Briefly summarized, the life-history runs something like this: the butterflies hibernate, coming forth in spring and visiting various spring and early summer flowers. The females deposit eggs singly upon the leaves of the young goatweed plants. In a week or less each egg hatches into a little caterpillar that feeds upon the tip of the leaf leaving the midrib and covering it with silk so that it may serve as a resting perch. Later each makes an excellent tent for itself by bending over and binding together the opposite margins of a leaf.[D] This bit of work is cleverly done, a hole being left at each end so that there is good ventilation and an opportunity for the caterpillar to go in and out. Quite frequently the nest is also lined with more or less silken webbing. This tent is used as a refuge from the heat of the sun and doubtless serves also in concealing the caterpillar from its many enemies. The larva goes out to neighboring leaves when it wishes to feed and only occasionally eats up the leaf of which its tent is made. When this is done it must of course construct another home. [D] _See next page._ [Illustration: THE BANDED PURPLE (_see page 202_) THE RED-SPOTTED PURPLE (_see page 204_) THE BLUE-EYED GRAYLING OR COMMON WOOD-NYMPH (Upper and lower surface) (_see page 215_)] [Illustration: _From drawings by W. I. Beecroft_ _See pages 207-214_ THREE EMPEROR BUTTERFLIES The Gray Emperor, female (_top_) The Tawny Emperor, female (_middle_) The Goatweed Emperor, female (_bottom_)] After some weeks of this sheltered existence the caterpillar is ready to change to a chrysalis. It leaves the tent and commonly attaches a bit of silken web to the under side of a leaf or branch of its food plant or some other kind of shelter. Here it changes to a chrysalis, to emerge a little later as the beautiful burnt-orange butterfly. There are said to be two broods each season, in some regions, although in others there seems to be but one. The butterflies hibernate in hollow trees or in such other shelters as they may find. [Illustration: Goatweed Butterfly: _a_, larva; _b_, chrysalis; _c_, larval case. (After Riley)] The full-grown caterpillar (_a_) is an inch and a half long and of a general grayish color, dotted thickly with slightly elevated points. The chrysalis (_b_) is suggestive of that of the Monarch butterfly. It is light green covered with whitish granules.