TIIE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 231

' -Nerice bidentataWall<., on Elm. Eurlrltas unio l3oisd., on Epilobittm coloratttm M:uhL K AnQhion zzesszzs Hiibn., on 't 'r Dei/e/h//a lineata l{arr., on t' tl Eemaris marginalis Grote, on Lorticera serny'etztirens Ait. ; and on Trio s teultt I e rfo / i alu tn L.

DESCRIPTION OF THtr P1IEPARATORY STAGES O}- EUPTOIETA CLAUDIA, Cneuon,

BY W, H. EDWARDS, COALBUIIGH, W. VA.

EGG-Conoidal, depressed at tcp, flat at base, shaped generally like the eggs of Argynnis ( fr/alia, C2be/e, &,c.), but taller in proportion to its breadth than in the species named, r.vith the sides less rounded ; marked by about zo pron'iinent, vertical, straight ribs, half of which extend from base to summit, forming around the depression a serrated rim, the rest ending irregtilarly at two fifths to four fifths the distance from base, the shorter ones occasionally joining the others I marked horizontally by numerous prominent strie. DLrration of this stage from 5 to r2 days, according to the season. YOUNG LARVA -Lengtir . r inch ; cyli.ndrical, thickest from 6th to gth segment, tapering slightly to head, rapidly to r3; greenish-yellow, translucent I each segment frorn 3 ia r2 rounded and crossed transversely by two irregular rols of dark tuberculated spots or points on a pale ground, each spot sending out a blach hair ; on z is a black stripe across dorsurn; head a little broader tltan z, rounded' black, with many fine hairs. Duration of this stage from z to 4 days. After rst Moult-Length .r5 inch I color reddish-yellow, lvith two dorsal and one lateral row of indistinct' l'hitish spots, which cover the junction of the segrlents and are in line rvith the spines ; these last form six rorvs, and are short, flesh1,, tapeling, black, and of nearly equal length ; each spine peset with many short and fine black hairs (for arrangement of the spines, rvhich is unifortrt in :rLl tl're succeeding stages, see description of the matr-rre iarva) ; ot:\ z is a reddish collar edged by white ; head bilobed, the -rertices rouuded, shining black. To next nroult z to 3 davs. 232 T}IE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST.

