﻿OP THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 181 



pupa, when the imago is about to issue, toward the top of the funnel, 

 which readily opens under the pressure, since it is closed only by 

 <;ontraction. In the issuing of the imago the pupa remains within the 

 tube. 



Having let several of the butterflies loose in a spacious cham- 

 iDer in order to watch their movements, I can confirm what has been 

 said of the rapidity and strength of their flight. I would further add, 

 that, in resting or walking, as in all their actions, they have the char- 

 acteristics of the larger bodied skippers. When the wings are not 

 used in flight, the inferior portion of the secondaries is folded along 

 "vein 1 and tucked in under the submedian, as is, I believe, the case 

 with all Hesperians. At rest, the outer portions of primaries are 

 brought closely together. The favorite position of the insect when 

 at rest is vertical, or even hanging from beneath an oblique object. 

 In walking, the wings open more or less, but the hind ones are not 

 held horizontal. In walking on a flat surface, the fore body is strongly 

 raised on the legs, while the end of the abdomen, especially in the 

 female, generally touches the ground, so that the costas of primaries 

 are nearly on a plane with the surface. The antenna are most often 

 •on a plane with the body, and strongly diverging. 



About the middle of April I had a number of larvae hatch, and 

 - have been able to watch these on two plants of IT. aloifolia indoors 

 and on one out-doors. The habit of living at first within a cylinder 

 unade by one of the rolled leaves, webbed across with silk, is very 

 marked, and even where the larva at first works at the base of a leaf 

 it will web the leaf up and feed along up to its tip before entering 

 into the more solid portions of the plant. In extruding the excrement 

 the larva backs up to the end of the retreat which is kept only par- 

 tially closed. One specimen I have kept from the time of hatching 

 in a tin box, occasionally supplying it with fresh leaves. It forms a 

 retreat of these and appears to thrive as well as the others. It went 

 through the first molt the lOlh day after hatching, and through the 

 second molt 11 days subsequently, and, judging from the size of the 

 head in this third stage and of the insect, there will be two more molts 

 or four in all. Toward the end of the third stage the larva measures 

 1.20 inches. 



In the second stage the head is deep gamboge-yellow, with dark jaws — not polished 

 but faintly chagreened : the cervical shield is narrow, entire and polished black ; and an 

 -anal plate is obvious, also polished, dark brown, with the hind borders thickened and 

 black. The body is olivaceous-brown, the stiff, black hairs of the tirst stage are very 

 much shortened and pale, and the whole surface has a faintly pubescent appearance, 

 •caused by numerous minute points, each giving rise to a short soft hair. The wrinkles 

 •of the mature larva are already well defined. In the third stage the head is chesuut- 



