Article beginning on page 129.
Psyche 7:129-133, 1894.

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June-Sept. 1894.1 PSYCHE. 1-29
A PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE BUTTERFLIES OF NORTH- EASTERN MISSISSIPPI.
BY HOWARD EVARTS WEED, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MISS. The following list of fifty-three
species of butterflies has been prepared by reference to the collection of the
]^iss. Agricultural Experiment Station,
which has been collected by the writer
during the past three seasons, No
study of the food-plants of the species
has been made, nor has an attempt been
made to make the list complete, the
species reported being those which
have been collected at odd times in
general collecting. However, the list
is given here in the hope that it may
interest those who may be especially
interestedin the subject, no list of the butterflies of this state having hereto- fore been presented.
In this connection I may say that the
state of Mississippi presents five quite distinct faunal regions to the entomo-
logical eye.
(I) Extending along the western
border of the state is the delta region
or bottom lands of the Mississippi River where the country is quite level and the soil very rich. In some years this
region is subject to overflow and on
this account its fauna presents many
things of interest, entomologically
Hemiptera and Coleoptera predomi-
nating.
(2) Along the north-eastern border
of the state near the Alabama line is
the prairie region, which presents many
characters similar to the bottom lands
of the Mississippi River, but is not
subject to overflow.
(3) The southern and especially the
south-eastern portion of the state is
known as "the piney woods" region,
and here, as would naturally be the
case where the forest is of different
nature from surrounding localities, the
insect fauna is much different than in
other localities.
(4) Along the extreme southern
border at the Gulf coast is perhaps the
richest entomological field where, as is generally the case along a coast line,
many species are found which are not
present a few miles in the interior.
(5) The central and northern portions
of the state present the largest but not the richest faunal region and it is at
the eastern border of this region in
Oktibbeha county that the species listed below havebeen collected, although at
some future time I may be able to list
the species of the other regions, that of the Gulf coast especially.
It is thus seen that the state presents
a varied fauna. I may say, however,
that any given locality does not present a richness of species, but rather a great number of individuals of the species
which are present. Many of the
commoner species of butterflies are
present the year round even in mid-




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[June-Sept. 1894.
winter, when some of our bright days
are too tempting for them to hibernate
all the time.
The following is the list :-
I Danais archippus, Fabr.
While by no
means rare, this species is not as abundant as in the northern states.
2. Agraulis vanillae, L. Not common.
3. Euptoieta claudia, Cram. Very com-
mon, especially in Sept.
4. Phyciodes thai-os, Dru. This is perhaps our most common species.
5. Grapta interrogationis, Fabr. Quite
common, on the College campus the larvae feeding upon a common climbing plant, the Cross Vine, B&-nonia ca'preolata. This
plant is quite common in the woods south of the Ohio River and it is probably the more common food-plant of Grapta in the South. 6. Vanessa antiopa, L. While often
found, this species is rare here in com- parison with its occurrence in the northern states. I have often taken specimens in
January when they are found hibernating
at the side of logs.
7. Pyrameis huntera, Fab. Somewhat
abundant.
8. P. cardui, L. Rarer than the above.
9. Junonia coenia, Hbn. One of the most
common species, being especially abundant in Sept. on the flowers of various species of Aster, of the Compositae.
lo. Limenitis disippus, Gdt. Hardly as
common as D. archippus.
I I. Apatura celtis, Bd.-Lec. Rare.
12. A. proserpina, Scudd- Rare.
IT,. Anaea andria, Scudd. Rare.
14. Neonympha gemma, Hbn. Very-com-
mon in the woods in Sept. and Oct.
15-
I 6.
Sept.
17-
18.
mon.
N. eurytris, Fabr. Rare.
N. sosybius, Fabr.
Very common in
and Oct.
Satyrus alope, Fabr. Not common.
Libythea bachmani, Kirtl. Not com-
19. Thecla halesus, Cram.
Not common.
20. T. acadica, Edw.
Rather abundant.
21. T. edwardsii, Saund. Not common.
22. T. poeas, Hbn. Rather common in
Sept.
23. Lycaena pseudargiolus, Bd.-Lec. Not
common.
24. L. comyntas, Gdt. Very abundant.
25. Pieris rapae, L. Very abundant and
one of our most injurious species.
It may
be seen the year round, except perhaps a few cold days in mid-winter.
26. P. protodice, Bd.-Lec.
Not common.
I have captured specimens only in April. 27. Nathalis iole, Bdv.
While this species
is not abundant here, it is more so than in the north.
28. Catopsilia eubule, L.
Very common,
especially in early Sept. when the species occurs in large numbers around flower beds. Also seen on bright days throughout the
winter.
29. Meganostonla caesonia, Stoll. While
this species is not common, it is more so than at the north.
30. Colias eurytheme, Bdv. Very abun-
dant throughout the year, the variety keewa- din, Edw. being the most common while
several alba forms have been taken.
31. C. philodice, Gdt. Quite abundant
but not as much so as the preceding.
32. Terias nicippe, Cram. Common in
Sept.
33. T. lisa, Bd.-Lec.
More common than
the preceding.
34. T. jucunda, Bd.-Lec. Rarer than the
two preceding.
35. Papilio ajax, L.
More common than
at the north.
36. P. turnus, L.
Not so common as at
the north.
37. P. cresphontes, Cram. Rather rare,
at least much more so than in the southern portions of the state and in La.
38. P. troilus, L.
Very common.
39. P. ~hilenor, L. Much rarer than
preceding.