After znd Moult--Length .3 inch I color a shade darker, the spines lengthened, those on z measuring .o5 inch, being considerably longer than the rest, directed a little fortr,ard and sombn'hat recurved ; the white rows more distinct and tnore complete, and stand on narlow pale brown bands ; head as before. T'o next moult z to 6 days. After 3rd Moult-Length .55 inc)r I muclt as at lrst preceding stage, the red darker, surface highli' polished, the spines blue-b1ack, shining; thbse on znd rorv.rz inch long, and mct'e porrected, the others but .o4 inch; head brown-black, red behind the vertices. To next mor.rlt z to 5 days. After 4th Morrlt-Lengtlr jtrst altcr tlris nruul[ '7 inclr: z4 hoursafter sarne ,9 in., and in 3 days reached matr-rrit1'-. NiATURE LARVA-Length r.2 inch ; cylindrical, slender, of nearly even size, the last 4 or 5 segments tapering bLrt slightly ; each segment rounded ; color Passiflora ; also on Viola and Sedum, and probably other plants. In r67r I received from NIr. T. L. Mead, then in Colorado, a plant of Sedun'r bv ilail, about ro days on the road. On opening rhe lreckagt' I found a cetcrpi)lar of Claur|i,t, which had hatched on the road and had passed its second moult. I kept it for some days and it fed altogether on the florvers of the Sedunr. I{ere 234 TH}I CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. at Coalburgh the butterfly is not ver;v cclllmon, but I see several examples The every )rear about the flowers. It flies and behaves like Argynnis' female will 1ay eggs readilyrvhen confined rvith Violet ol Passion-vine, but prefers tl-re latter, and if the t$,o plants are offered the larva the vine is preferred. 'fhe lana of the surniler brooci matrue rapidly, but those of the fall blood probably hybernate v,'hen half grolvrl. On rzth Septem- ber, 1873, I obtained a numbtr of eggs. pert of rvhich rvere laid on Passion-vine. part on Violet. 'Il're cateritillars nhich fed on the vine grerv t-nore rapidly than the others, ancl began to pLrpilte zoth October, andthis continued for tlvo weeks, up to gth November. Retleen z5th November and 5th December many butterflies emerged. Inasmuch as I have several tirres seen Cl,tudia flying on $.arm days in November. I conclude thatthe butterfly must hl,bernate. But rvhile the lalv:e fed on Passion-vine were pupating, those on Violet $'ere none oi them lleture and soure \Yere very giving them small, only 1;ast znd moult. I kcpt these in a u.ann rooDr, ali the sunlight possible" \\rl:er.r thc snn shone direcily on them they I'ere active and feci vigot'ouslv, but witen the sky $'as clouded tirey remained quiet, sometinres ior- days togctl'rer. Ali but one died before maturity, but this one continued to feecl at intervals IIII zznd \'Iarch, and died just as pupation approached. I infer, therefoie, that in favorable circumstances the larvee rvould hybernate, 'fhe larvee of Claudia are exceecinglJ'active, and travel rvithrapidity' On one occasion h{r. X'Iead found a ruatllle caterpillar on an alder, four feet from the gronnd, restiDg rJu|ing ilie de1-. No vi.olet or knorvn food plant rvas near, and the caterpillar starr.ed trvo days rather than eat alder, and finally li,as fed violet. It rvas probable that it had travelled a con- siderable distance to rest, and returned at night to its feeding place' 'lhe egg resembles closely that of Algynnis. and might stand in same gentls. Tl.re chrl'salis resembles ciosely tl'rat of Melitaea' But the larva is very uniike N{"^litaea, and aJmost as r-rnlike Argynnis. The imago itself looks tike a magniEed Argynnis I)e//orn, anci because it does, Hubner placed the tivo in the same coitus. In BoisdLrval and. Leconte the species stands in Argynnis. I am not abie to discover', by a comparison of prepared rvings of Claudia and of several species of Argynnis, any difference in the ner-rration betr.,'een lluptoietl and Argynnis. Orving to the reseD-rblances spoken of in tirc diilcrcnt stages, I pl:rced Euptoieta betn'een Argynnis and }felitaea in m1' Catalogue (r 877), instead of before Argynnis as Kirby gives it, and I arrr of opinion that I did right' THI CANADTAN DNTOMOLOGIST. 235

The larva of claudia is really a beautifLrl object, surpassing in this respect any butterfly larva knorvn to rne. The chrysalis is of lovely shape and color, the pearly surface giving all the colors of the rainbow, while the tubercles are golden and the sPots brorvn with here ancl there orange. I am sorry, therefore, that Boisduval and LeConte, after Abbot, give wretched figures of sLrch aclmirable objects. 'r'he larva, especially, looks iike a daub from a penny tov book.

ON THE EARLY STAGES OF FOUR GtrOI,IETRID MOTHS.

By L. W. cooDE1.,L, ANIHEITST, XllASS.

Ocirvnre orsrcNer,q., Pack.

Mature larva, five specimers.-I]ead roundish, flattened, as rvide as the fir'st segment, yellor.ish green ; ialvs bror,vn. Boc.ly thickest at the 9th segment, attenuated anteriorly; 1'ellowish green, the dorsal and subdorsal spaces reticnlatecl and tined r'vith brolr,n -; a narrorr stigrnatal brorvn line and a dorsal rorv of triangular broryn soots, one each on the 4th, 9th and roth segments, and trvo on each of the inter'rediate ones; a minute substigmatal black spot on the anterior part of each segment from the6th to gth. l,ength r'vhenat rest r6 mil.l cra*,ling rg rnil. Fcund 'r-hen in october on Allssutn nar/r/m,m. . pupated rvithin a slight iveb on or just beneath the sru.face of the grorind. Pupa.-Length 3 to 9 n.ril., ver1, dark shining bror,vn,almost black,the spaces between the abdominal segmcnts n'rr.ich iighter ; caudal spine round and forked. Flucnosrrs cHLoRoLEUcAnra, pack. Matirre larva, 44 specimen5.-3.iead. srnall, about half as r,vide as the first segment, subq.ad'ate, deeply bifid, deep gree' with a light brown band. Body thickest behi'c, much attenuated anteriorly. The general color varies from yeliorvi"h to bluish ancl clrrk green, paitaking somewhat of the color of the florvers o' r','hich they feed. There is a straight, dor- sal reddish brown st.ipe r-,,hich is conspicLlorls 'ery on some specimens and much broken or entirely wa'ting on others. Two very small, dorsal