File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (17537559254).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo17amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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AUTUMX MIGHATIOXS OF BUTTERFLIES 39 directly to the Point and travel westward out of sight, others follow the curve of the shore for a short distance northward and leave the land at this point. Epicesclina, in eonsideraVde nnnibers, and the smaller dragon flies be- have in the same way, although the power- ful Epiieschna follows the direct flightway out over the Point more often than do the others. Grapta and Juiionia show the same behavior. All alike leave this shore, and against a wind that is still quite strong, beat their way west across the bay and toward Staten Island until they are lost to sight. What is the significance of this quite con- stant and co)i- sistent movement which begins at a definite date, follows a definite course, and per- sists for so long a period ? Ad- ditional studies of the same char- acter conducted along the Jersey coast should cast further light upon the prob- lem, for favor- able conditions should show a southward move- ment there; or possibly a trend toward the in- terior for some species. More- over, a greater number of spe- cies should be present than we find in these Long Island movements. A few suggestions, however, seem unavoidable. It is evident at once that, omitting Anosia, the "monarch"' (which undoubtedly travels far south and re- turns in spring), the greater number of these butterfly migrants are winter
Text Appearing After Image:
Migrants leaving Norton Point, the extreme southwestern corner of Long Island. The peacock butterfly (Jtmonia coenia), accompanied by "mon- archs," other species of butterflies, and dragon flies, travels westward over the waters of New York Bay apparently bound for a more southern st.ntion hibcrnators in tlie north. This is true of Grapta, Pyranieis huntera, Pyramels ataJanta, Vanessa aniiopa and Junonia ca'tiia. So they may combine migration with hibernation in which case they would show a partial analogy with some of our winter resident birds. For although certain species are with us throughout the year, some of those individuals which spend the winter about New York come from a region some- what farther north, just as some of our sum- mer individuals shift southward as autumn deep- ens into winter. Xaturally these records are far from complete. The red admiral, for instance, "was seen only once. Yet it has been reported by Mr. William T.Davis as flying west over Moriches Bay near Fire Island, on Sep- tember 9. 1912, in a flock that contained at least ninety-two speci- mens. ^ Moreover, a recent report in The Entomologist describes a single-file procession of this species traveling southeast from the British Isles and toward the Continent, a further indica- tion of its southward, autumn mio^ra- • Journal N. Y. Entomological p. 293, December, 1912. Society, Vol. XX,

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