Valley to Mexico and Central America.

Butterfly.—Easily distinguished by its much redder color from all its congeners, among which it has its closest ally in N. eurytus. It has an eye-spot near the apex of the fore wing, and one near the anal angle of the hind wing. The basal area of the primaries beneath is bright reddish; the secondaries on this side are gray, crossed by two transverse lines as in the preceding species, and a double submarginal line. On the fore wings the double submarginal line is repeated, and in addition there is another line which runs upward from just before the inner angle to the costa, at about one third of its length from the apex. The eye-spots of the upper side reappear below, and in addition there is another near the outer angle of the secondaries, and a few silvery well-defined ocelli between the two on the secondaries.

Butterfly.—Small butterflies. The costal, median, and submedian veins are all strongly swollen. The palpi are very heavily clothed with hairs, the last joint quite long and porrect. The antennæ are short, delicate, gradually but distinctly clubbed. The eyes are naked. Both wings on the outer margin are evenly rounded.

Egg.—The egg is conical, truncated, flat on the top, rounded at the base, with the sides marked with numerous low, narrow ribs, between which are slight cross-lines, especially toward the apex.

Caterpillar.—The head is globular; the body is cylindrical, tapering gradually backward, furnished in the last segment with two small horizontal cone-shaped projections.

Chrysalis.—Ventrally straight, dorsally convex, strongly produced in a rounded, somewhat keeled eminence over the thorax; pointed at the end. Generally green or light drab in color, with dark markings on the sides of the wing-cases.

This genus is distributed throughout the temperate regions both of the Old and the New World, and includes in our fauna a number of forms, the most of which are peculiar to the Pacific coast.

(1) Cœnonympha california, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XXV, Fig. 14, ♁; form galactinus, Boisduval, Plate XXV, Fig. 9, ♂; form eryngii, Henry Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 10, ♂ (The California Ringlet).

Butterfly.—This little species is to be distinguished from its near allies by its white color. The form galactinus is the winter form; the form california the summer form. The former is characterized by the darker color of the hind wings on the under side and the more prominent development of the marginal ocelli. The form eryngii is simply a yellower form, with less dark shading on the under side.

Early Stages.—These have been most carefully and beautifully worked out by Edwards, and the reader, for a full knowledge of them, may consult the splendid plate in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. iii.

The species ranges from Vancouver's Island southward on the Pacific coast and eastward into Nevada.

(2) Cœnonympha elko, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 25, ♁, under side; Fig. 26, ♂ (The Elko Ringlet).

Butterfly.—Yellow on both sides of the wings, the lower side paler than the upper, and the basal area lightly clouded with fuscous.

(3) Cœnonympha inornata, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 13, ♂, under side; Fig. 29, ♂ (The Plain Ringlet).

Butterfly.—The wings on the upper side are ochreous-brown, lighter on the disk. The costal margin of the fore wings and the outer margin of both fore and hind wings are gray. The ocellus at the apex of the fore wings on the under side is faintly visible on the upper side. On the under side the fore wings are colored as on the upper side as far as the termination of the discal area, which is marked by a narrow transverse band of pale yellow, followed by a conspicuous ocellus. The hind wings are gray, darkest toward the base, behind the irregular whitish transverse band which crosses the outer portion of the disk.

The species occurs in Montana, Minnesota, British America, and Newfoundland. Newfoundland specimens, of which I possess a large series, are distinctly darker in color than those taken in the Northwest. Some recent writers are inclined to regard this as a variety of the European C. typhon. I am persuaded that they are mistaken.

(4) Cœnonympha ochracea, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 11, ♂; Fig. 12, ♂, under side (The Ochre Ringlet).

Butterfly.—Glossy ochreous, yellow above, with no markings but those which show through from below. On the under side the wings are marked precisely as in the preceding species, except that there are two or three small rays on the secondaries near the base, one on the cell and one on either side of it, of the same tint as the discal transverse band, and in some specimens there is a series of incomplete marginal ocelli on the hind wings.

(5) Cœnonympha ampelos, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 21, ♂, under side; Fig. 30, ♂ (The Ringless Ringlet).

Butterfly.—Distinguished from its allies by the total absence of ocelli on both wings, above and below. Otherwise the species is very near ochracea.

Early Stages.—These have been described with minute accuracy by Edwards in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xix, p. 41.

(6) Cœnonympha kodiak, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 22, ♁ (The Alaskan Ringlet).

Butterfly.—Much darker both on the upper and under sides than C. california, which in many other respects it resembles. The figure in the plate is that of the type. It is as yet rare in collections.

(7) Cœnonympha pamphiloides, Reakirt, Plate XXV, Fig. 27, ♁, under side; Fig. 31, ♂ (The Utah Ringlet).

Butterfly.—Rather larger than the other species of the genus found in North America. Easily distinguished by the marginal row of ocelli on the secondaries, which are always present, though often "blind," that is to say, without a distinct dark pupil. The author of the species named it from a supposed likeness to the European C. pamphilus. The resemblance is only superficial. C. pamphilus is a much smaller insect and much more plainly marked, judging from the large series of specimens I have received from various European localities. Pamphilus has no eye-spots on the hind wings. They are a conspicuous feature of pamphiloides, more so than in any other North American species except C. haydeni.

(8) Cœnonympha haydeni, Plate XXV, Fig. 24, ♂, under side (Hayden's Ringlet).

Butterfly.—Dark immaculate mouse-gray on the upper side. On the under side the wings are pale hoary gray, with the hind wings adorned by a marginal series of small ocelli, black, ringed about with yellow and pupiled with pale blue.