The Butterfly Book Part 17

This b.u.t.terfly has been found in Labrador, Greenland, and other portions of arctic America, as far north as lat.i.tude 81 52'.

(9) =Brenthis frigga=, Thunberg, Plate XV, Fig. 13, ?; Fig. 14, ?, _lower side_ (Frigga).

_b.u.t.terfly_, ?.--On the upper side this b.u.t.terfly somewhat closely resembles _polaris_, but the markings are not so compact--more diffuse.

The fore wings at the base and the hind wings on the inner two thirds are heavily obscured with brown. The outer margins are more heavily shaded with blackish-brown than in _B. polaris_. On the under side the wings are quite differently marked. The fore wings are fulvous, shaded with brown at the tips, and marked with light yellow on the inters.p.a.ces beyond the end of the cell. The hind wings are dark ferruginous, shading into purplish-gray on the outer margin, with a whitish quadrate spot on the costa near the base, marked with two dark spots, and a bar of pale, somewhat obscured spots, forming an irregular band across the middle of the hind wings.

?.--The female does not differ greatly from the male, except that the spots on the under side of the hind wings stand forth more conspicuously, being lighter in color and better defined. Expanse, 1.65-2.00 inches.

This pretty little b.u.t.terfly occurs in Labrador, across the continent as far west as northern Alaska, and is also occasionally taken upon the alpine summits of the Rocky Mountains as far south as Colorado.

(10) =Brenthis bellona=, Fabricius, Plate XV, Fig. 16, ?; Plate V, Fig.

10, _chrysalis, side view_; Fig. 11, _chrysalis, side view_ (Meadow Fritillary).

_b.u.t.terfly._--Pale fulvous on the upper side, with the dark markings on the inner half of the wing narrow, but more or less confluent. The dark markings on the outer part of the wing are slighter. The fore wings are a little angled on the outer margin below the apex. On the under side the fore wings are pale fulvous, mottled with purple at the tip and on the outer margin. The hind wings on this side are ferruginous, mottled with purple. Expanse, 1.65-1.80 inch.

_Egg._--The egg of this species is similar in form, size, color, and markings to the egg of _B. myrina_.

_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar also in its early stages closely resembles _myrina_, but in its mature form it differs in not having the spines on the second segment of the body lengthened as in that species.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis, which is represented in Plate V, is bluish-gray in color, marked with dark spots. The life-history has been given us by several authors.

This b.u.t.terfly is very common in the whole of the northern United States, as far south as the mountain-ranges of Virginia, and occurs throughout Quebec, Ontario, and British America, as far west as the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains. It flies commonly with _B. myrina_, the only other species of the genus found in the densely populated portions of our territory, from which it may be at once distinguished by the entire absence of the silvered markings which make _B. myrina_ so bright and attractive.

(11) =Brenthis epith.o.r.e=, Boisduval, Plate XV, Fig. 17, ?; Fig. 18, ?, _under side_ (Epith.o.r.e).

_b.u.t.terfly._--This species on the upper side is pale fulvous, with the markings slighter than in _B. bellona_, and the inner half of the hind wings much more heavily clouded with fuscous. On the under side the wings are somewhat like those of _B. bellona_, but less purple and mottled more distinctly with yellow. Expanse, ?, 1.50 inch; ?, 1.85 inch.

_Early Stages._--Undescribed.

This species appears to replace _B. bellona_, its close ally, in California, Oregon, and the States eastward as far as parts of Colorado.

(12) =Brenthis alberta=, Edwards, Plate XV, Fig. 15, ? (Alberta).

_b.u.t.terfly._--This, the least attractive in appearance of the species composing the genus, has pale wings with a "washed-out" appearance on the upper side, almost all the dark markings being greatly reduced or obliterated. On the under side the wings are even more obscurely marked than on the upper side. The female is darker than the male, and specimens have a greasy look. Expanse, ?, 1.55 inch; ?, 1.65-1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown, except the egg and the young caterpillar, which have been most beautifully figured by Edwards in vol. iii of "The b.u.t.terflies of North America." The only locality from which specimens have as yet been received by collectors is Laggan, in Alberta, where the species apparently is not uncommon at lofty elevations above sea-level.

(13) =Brenthis astarte=, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XVIII, Fig. 14, ?; Fig. 15, ?, _under side_ (Astarte).

