232 BULLETIN 15 7, U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



eye. It always keeps very near the ground and prefers to fly over 

 and along roads or about bare and sterile patches of ground. 



The resting position resembles that of the gray darter {Pyrgus 

 tessellatus), the fore wings being slightly divergent and the hind 

 wings more widely spread, though not quite to the horizontal'. 

 When it is feeding the wings are held erect and parallel. 



Mr. Scudder noticed that the roadside skipper when at rest has 

 the habit of moving its antennae in the same way as the least skipper 

 {Ancyloxypha nmnitor). But this curious habit is more common 

 among skippers than he supposed. 



There are at least two broods of this butterfly in the District, and 

 probably three. The first brood appears the last of April and the 

 second about the third week in July. There should be a third brood, 

 if only a partial one, in September. 



Genus MEGISTIAS Godman and Salvin 



MEGISTIAS FUSCA (Grote and Robinson) 



Plate 3, Figure 8 



Occurrence. — This obscure little butterfly is not uncommon in 

 moist open fields. The Schonborn collection contains three speci- 

 mens — one dated July, 1892, and one presented by Mr. Shoemaker. 

 Mr. Shoemaker's collection includes specimens from Arlington 

 County, Va. I have several specimens taken at Cabin John on June 2, 

 1929, one specimen taken at Silver Spring on June 17, 1928, and four 

 taken at the same place on August 14, 1928. It is most numerous 

 about the middle of September, when it is found equally in the 

 meadows at Silver Spring and at Cabin John. 



Remarks. — This butterfly, on account of its small size and sluggish 

 habits, is very easily overlooked. It is seldom seen above the grass 

 tops, though on occasion it will rjse to feed on the lower flowers of 

 the thistles. 



Genus LEREMA Scudder 



LEREMA ACCIUS (Abbot and Smith) 



Plate 53, Figures 17, 18 



Mr. Shoemaker has specimens of this butterfly taken within the 

 District. I did not meet with it until September 18, 1929, when I 

 found it rather common in the open field just northeast of the under- 

 pass beneath the canal west of Cabin John. About a dozen were seen 

 in an area o,f less than half an acre, and a pair taken. 



It was noticed that this butterfly keeps rather near the ground and 

 that it does not fly up into a net placed over it as do other skippers, 



