246 



INSECT LIFE. 



215 two larvse and a chrysalis are represented on a 

 cabbage leaf. 



The Yellows. — The yellows are easily recog- 

 nized by their bright yellow colors, although in some 



species whitish forms 

 occur. They abound 

 almost everywhere in 

 open fields, and are com- 

 mon in wet places in 

 roads. Fig. 216 repre- 

 sents the male of a com- 

 mon species ; in the fe- 

 male the border on the 

 fore wings is broader, 

 and contains a submarginal row of yellow spots. 

 This species is dimorphic. The second form is rep- 

 resented only by the female sex, and differs in having 

 the ground color of the wings white instead of yel- 

 low. The larva feeds on clover and allied plants. 



Fig. 216. — A yellow. 



THE GOSSAMER-WINGED BUTTERFLIES. 



There are certain butterflies, many of which are 

 common by roadsides, that are of small size and deli- 

 cate structure. These constitute the family Lyc^en- 

 ID^ (Ly-casn'i-dae), or gossamer-winged butterflies. 

 They resemble in size the smaller skippers (see page 

 81), but can be distinguished at a glance from the 

 skippers by their delicate wings and more slender 

 bodies. Our common species are grouped under 

 three heads — the coppers, the blues, and the hair- 

 streaks. 



The Coppers. — The coppers are easily distin- 

 guished from other gossamer-winged butterflies by 