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June-Sept. 1894.1
PSYCHE.
40. Ancyloxypha numitor, Fabr. Not
abundant, but more so than at the north. 41. Pamphila campestris, Bdv.
Not com-
mon.
42. P. phylaeus, Dru.
One of our most
- common species.
43. P. cesnes, Edw. Abundant.
44. P. accius, S. and A.
Abundant.
45. P. pontiac, Edw.
Not common.
NOTES
ON THE
REARING
46. P. eufala, Edw.
Not common.
47. P. fusca, G. and R. Rare.
48. Pyrgus tessellata, Scudd. A very
common species.
49. Nisoniades juvenalis, Fab. Common.
50. Pholisora catullus, Fabr. Common.
51. Eudamus pylades, Scudd. Common.
52. E. bathyllus, S. & A. Very common.
53. E. tityrus, Fab. Common.
PLATYSAMI A CECROPIA.
BY KATHARINE W. HUSTON, ROXBURY, MASS.
In the summer of 1892 the writer received twenty-nine eggs laid on June 30th by a
Cecropia moth in captivity, in Roxbury,
Mass. Thirteen of them were detached from the surface on which they had been deposited. On July 13th twenty-four eggs hatched,
among them the thirteen just mentioned.
Though the young larvae remained in the
box with their egg-shells, and were carried in a satchel four hours without food, none of the shells were eaten.
One of the caterpillars died the next day, one was lost, and two were put into alcohol. Of the remaining twenty, all but one arrived at maturity after an exceedingly healthy life of six weeks and a half, during which they moulted four times. Two of them, however, when ready to spin, seemed unable to produce silk, and died. Seventeen made cocoons.
The larvae were reared in Bristol, Maine. The breeding cage was merely a pasteboard box covered with wire netting. All the
caterpillars were kept in the same box. It stood in an open window, but not in the sun, and was thoroughly cleaned every day.
The caterpillars were fed on apple leaves, which were always dipped in water before being placed in the box. Only the young
shoots of the trees were used, as these fur- nished a suitable series of leaves from the very young and tender to the mature. They were taken from trees of widely different varieties.
The newly hatched caterpillars were about three-sixteenths of an inch long. The body was black with six rows of yellowish brown bristles extending its whole length. In a few hours the bristles also became black. On the fourth day the minute tubercles at the base of the bristles showed a decided yellow color, and on the sixth the bodies were an olive brown. On the eighth day, after having
eaten nothing for about eighteen hours, the caterpillars moulted.
The color of the new skin was Indian
yellow; the head, tubercles, and bristles were black; and the feet were yellow. Be- tween the tubercles were rows of small black spots. Four caterpillars were much darker than the others. In less than an hour after their moult the Indian yellow changed to olive brown, which in turn gave place to black. Their bodies afterwards showed a
yellowish tinge but were easily distinguish- able from the others.
The largest ones now measured five-eighths of an inch. A few ate their cast-off skins, but the majority showed no disposition to do so, and the same was true after each succes- sive moult.
The second moult occurred on the thir-
teenth day, after a fast of twenty-four hours.



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