THE SKIPPERS. 



show a further resemblance to moths in that they spin a 

 sort of cocoon within which they pupate. This, cocoon is 

 never very thick or complete and is merely a further 

 development of a habit of the younger larvae; still, it is 

 more of a cocoon than some moths make. The habit, 

 just referred to, consists of folding leaves or fastening 

 several together with silk so that the larvas may have a 

 retreat when resting or molting. All species keep these 

 nests quite clean and some have interesting little tricks 

 about their homes. Scudder notes that Thanaos icelus, 

 which folds over part of a leaf, fastens it at first with 

 long strands of silk so that there is an "abundance of 

 space for air, or, indeed, the entrance of nearly any 

 enemy"; but, when the time comes for one of the several 

 changes of clothes, the larva brings the edges of the leaf 

 tightly together and fastens them securely. Many species 

 make a new nest, out of a different leaf, at each molt, and 

 the same keen observer noted that Thanaos lucilius, 

 "when it leaves a nest to form a larger one always first 

 bites off the strands which have kept the old flap in place." 



Reference has already been made to the fact that many 

 male Lepidoptera are addicted to the use of perfume. 

 Among the Hesperiidas, the males of the subfamily 

 Hesperiinag tend to have the scent-scales (androconia) 

 in a tiny fold along the front margin of the fore wings; in 

 the subfamily Pamphilinas these scales are near the middle 

 of the upper surface of the fore wings in a conspicuous 

 patch, which the Comstocks described as looking "to 

 the naked eye like a scorched oblique streak or brand." 



The following notes concerning a few species (together 

 with Plate XXXVII} will help start you off, if you wish to 

 go, but one difficulty is that a given sex often resembles 

 the same sex of a different -species more closely than it 

 does the opposite sex of its own species; furthermore, the 

 same sex often has one or more varieties. 



Hesperiinae 



Epargyreus tityrus. The light marks are yellowish 

 except for the large silver spot on hind wing. Larva on 

 locust (Robinia), etc. 



143 



