but is by no means uncommon in the latter. It appears in July, and there is but one brood during the season. We remember it being named to us, in our early entomological days, as the Storm Fritillary. We have retained this name, although not strictly correct, for it does not belong to the same family as the Fritillaries. It is, however, a very appropriate appellation, as it appears to be most active when the atmosphere is charged with electricity, and often, in those death-like calms which precede a thunderstorm in this country, when not a breath of wind ruffles the glassy surface of the water, and the lurid clouds are hurrying up from the horizon, one of these splendid butterflies may be seen floating past on the sultry air, like a herald of the approaching storm. It generally flies in a slow and heavy manner near the ground, but occasionally soars to a great height in the air. Professor Emmons has repeated an old error in his work on the Insects of New York, by calling this species plexippus, and moreover misspells the name of the genus. He also, for some reason not obvious to us, places two species of Nymphalis, (N. disippus and ursula) with it in the family Helicomiidae, which he inserts between Papilionidi and Pieridi! N. disippus is certainly very similar in colour and markings, but the neuration of the wings is totally different, and the discoidal cell, of the posterior wings is open, instead of being closed as in the present species. FAMILY 3.-NYMPHALIDÆ. Palpi close together, very erect, densely clothed with hair-like scales, the front of the two first joints almost as broad as their sides, which are also broad; antennæ long, generally furnished with a more or less distinct club which is never hooked; anterior legs entirely rudimentary in both sexes, and quite unfitted for walking; the hind legs with only a single pair of spurs at the extremity of the tibia and the tarsal ungues strongly bifid; posterior wings strongly grooved and their inner margins almost meeting beneath the abdomen, which rests upon them, and their discoidal cell generally open. The caterpillars are cylindric, variable in structure, but generally clothed with numerous strong spines; others have the body smooth, with the head or tail forked. The chrysalides are naked, sometimes armed with small conical protuberances, generally ornamented with metallic colours, and suspended by the tail only. The species of this family are very numerous and beautiful, and are found in every part of the world, and almost all our commonest butterflies belong to it. They are mostly of the middle size, and few rival the gigantic proportions of some of the Papilionida. It is divided into four sub-families, viz: Argynnidi, Vanessidi, Nymphalidi and Satyridi, all well represented in Canada. Generally, the sub-families are placed in an inverse order to that which we adopt, but for various reasons we adhere in this respect to the arrangement pursued in Humphreys and Westwood's British Butterflies. In his work on the Butterflies of North America, M. Boisduval places the Lycanida between the Papilionida and the Heliconiida, on the ground that their pup agree with the first family in being supported by a girth round the middle. As, however, there appears to be a natural gradation from the Papilionidæ tɔ the Heliconiidae and Nymphalidae, we have followed the arrangement adopted by most English authors. SUB-FAMILY 1.-ARGYNNIDI. Palpi long, ascending, closer together at the base than at the tips, second joint the largest, the third small and variable in shape; antennæ long, terminated by a suddenly formed, rounded, compressed, somewhat spoon-shaped club; head broad; anterior legs rudimental in both sexes; discoidal cell of the posterior wings open. The caterpillars very spinose. It is divided into several genera, of which three, viz: Agraulis, Argynnis and Melitoa inhabit North America, but the two last only are met with in Canada. They are termed Fritillaries, (derived from the Latin word Fritillus, a chess-board) in allusion to the underside of their posterior wings being generally chequered with silver spots, and various colours, something in the manner of a chess-board. GENUS 1.-ARGYNNIS. Head large, as broad as the thorax, which is thick and strong; eyes very large and naked; palpi very hairy, erect, rather wide apart, the terminal joint small, naked and terminating in a point; antennæ rather long, terminated by a very suddenly formed, broad, compressed, spoon-shaped club; abdomen shorter than the posterior wings; wings slightly sinuated; anterior legs rudimental in both sexes, but differing in the following particulars ;-in the males they are not only much more hairy than in the females, с but are entirely destitute of articulations, whilst in the females they are much less hairy, and distinctly composed of five joints, even without denuding them of scales, each of the joints having two short spines at the extremity on the inside. The two genera Melitaa and Argynnis are so closely allied, it is difficult to give satisfactory characters by which to distinguish them, but the present may be known chiefly by the silver spots which ornament the underside of the wings, being large and conspicuous, and by the tessellated appearance of their upper side. The larvæ are thickly clothed with spines, two on the first segment next the head being rather longer than the rest. They feed principally on plants of the genus Viola. The Pupa are angular, ornamented with spots of gold or silver and marked with two rows of spots on the back. The ground colour of the upper surface of the Argynnes is fulvous or reddish brown, marked with a row of sinuated black lines (somewhat resembling written figures) occupying the central cell of the anterior wings, and with several rows of black spots running parallel to the hind margin. It is, however, the beautiful silvery markings on the underside for which they are most remarkable, and which afford the best means of distinguishing the species from each other. Boisduval describes nine species as being found in North America. We shall describe four as Canadian, of which two are doubtful natives, and of the rest three inhabit Labrador, and the other two the southern States. Very few of the caterpillars of the American species are known, and we are therefore unable to furnish figures of them. SPECIES 1.