THE TRIBE OF THE LARGER SKIPPERS 277 



little searching is likely to show one the characteristic tent- 

 like nest. 



After a few weeks the caterpillars become full grown. 

 They then sew themselves in for the winter, fastening all 

 of the crevices in the nest so securely with silken webbing 

 that a very serviceable winter cocoon is formed. An in- 

 teresting fact is that this sewing up for the winter is likely 

 to take place about midsummer, the caterpillars remain- 

 ing quiet from this time until the following spring. The 

 nests of course fall in autumn with the leaves and the 

 caterpillars remain unchanged until April or May, when 

 they transform into chrysalids to emerge in May as butter- 

 flies. There appears to be normally but one brood a year 

 although there is some evidence of a partial second brood. 



The Sooty Wing 



Pholisora catullus 



This is one of the smallest of the blackish Skippers and 

 may be known by its small size, expanding less than an 

 inch, and the series of five white dots near the apex of 

 the front wing, these dots being more distinct on the under 

 surface. The species is widely distributed, occurring over 

 practically the whole of the United States, except in the 

 states along the Canadian border from Wisconsin west — 

 and in several of these it is found along their southern 

 limits. 



This butterfly is of particular interest because it is one 

 of the comparatively few species that habitually occur in 

 gardens and cultivated fields. The reason for this is that 

 the eggs are laid upon white pigweed or lambs' quarter. 