_b.u.t.terfly._--This rare insect, the largest of the genus, may at once be distinguished from all others by the very beautiful markings of the under side of the hind wings, crossed by a band of irregular, bright-yellow spots, which are narrowly edged with black, and beyond the black bordered by red. Expanse, ?, 2.00 inches; ?, 2.15 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The first description and figure of this insect were given by Doubleday and Hewitson in their large and now very valuable work on "The Genera of Diurnal Lepidoptera." They correctly attributed it to the Rocky Mountains, but Kirby afterward gave Jamaica as its habitat, and this led to its subsequent redescription by Edwards under the name _Victoria_. It is a rare species still, having been received only from Laggan, Alberta, where it was rediscovered by that most indefatigable collector and observer, Mr. T.E. Bean. It frequents the highest summits of the lofty mountains about this desolate locality. Mr. Bean says: "_Astarte_ seems always on the lookout for an entomologist, whose advent is carefully noted, and at any approach of such a monster nearer than about fifteen feet, its wings rise to half-mast, vibrate there a doubtful instant, and away goes the b.u.t.terfly."

In addition to the thirteen species figured in our plates there are two other species of the genus, _B. butleri_, Edwards, from Grinnell Land, and _B. improba_, Butler, from near the arctic circle. It is not likely that many of the readers of this book will encounter these insects in their rambles, and if they should, they will be able to ascertain their names quickly, by conferring with the author.

SUSPICIOUS CONDUCT

The entomologist must not expect to be always thoroughly understood. The ways of scientific men sometimes appear strange, mysterious, bordering even upon the insane, to those who are uninitiated. A celebrated American naturalist relates that on one occasion, when chasing b.u.t.terflies through a meadow belonging to a farmer, the latter came out and viewed him with manifest anxiety. But when the nature of the efforts of the man of science had been finally explained, the farmer heaved a sigh of relief, remarking, in Pennsylvania Dutch, that "he had surely thought, when he first saw him, that he had just escaped from a lunatic asylum." The writer, a number of years ago, after having despatched a very comfortable lunch, sallied forth one afternoon, in quest of insects, and in the course of his wanderings came upon a refuse-heap by the roadside, opposite a substantial house, and on this heap discovered an ancient ham, which was surrounded by a mult.i.tude of beetles of various species known to be partial to decomposed, or semi-decomposed, animal matter. He proceeded immediately to bottle a number of the specimens. While engaged in so doing, the window of the house across the way was thrown up, and an elderly female thrust her head out, and in strident voice exclaimed: "Hey, there! What are you doin' with that ham?

I say, don't you know that that ham is spiled?" As he paid no attention to her, she presently appeared at the door, came across the street, and remarked: "See here, mister; that ham's spiled; Lucy and me throwed it out, knowin' it was no good. If you want a good meal of wittles, come into the house, and we will feed you, but for mercy's sake leave that spiled ham alone." It took considerable effort to a.s.sure her that no designs upon the ham were cherished, and she went away, evidently completely mystified at the wild conduct of the well-dressed man who was grubbing in the rubbish-pile.

Genus MELITaeA, Fabricius

(The Checker-spots)

"The fresh young Flie,...

... joy'd to range abroad in fresh attire, Through the wide compa.s.s of the ayrie coast; And, with unwearied wings, each part t'inquire Of the wide rule of his renowned sire."

SPENSER.

_b.u.t.terfly._--Small. The tibiae and the tarsi of the mesothoracic and metathoracic legs are more lightly armed with spines than in the genera _Argynnis_ and _Brenthis_. The palpi are not swollen. They are clothed with long hairs and have the third joint finely pointed. The antennae are about half as long as the costa of the fore wings, and are provided with a short, heavy, excavated, or spoon-shaped club. The subcostal of the fore wings is five-branched, the first nervule always arising before the end of the cell, the second at the end or just beyond it. The cell of the primaries is closed, of the secondaries open. The markings upon the wings are altogether different from those in the two preceding genera, and the spots on the under side of the wings are not silvered, as in the genus _Brenthis_.

_Egg._--The egg is rounded at the base, subconical, truncated, and depressed at the upper end and fluted by light raised ridges (see p. 4, Fig. 8).

_Caterpillar._--The larvae are cylindrical, armed in the mature form on each segment with comparatively short spines thickly covered with diverging hairs, or needle-shaped spines. They are known in some species to be gregarious in their early stages, and then to separate before maturity. They feed upon the _Scrophulariaceae_, upon _Castileja_, _Diplopappus_, and other plants.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pendant, rounded at the head, provided with more or less sharply pointed tubercles on the dorsal surface, and generally white or some shade of light gray, blotched with brown or black, and marked with reddish or orange spots on the dorsal side.

[Ill.u.s.tration FIG. 91.--Neuration of the genus _Melitaea_.]

