736 



AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



The silver-spotted skipper, Epargyreus tityrus. — This is one of the 

 larger of our common skippers, having a wing-expanse of nearly or 



quite 50 mm. It is dark choco- 

 late brown, with a row of yel- 

 lowish spots extending across 

 the fore wing and with a large 

 silvery -white spot on the lower 

 side of the hind wing (Fig. 941)- 

 It is found in nearly the whole 

 United ^States and in southern 

 Canada. The larva (Fig. 939) 

 feeds upon various papilionace- 

 ous plants. It is common on 

 locust. It makes a nest, with- 

 in which it remains concealed, 

 by fastening together, with silk, 

 the leaflets of a compound leaf 

 942). This is one of the very few skippers that winter in the 



Fig. 941. — Epargyreus tityrus; under surface 

 at left. (From Scudder.) 



(Fig. 



Fig. 942. — Nest of larva of Epargyreus tityrus. 



pupa state; most species winter as larvee, either partly grown or in 

 their cocoons. 



The bean leaf -roller, Goniurus proteus. — This skipper by the shape 

 of its wings reminds one of a swallow-tail butterfly, the hind wings 

 being furnished with long tails. It expands about 43 mm. and the 

 greatest length of the hind wings is about 30 mm. The wings are 

 very dark chocolate-brown. The front wings contain several silvery- 

 white spots ; and the body and base of the wings bear metallic-green 

 hairs. The larvas feed upon both Leguminosas and Cruciferse. In the 

 South it is sometimes a pest in gardens, cutting and rolling the leaves 

 of beans, turnips, and cabbage, and feeding within the rolls thus 

 formed . It is found on the Atlantic border from New York southward 

 into Mexico. 



There are two common skippers which are nearly as large as the 

 two described above, but which have neither the yellow band of the 

 first nor the long tails of the second; neither do they have the brown 

 spots characteristic of the following genus. These two skippers belong 

 to the genus Thorybes. The wings are of an even dark brown ; the fore 



