SCIENTIFIC SURVEY. 



167 



Hesperiadce or Skippers. The green caterpillars have large 

 heads, and taper rapidly towards either end. They are solitary, 

 feeding within rolled up leaves, as the Tortrices, or exposed on the 

 surface. " Their chrysalis are generally conical, or tapering at 

 one end, and rounded, or more rarely pointed, at the other, never 

 angular or ornamented with golden spots, but most often covered 

 with a bluish white powder or bloom. They are mostly fastened 

 by the tail and a few transverse threads, within some folded 

 leaves, which are connected together by a loose internal web of 

 threads, forming a kind of imperfect cocoon." Harris. 



Eadamus bathyllus, is a very common species. It is of a darker 

 brown than usual, with a few small white spots. It is common 

 in June and July in paths, and easy to capture. 



Sphingidae. (Hawk moths. Humming-bird moths.) These are 

 the largest bodied of the lepidoptera. They have narrow thick 

 wings which enable them to fly with great rapidity, as they frequent 

 flowers at dark or before sunrise in the morning, inserting their 

 long maxillae into the flowers like humming-birds, which they are 

 often mistaken for. They are found about Lilacs, pinks and honey 

 suckles in June and July. Sesia diffinis and TJixjsheoxQ smaller clear 

 winged moths with flattened bodies and have spreading tufts like 

 the tails of humming-birds on the tip of their hind body ; they fly 

 in the hottest sunshine, about the flowers of the orchard, of the 

 Rhodora, Kalmia, Lilac and Pink, &c. Our smallest and rarest 

 species is the Ellema Harrisii, which lives on pine trees, and is taken 

 in their vicinity at flowers. The large Macrosila Carolina is not 

 found in Maine. Our largest species is *S. cinerea ; next to that the 

 >S'. drupiferarum which feeds on the plum ; S. gordius is our most 

 common species in Maine, and feeds on the apple. The larvae are 

 large green caterpillars Fig. 12. 



■with a terminal horn, and 

 have the queer habit of 

 elevating the head and 

 front part of the body, 

 (as in Figure 12,) in a 

 Sphinx-like attitude. 



Geratomia quadricornis has a larva with four short fleshy horns 

 on its thorax. It feeds on the elm. By thrusting a pin dipped 

 into oxalic acid into the body of the moths they can be quickly 

 killed, as also by the fumes of benzine. The larva are found crawl- 



