268 THE STUDY OF INSECTS 



the fore wings suggests a head of a dog or of a duck, a prominent black 

 spot on the discal vein serving as the eye. This is an abundant species 

 in the southeastern and southwestern states, extending from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific. The larva feeds on clover. 



The little sulphur, Eurema euterpe. — Although this species is con- 

 siderably below the average size of our yellows, the larger individuals 

 expand about f of an inch. The wings are canary-yellow above, with the 

 apex of the fore wings and the outer margin of both fore and hind wings 

 blackish-brown. The border of the hind wings is narrow and sometimes 

 wanting. There is a red-brown splash on the apex of the hind wings 

 below. 



The distribution of this species is from New England to Florida and 

 westward to Lower California. The larva feeds on Cassia. 



The cloudless sulphur, Catopsilia eubule. — This large butterfly differs 

 greatly in appearance from those described above. It expands 2\ inches. 

 The wings above are of uniform bright canary-yellow. In the male they 

 are without spots, except frequently an inconspicuous brown dot at the 

 tip of each vein, and a lilac-brown edging of the costal border. In the 

 female there is a discal dot on the fore wings and a marginal row of 

 brown spots at the ends of the veins. 



This is a southern species which occasionally extends as far north on 

 the coast as New York City, and in the Mississippi Valley as far as 

 southern Wisconsin. The larva feeds on Cassia. 



Family Nymphalid^e 

 The Four-footed Butterflies 



The family Nymphalidae, includes chiefly butterflies of medium or 

 large size, but a few of the species are small. With a single exception, 

 Hypatus, these butterflies differ from all others in our fauna in having 

 the fore legs very greatly reduced in size in both sexes. So great is the 

 reduction that these legs cannot be used for walking, but are folded on 

 the breast like a tippet. 



This is the largest of the families of butterflies. It not only surpasses 

 the other families in number of species, but it contains a greater number 

 and variety of striking forms, and also a larger proportion of the species 

 of butterflies familiar to every observer of insects. There may be in any 

 locality one or two species of yellows or of whites more abundant, but 

 the larger number of species commonly observed are four-footed butter- 

 flies. 



THE FRITILLARIES 



The fritillaries are butterflies varying from a little below to somewhat 

 above medium size. The color of the wings is fulvous, bordered and 

 checkered with black, but not so heavily bordered as in the next sub- 

 family. The lower surface of the wings is often marked with curving 

 rows of silvery spots. The common name fritillary was suggested by the 

 spotted coloration of these butterflies. 



In the larvae there is an even number of rows of spines on the abdo- 

 men, due to the fact that there are none on the middle of the back. The 

 larvae feed upon the leaves of violets. 



