168 THE COMMONER BUTTEHFLIES. 



of irregular and very unequal spots in the interspaces ; male with 

 no discal dash. Under surface dark cinnamon-brown, on the 

 outer margin flecked with lilac, and centrally marked heavily 

 with lemon-tawny as above, but the markings on the fore wings 

 are blended with an oblique black line at the end of the cell, and 

 on the hind wings form a definite transverse band abruptly and 

 considerably broadened in the middle. Expanse about If inches. 



Caterpillar. — Head dark ferruginous, scabrous. Body naked, 

 briefly pilose, yellowish brown, with dark dorsal and lateral lines 

 and dotted with fuscous ; a narrow, interrupted, fuscous thoracic 

 shield, in front of which the segment is greenish. Length f inch. 



Chrysalis. — Uniformly livid, somewhat infuscated on head and 

 thorax, the appendages with a whitish bloom ; tongue-case ex- 

 tending to the eighth abdominal segment. Length nearly | inch. 



This butterfly is found throughout our district, in 

 meadows, flying swiftly and abruptly, close to the ground. 

 It is single-brooded and passes the winter sometimes as a 

 full-grown caterpillar, sometimes as a chrysalis. The but- 

 terfly appears the last week in May, becomes abundant 

 early in June, and disappears before the end of that month. 

 The eggs, which are smooth, hemispherical, and of a very 

 pale green color, are laid singly and hatch in from eleven 

 to thirteen days. The caterpillar feeds on grasses; it is a 

 long time, sometimes several days, in making its exit from 

 the shell, which it then devours and next proceeds to make 

 a rude nest near the joint of a blade of grass by drawing the 

 edges nearly together by silken threads; if at any time it is 

 at all disturbed, it quits its habitation and makes a new nest, 

 occupying much time in its construction, the edges of the 

 blade being drawn closer and closer by contiinially shorten- 

 ing threads; when about to change to chrysalis, it forms a 

 tube for its concealment by uniting adjoining grass-blades 

 and lines the cavity closely with silk. 



The female of this species is dimorphic, one form re- 

 sembling the male in color, the other (pocahontas) melanic, 

 all the darker markings being extended and the briclitor 

 ones obscured. 



