144 ARTICULATES: INSECTS. 



SKIPPERS. 



Skippers are butterflies which have a short body, 

 large head, and large eyes ; and the antennae have the 

 knob at the end either curved like a 

 hook or ending in a little point bent 

 to one side. They are called Skippers 

 because they fly with a jerking mo- 

 tion. They are generally of a rich 

 Fig. 270. -Skipper. brown color? marked wifch spots of 



yellow, and expand from an inch and a half to two 

 inches and a half. 



The Tityrus Skipper is one of the largest and most 

 beautiful species. Its wings are brown, and the for- 

 ward ones have a yellow band across the middle and 

 yellow spots near the tips, and the hind wings have a 

 broad, silver-colored band across the middle of the 

 under side. It is found about clover and other flow- 

 ers in June and July. The feniales lay their eggs on 

 the leaves of the locust-trees. The caterpillar, when 

 full grown, is about two inches long, of a pale green 

 color, with cross streaks of darker green ; the head and 

 neck are red, with a yellow spot on each side of the 

 mouth. 



AZURE AND COPPER BUTTERFLIES. 



These are small, expanding only an inch. The 

 Azure Butterflies are blue or brown ; and the Copper 

 Butterflies red, spotted with black. 



HAWK-MOTHS, OR SPHINGES. 



These moths are large, and have the antennae thick- 

 est in the middle and usually hooked at the tip, and 

 the wings long and narrow. During the morning and 

 evening twilight, they may be seen flying from flower 



