82 BULLETIN 15 7, U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



be closed. It is also very fond of sunning itself with the wings par- 

 tially expanded on the tall dead stalks of weeds and on stones. 



The males are much shier and much more active than the females. 

 The females usually keep to the grassy areas over which they are 

 more or less uniformly distributed. Mating occurs only in the open 

 grassy regions. 



When abundant the males frequent the bare dirt roads. Here 

 they fly back and forth or sun themselves with their wings touching 

 the ground or held at a slight angle with it. Their sight is very 

 keen, and they become suspicious of an intruder at a distance of 

 from 15 to 20 feet. If one walks at the usual rate they will take 

 wing at a distance of about 10 feet, but by walking slowly one can 

 approach to within about 5 feet. 



They are exceedingly pugnacious and dart at once at large flies, 

 wasps, bees, other butterflies, or anything else that comes near their 

 line of flight or passes within 6 or 8 feet of them as they sit upon 

 the ground. They are also very quarrelsome among themselves. 

 There is a constant feud between them and the males of the pearl 

 crescent {Phyciodes tharos), which swarm in the moister spots along 

 the roads. But these pugnacious little butterflies often turn on the 

 much larger bully, which in that event always beats a hasty retreat. 

 Sometimes, however, the two may be found together on the best of 

 terms sucking moisture from the mud. 



Both sexes of the small light form of this butterfly are very adept 

 at hovering. The male is sometimes seen hovering with very rapid 

 wing beats about a female, somewhat as a sphingid moth hovers 

 about a flower cluster. The female is occasionally noticed slowly 

 winding about after the fashion of the hovering skipper {Poanes 

 massasoit) in the interior of bushes or thick herbage. 



Perhaps the most interesting peculiarity of the buckeye is its in- 

 tense dislike of the common Carolina locust {Dissosteira Carolina). 

 If one of these clumsy insects jumps up and takes to flight and there 

 is a male buckeye near, the latter at once gives chase, flying behind, 

 above, or on either side of it, but always keeping from 2 to 4 inches 

 away. If the locust alights on the road the butterfly alights simul- 

 taneously 4 or 5 inches to one side and slowly waves its wings in a 

 menacing fashion. If the persecuted locust takes off again, the 

 butterfly is after it once more. If a locust pursued by a buckeye 

 passes within 10 feet or so of another buckeye, buckeye No. 2 joins 

 the pursuit, and sometimes a third will join. But when the locust 

 alights, only one of the butterflies alights near it. While several 

 of the local butterflies habitually and persistently persecute this 

 locust, by far the most enmity and perseverance are shown by the 

 buckeye. A Carolina locust pursued by a buckeye and trying to 



