218 BULLETIN 15 7, U. S. NATIOlirAL MUSEUM 



and in June, but disappears before the first of July. It reappears 

 in the middle of July, remains common until after the first of 

 August, gradually becomes less numerous and very nearly disappears 

 by the middle of the month, shortly after which fresh individuals 

 again are on the wing. The interval between the disappearance of 

 the second brood and the first appearance of the third brood is very 

 short, and is perhaps completely bridged by some of the individuals 

 of the second brood. The butterfly is to be found until the second 

 week in October. 



Genus ERYNNIS Schrank 



ERYNNIS LEONARDUS (Harris) 



Leonard's Skippee, 

 Plate 16, Figures 4 to 9 ; Plate 17, Figures 3 to 6 



Occwrrence. — Frequent, but not very common, in damp meadows. 

 It is found in the damp fields between Conduit Koad and the canal 

 beyond Cabin John, and in similar localities at Silver Spring and 

 elsewhere. Mr. Shoemaker has this butterfly from Montgomery 

 County, Md., September 19, 1911, Arlington County, Va., September 

 16, 1901, and Fairfax County, Va., September 22, 1920. 



Season. — Leonard's skipper has but a single brood a year. It 

 appears on or about the first of September and slowly increases in 

 numbers until about the middle of the month, after which its num- 

 bers decline and it has usually disappeared before the first of October. 

 The males appear from a week to 10 days in advance of the females, 

 and by the time the females have become common the males are 

 mostly rubbed and worn. 



Remarks. — At the height of the season, about the third week in 

 September, half a dozen or so of these fine skippers may be secured 

 in a day in the most favorable localities, but in most of the places 

 where they are found from one to three or four will be met with in 

 the course of a day. Up to the middle of September females are 

 relatively scarce, but in the last half of the month they outnumber the 

 males and toward the first of October only females are to be found. 



This is one of the handsomest and most conspicuous of our local 

 skippers. It feeds almost exclusively on flowers from 3 to 6 feet 

 above the ground and standing well above the surrounding herbage, 

 and is very seldom seen on any but purplish pink flowers. It is there- 

 fore very rarely observed except on thistles and on joe-pye-weed 

 {Eupatoriwn purpurewn)., although I have once or twice taken it on 

 asters. So far as I have seen it always feeds sitting on the flower 

 heads with the body horizontal. Though most of the other skippers 



