172 THE COMMONER BUTTERFLIES. 



Under surface orange buff (male) or tawny cinnamoneous 

 (female), often infuscated, the brighter markings of the upper 

 surface vaguely repeated and paler, the band of the hind wings 

 generally indistinct in the male. Expanse H inches. 



Caterpillar. — Head reddish brown. Body naked, briefly 

 pilose, dull brownish green, sprinkled with darker dots and 

 having a dark dorsal line ; thoracic shield brownish black, in 

 front of it dirty white. Length 1 inch. 



Chrysalis. — Unknown. 



This butterfly is undoubtedly found over the whole of 

 our district, though it is recorded from few localities in the 

 West; it frequents open grassy fields, and hibernates as a 

 caterj^illar; it appears to be single-brooded ^n the northern- 

 most parts of its range, flying toward the end of June; but 

 over most of our district it is double-brooded, first appear- 

 ing very early in June or even late in May and rarely 

 flying into July, and being again on the wing from the 

 middle of July to September; but probably in somewhat 

 scantier numbers, for some of the caterpillars of the first 

 brood, though full fed, have not changed to chrysalis when 

 winter appears, when the caterpillars of the second brood 

 are partly grown. The eggs are smooth, hemispherical, and 

 very pale green, are laid singly very lightly affixed to grass- 

 blades^ and hatch in from eight to fourteen days, accord- 

 ing to place and season. ' The caterpillar feeds on grasses, 

 does not devour its forsaken egg-shell, and makes a tubular 

 nest of grass-blades, to which it retires on the slightest 

 alarm; it is firmly constructed of many blades and many 

 threads and the interstices covered with a gauze-like open 

 framework. 



Other species of this genus found in our district are T. aetna, a 

 southern species not very uncommon as far north as Canada ; and 

 T. hrettus, known mostly from the southern coast, but extending 

 northward into Connecticut, and reported also from Wisconsin. 



