166 THE COMMONER BUTTERFLIES. 



above twice as long as broad ; yellowish white, dotted, above with 

 black. Length nejirly f inch. 



A southern and western species found in nearly or quite 

 all the western part of our district (but sparingly in the 

 North), and in the East hardly occurring north of southern 

 Ohio and Pennsylvania; in the far West it is perhaps the 

 commonest of butterflies; its flight is very rapid and close 

 to the ground. Its life-history is insufflciently knoAvn, but 

 it appears to winter in the chrysalis and to be triple- 

 brooded, the successive broods appearing early in spring, 

 again in June and July, and once more, and more abun- 

 dantly, in August and September, actually flying continu- 

 ously from early spring until late autumn. The eggs 

 which are nacreous-white, nearly S2:>herical, with twenty- 

 four prominent vertical ribs, are laid singly upon the upper 

 surface of leaves. The caterpillar feeds uj)on various mal- 

 lows : Sida, Malva, Althaea, and Abutilon. In summer the 

 chrysalis state lasts from eight to twelve days. 



Another species of Hesperia, H. centaureae, a high boreal and cir- 

 cumpolar form, has been taken in one or two instances in the extreme 

 east of our district even as far south as West Virginia. 



Other genera of Larger Skippers found in our district are Eudamus, 

 with one species, E. proteus, a tropical type occasionally found on the 

 Atlantic border as far north as New York ; Achalarus, represented 

 by A. lycidas, a southern form which has been occasionally taken in 

 Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and southern 

 New England ; and Rhabdoides, with one species, R. cellus, again a 

 southern type which is, found at least as far north as West Virginia 

 and Kentucky. 



TRIBE SMALLER SKIPPERS. 

 54. Genus Ancyloxipha. 



ANCYLOXIPHA NUMITOR— THE LEAST SKIPPER. 



(Thymelicus numitor, Heteropterus marginatus.) 

 Butterfly. — Antennal club with no recurved hook at tip 

 Upper surface of wings tawny, very broadly bordered with dark 



