^44 BUTTERFLIES 



The Great Purple Hair-streak is a beautiful, iridescent 

 blue creature, as seen from above, with blackish borders 

 around the blue. As seen from below, the wings are dark 

 brown, with red spots near the body. The two tail-like 

 projections are quite long. It is very large for the group 

 to v^^hich it belongs, measuring nearly two inches across the 

 expanded wings. It is a tropical form, extending into our 

 southern borders from California to Florida and occasion- 

 ally occurring north as far as southern IlKnois. The larvae 

 feed on oak. {See ^plate^ pctge 256.) 



The White-M Hair-streak 



Eupsyche M-album 



The White-M Hair-streak is about two thirds the size of 

 the Great Purple species with less blue and more black on 

 the upper wing surface. The hind tail is slender and well 

 developed, and the angle of the wing just back of it is 

 rounded out in an unusual fashion. The lower surface of 

 the wing is of a general grayish brown color, marked by a 

 white stripe, which takes the form of the letter M: hence 

 its name. This is also a southern species occurring at times 

 as far north as Ohio and even Atlantic City, New Jersey. 

 The caterpillars feed upon the leaves of oak and Astragalus 

 or millv vetch. 



There is also a third species of this group of whose his- 

 tory we are ignorant except for Abbot's observations. It 

 is an exquisite little butterfly called the Least Purple 

 Hair-streak {Calycopis cecrops) and is apparently a 

 tropical form which has spread into our Southern states. 

 It is especially beautiful because of the brilliant red and 



