282 THE STUDY OF INSECTS 



as subfamilies; these are known as the hair-streaks, the coppers, and the 

 blues respectively. In addition to these there is a single species, the 

 wanderer, the relationship of which is uncertain. 



THE HAIR-STREAKS 



The hair-streaks are usually dark brown, with delicate striped mark- 

 ings, which suggested their common name; but some species are bril- 

 liantly marked with metallic blue, green, or purple. The hind wings are 

 commonly furnished with delicate tail-like prolonga- 

 tions (Fig. 485), and the eyes are hairy. The fore 

 wings of the male often bear a small, dull, oval spot 

 near the middle of the costal part of the wings, the 

 discal stigma, which is filled with the peculiar scent- 

 scales known as androconia. The males are also dis- 

 tinguished by having a tuft of hair-like scales, the 

 beard, on the front; this is wanting or very thin in 

 the females. More than sixty species occur in 

 America north of Mexico; of these nearly twenty 

 occur in the eastern half of the United States. 

 fig. 4 s 5 . -Thedacaianus. The banded hair-streak, Thecla calanus. — In the 



northeastern United States the most common of the hair-streaks is this spe- 

 cies (Fig. 485). The upper surface of the wings is dark brown or black- 

 ish-brown. The under surface is blackish slate-brown nearly as dark as 

 the upper surface, and marked as shown in the figure. 



The larva feeds on oak and hickory. Excepting the southern portion 

 of the Gulf States, the species is found throughout our territory east of 

 the Rocky Mountains, and in the southern part of Canada. 



The olive hair-streak, Mitoura damon. — The upper surface of the 

 wings is dark brown, with the disk more or less deeply suffused with 

 brassy yellow in the male or tawny in the female; the hind wing has two 

 tails, one much longer than the other, both black tipped with white. 

 The lower surface of the hind wings is deep green; both fore and hind 

 wings are marked with white bars bordered with brown. (Fig. 471, 6.) 

 Southern individuals have much longer tails than the one shown in 

 the figure; and there is a variety, pater soma, in which the upper surface 

 of the wings is all dark brown. 



The larva feeds on red cedar and smilax. This species occurs from 

 Massachusetts to Florida and westward to Dakota and Texas. 



The great purple hair-streak, Atlides halesus. — This is the largest of 

 our eastern hair-streaks, the larger individuals expanding 2 inches. In the 

 male the greater part of the upper surface of the wings is bright blue; 

 the discal stigma, the outer fourth of the fore wings, the apex of the 

 inner margin of the hind wings, and the tails are black. In the female 

 the outer half of the wings is black. 



This species occurs in the southern half of the United States and 

 southward. It has been found as far north as Illinois. The larva is 

 said to feed on oak. 



The white-m hair-streak, Thecla m-album. — This is a smaller species, 

 expanding about i\ inches. The upper surface of the disk of the wings 

 is a rich, glossy dark blue, with green reflections; a broad outer border 

 and costal margin are black. The hind wing has two tails, and a bright 



