The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-03-21
THE MOURNING CLOAK BUT
TER FLY.

On these uTSl WARM uayS Va SP'A-S
when the trumpeting geese are pass
ing overhead and the first wild flowers
are beginning to assemble in the woods,
we see many dark purple butterflies
fitting in the sunlight, and often alight-
ing amongst the brown leaves, wnere
they slowly open and close their wings
If we stop in our walk and examine one
of them closely, we shall see that 1t mas
a margin of creamy yellow around each
irregular wing, and that inside OF this
margin is a row of blue spots. This is
the mourning cloak Vanessa
antiopa,' as the entomologists call IT,
and very beautiful butterfly 1t is
although the specimens seen at this
time of the year are very apt to have
rather ragged appearance. But
where does it come from, and how does
it happen to be about the only butterfly
We see at this time Of the year? The
fact is, that while most of our butter
flies pass the winter as eggs or pupae,
the mourning cloak hibernates as an
adult and is thus ready to appear on
the wing at the first suggestion OF
warm weather. The following imagi-
nary history will give an idea of the
life of this interesting insect.
Last May a female mourning cloak
butterfly alighted upon a willow twig,
and moving her abdomen from point to
point, laid twenty-five eggs, in
the form of a wide collar about the stem.
Then she flew away Scarcely had she
done so than very small fly came run
ming up, just as though she had ordered
these eggs and had been waiting for
them. Running rapidly over the eggs,
she selected one, and, thrusting her owl
positor into it, laid a very tiny egg
She ran off for about half a minute, and
then selecting another butterfly egg,
proceeded to lay one of her own inside
it, She did this little act eleven times,
and a COW came rubbing her shoulder
against the branch and the little fly
flew away. She was only a twentieth
of an inch in length but she had taken
the lives of at least eleven butterflies.
Her eggs soon Matched into tiny mag
gots, and each maggot ate up contents
of the egg in which he found himself.
Later, he became fly, but that does
not concern us now. In about two
weeks the rest of the butterfly eggs
were Matched, and out of each one came
little black caterpillar, through hole
he had cut for himself. Around them
were the tender green leaves of the will
low, and on to these they marched at
once as though they had received
| marching orders before they left their
shells. But without awaiting any
mess CALI they fell i'm side by side
and began to feed on the tender parts
of the leaves. When they had eaten all
they considered eatable on one leaf,
they marched to the next. each spinning
siIken thread wherever he went. And
all the silken threads together formed a
carpet which gave the little cater
pillars much better foothold than they
| would have had on the surface of the
leaf They were not left long in peace,
however, for presently two more little
| flies appeared among them, one with
| two wings and the other with four.
The four-winged fly picked out one of
| the caterpillars, and driving her owl
positor into his skin, laid great many
| eggs, perhaps a hundred, inside his
| body At first, the caterpillar went on
| eating, but by and by the eggs Matched
and out came as many hungry maggots
which gradually ate him all up. The
| tWo-Winged fly had visited several of
| the caterpillars and laid a single egg
| upon the back of each. When these
| eggs Matched, the little grub which
| emerged from each began to burroW
| through the skin of the luckless cater
| pillar which bore him, and proceeded to
| feast upon the body of his wretched
host. In a few weeks the uninjured
caterpillars decided to travel to another
branch, but those which had been
visited by the two-winged fly were I'M
able to follow, and stayed where they
were, to die.
In the meantime, their healthy
brothers and sisters were developing in
the ordinary way. When they were a
week old their skins became loose and
| began to split down the back, and out
walked the caterpilIars each arrayed in
a new skin which had been forming in
side the old one. This operation seemed
to take their appettes away for time
but after short rest they fell to again.
| more hungry than ever. Before long
| they moulted again, casting their skins
! four times altogether in as many weeks
| They were then full grown, and leav-
| ing the willow tree, they separated,
each seeking out some quiet sheltered
! spot-beneath a fence rail or clap.
| board Of a barn for instance-and after