98 BUIZ.ETIN 15 7, U. S. NATIONAL. MUSEUM 



it abounds in all open areas and is especially numerous in neglected 

 and weedy fields with an abundance of asters. 



There is a specimen in the National Museum collection taken by 

 Dr. F. H. Chittenden in Washington on September 30, 1915. 



Habits. — The flight of the pearl crescent is rather rapid for such 

 a small butterfly. It maintains a uniform height of from 4 to 6 

 inches above the grass tops, and as it travels along, alternately 

 flapping and sailing, it dodges from side to side so that it is rather 

 difficult to follow with the eye. Its usual rate of progress is about 5 

 miles an hour in a straight line. As a rule its flights are not very 

 long, though sometimes it may be followed for 100 yards or more 

 without showing any signs of tiring. 



When sunning itself on a leaf or grass blade, which it is very 

 fond of doing, it holds its wings extended horizontally and from 

 time to time waves them rather slowly up and down for a few 

 seconds, each pair of wings moving through an arc of about 45°, 

 then again spreads them out to the horizontal. The head is usually 

 directed away from the sun. 



If startled this butterfly usually rushes away with a rapid dodging 

 flight after the manner of the fritillaries. If much frightened it 

 dashes off in a perfectly straight line. 



When mated pairs are disturbed, the female flies away carrying 

 the male. 



The males are much more active than the females and have a more 

 rapid and more irregular flight. They are fond of haunting roads, 

 resting on stones or on the bare ground or sucking moisture from 

 mud. They are usually seen on mud as individuals, scattered here 

 and there, but when abundant they often gather into little groups of 

 from three to a dozen or more. In the same way two or three or even 

 as many as half a dozen may be seen on a particularly attractive 

 rounded stone. 



They are pugnacious and aggressive. They will dart viciously at 

 the larger grasshoppers, at flies and bees, and also at the larger 

 butterflies, particularly brown ones, seeming to have a special enmity 

 for the viceroy {BasilarcMa archippus) and the milkweed butterfly 

 {Danaus plexippus) . The former can escape from them without 

 much difficulty, but they cause the latter much annoyance. A milk- 

 weed butterfly pursued by a pearl crescent dodges clumsily this way 

 and that, acting much like a crow tormented by a hummingbird. 



There is a constant feud between the males of this butterfly and 

 those of the buckeye {Junonia lavinia). A buckeye will often dart 

 at a pearl crescent ; but almost invariably the latter turns the tables 

 on it and it is glad to make its escape. 



The least skipper {AncyloxypTm nwmitor) seems to be the only 

 butterfly able invariably to vanquish the pearl crescent. As a rule 