This genus is very large and is distributed widely over all the colder portions of the north temperate zone. There are many species found in Europe, in Siberia, in China, and in the northern islands of j.a.pan. On the upper slopes of the Himalayas it is also represented by a few species. In North America the genus is well represented, the most of the species being found upon the mountain-slopes and in the valleys of the Pacific coast region. Only two species occur in the Eastern States.

(1) =Melitaea phaeton=, Drury, Plate XVI, Fig. 1, ?; Plate V, Figs. 15, 16, _chrysalis_ (The Baltimore).

_b.u.t.terfly_, ?.--The upper side is black, with a marginal row of red spots, followed by three rows of pale-yellow spots on the fore wings and two on the hind wings. Besides these there are some large red spots on the cells of both wings, a large red spot about the middle of the costa of the hind wing, and a few scattering yellow spots, forming an incomplete fourth row on the fore wing and an incomplete third row on the hind wing. On the under side all the spots of the upper side reappear, but heavier and more distinct, and on the hind wings there are two additional rows of yellow spots, and a number of irregular patches of red and yellow at the base of both wings.

?.--The female is much like the male. Expanse, ?, 1.75-2.00 inches; ?, 2.00-2.60 inches.

+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | EXPLANATION OF PLATE XVI | | | | 1. _Melitaea phaeton_, Drury, ?. | | 2. _Melitaea chalcedon_, Doubleday and | | Hewitson, ?. | | 3. _Melitaea macglashani_, Rivers, ?. | | 4. _Melitaea augusta_, Edwards, ?. | | 5. _Melitaea colon_, Edwards, ?. | | 6. _Melitaea nubigena_, Behr, ?. | | 7. _Melitaea baroni_, Henry Edwards, ?. | | 8. _Melitaea editha,_, Boisduval, ?. | | 9. _Melitaea nubigena_, var, _wheeleri_, | | Henry Edwards, ?. | | 10. _Melitaea rubicunda_, Henry Edwards, | | ?. | | 11. _Melitaea acastus_, Edwards, ?. | | 12. _Melitaea acastus_, Edwards, ?, | | _under side_. | | 13. _Melitaea palla_, Boisduval, ?. | | 14. _Melitaea palla_, Boisduval, ?, | | _under side_. | | 15. _Melitaea gabbi_, Behr, ?. | | 16. _Melitaea taylori_, Edwards, ?. | | 17. _Melitaea fulvia_, Edwards, ?. | | 18. _Melitaea dymas_, Edwards, ?. | | 19. _Melitaea perse_, Edwards, ?. | | 20. _Melitaea leanira_, Boisduval, ?. | | 21. _Melitaea nympha_, Edwards, ?. | | 22. _Melitaea arachne_, Edwards, ?. | | | | [Ill.u.s.tration PLATE XVI.] | +--------------------------------------------------------------+

_Egg._--The egg which is outlined upon p. 4, Fig. 8, is brownish-yellow when first laid, then changes to crimson and becomes black just before hatching. The eggs are laid by the female in large cl.u.s.ters on the under side of the leaf of the food-plant.

_Caterpillar._--The life-history in all the stages will be found minutely described by Edwards in "The b.u.t.terflies of North America,"

vol. ii, and by Scudder in "The b.u.t.terflies of New England," vol. i. The mature larva is black, banded with orange-red, and beset with short, bristly, black spines. Before and during hibernation, which takes place after the third moult, the caterpillars are gregarious, and construct for themselves a web in which they pa.s.s the winter. After the rigors of winter are past, and the food-plant, which is commonly _Chelone glabra_, begins to send up fresh shoots, they recover animation, scatter, and fall to feeding again, and after the fifth moult reach maturity.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pendant, formed generally at a considerable distance from the spot where the caterpillar feeds, for the larvae wander off widely just before pupation. It is pearly-gray, blotched with dark brown in stripes and spots, with some orange markings.

This very beautiful b.u.t.terfly is quite local, found in colonies in swampy places where the food-plant grows, but in these spots sometimes appearing in swarms. It occurs in the northern portions of the United States and in Canada, extending as far north as the Lake of the Woods, and as far south as West Virginia. It does not occur west of the Rocky Mountains.

(2) =Melitaea chalcedon=, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XVI, Fig. 2, ?

(Chalcedon).

_b.u.t.terfly._--The male and female are much alike. The wings are black, spotted with red and ochreous-yellow. On the under side they are brick-red, with the spots of the upper side repeated, and in addition at the base a number of large and distinct yellow spots. Expanse, ?, 1.75-2.00 inches; ?, 2.50 inches.

_Early Stages._--For a knowledge of these the reader may consult Edwards, "The b.u.t.terflies of North America," vol. i, and "Papilio," vol.