-Argynnis Idalia. Godart, Encyclop. Method ix., p. 263, No. 20. Papilio Idalia, Fabricius, Ent., Syst. 111, 1, p. 145, No. 446. Drury, Ins. 1, tab. xiii, fig. 1, 2, 3. Argynnis Idalia, Boisduval, Ico., p. 147, pl. 43, fig. 1, 2. Anterior wings on the upper side fulvous, with fifteen black spots, the five first linear, and situated on the discoidal cell, the next forming a zig-zag tranverse band across the middle of the wing, the rest round, smaller, and disposed in a line parallel to the hind margin; the hind margin is covered by a large black band, dentated internally, divided in the male by a row of fulvous lunules, and in the female by a row of white spots; the latter has also some white spots opposite the tip, where the black border is considerably dilated. Underneath, these wings are nearly the same as on the upper side, except that the terminal band is less marked and the spots by which it is divided are arrow-shaped, and pearly white. The posterior wings are bluish-black, with the base reddish-brown, traversed, behind the central cell by two rows of large white spots, the outer of which are yellow in the male: underneath this pair of wings is very beautiful; the ground-colour is brown, marked with about 22 pearly white spots, arranged in four rows, parallel to the hind margin; the seven composing the marginal row are somewhat crescent-shaped, and those of the next row, which crosses the disk, wedge-shaped, each surrounded by a black line, the next near the base are of different shapes; the costa, and inner margin are bordered near the base by a streak of pearly-white; the notches of the wings are edged with white; abdomen blackish, the thorax covered with fulvous hairs. It is found in the neighbourhood of New York and Philadelphia, and may possibly occur in the Eastern Townships and Upper Canada. It also inhabits Jamaica. ARTICLE XXXII.-Farther Gleanings from the Meeting of the American Association in Montreal. In our notice in last number, we were obliged to omit many topics of interest, partly from want of space and partly from the difficulty of obtaining in time the materials required. We propose in the present article to recur to some of these points. One of the earliest subjects which engaged the attention of the Local Committee was the invitation of men of science from Europe; and large numbers of circulars, accompanied by all necessary information respecting routes of travel, were scattered over Great Britain and the Continent. Courteous replies were received from many of the institutions and gentlemen addressed, but few were found to be able to accept the invitation. Hopes were at one time entertained that Sir Roderick I. Murchison and Sir Wm. Hooker would have honoured the meeting with their presence. It proved impossible for either to come; but, instead of the former, we had the pleasure of welcoming his able assistant in the geological sur vey of Great Britain, Professor Ramsay; and to represent the botanists of England, and the Linnean Society of London, we had Mr. Seaman, one of the more eminent of the younger cultivators of botanical science. Both of these gentlemen made themselves very useful in the meetings of the sections. Prof. Ramsay, in particular, at once took his place as a leading mind in geological science; and by his union of bonhommie and ready utterance, with profound and extensive knowledge, took a firm hold both of the hearts and heads of the members. The mathematical and physical science of Great Britain had but one eminent representative-Prof. Kelland, of Edinburgh, whose presence in the physical section was warmly greeted by the American physicists; though his dislike of public display prevented him from taking a prominent part in the public meetings. It is to be regretted that the efforts of the Committee were unable to secure the presence of any of the savans of France or Germany; but even the partial success which attended the invitations sent to Great Britain is a proper subject of congratulation; and, taken in connection with the number of American men of science who attended the late meeting of the British Association, gives reason to hope for a more cordial union of scientific men on the opposite sides of the Atlantic. A practical union of the American Association with its older and greater sister of Britain is much to be desired. Why may not Canada, as a middle ground, some day secure a joint meeting of both these bodies. As an initiatory foreshadowing of such a communication, we insert a few sentences from the address of the President of the Natural History Society : "We believe that Science knows no political limits. The great physical laws of the Universe are the same in all lands. Geological structure and animal and vegetable life are everywhere framed on one uniform type. We cannot attempt to nationalize science without losing its greatest results. But we are connected with our American scientific friends by still closer ties. We are one with them in language, institutions and origin. Descended with them from that great people that, alone of the nations of the world, has the vigor to beget children in its own likeness, and capable of maintaining an independent existence, we acknowledge their great nation as a brother. We regard it not as a prodigal that has left his father's house to waste his father's substance, but as an honorable adventurer who has departed from his paternal |