FAMILY HABITS IN BUTTERFLY LARV^ THE UBBICOLIDS. 13 



length on a blade of grass, its head thrown back so that its face is 

 dorsal. The caterpillar of Atrytone zabulon feeds upon common grasses, 

 drawing portions of leaves together with silken threads, forming a 

 rude case, in which it secretes itself ; when placed on a strong ribbed 

 blade, the edges of which it cannot bend, it spins a few threads from 

 rib to rib, and places itself behind the threads. This latter action is 

 performed by carrying a thread repeatedly between the same points, 

 each thread being drawn tightly and made a little shorter than tbe 

 previous one, until the edges are brought so near together that the 

 larva has barely room to withdraw its head .... one of the 

 little strands is composed of 20 or 30 threads. The larva of Urbicola 

 sassacus is sluggish throughout its whole life, living apparently between 

 the leaves of grass, close down to their union with the stem, and 

 using the crevice for a nest, apparently without any silken fastenings ; 

 its habits are said to be not specially cleanly, as is the case in most 

 other " skipper " larvae, for it soils its nest considerably ; this 

 habit of living closely down by the roots reminds one much 

 of Staudinger's remarks on the habits of the larva of Drbicola 

 f&omma (antea, viii., pp. 175-176). The caterpillar of Atalopedes liuron 

 feeds on Cynodon dactylon and other grasses, fastening together 

 a number of blades, lining the cylindrical cavity thus formed with a 

 silken web, and, living within this retreat, comes out only to feed. 

 The larva of Thymelicus brettus draws together the leaves of the grass, 

 Paspalum ciliati folium, on which it feeds, lining the cavity, in which it 

 rests concealed when not feeding, with silk, and within which it 

 moults ; its feeding is done mostly by night. The larva of the allied 

 T. mystic is said to be timid, retiring abruptly, at the least alarm, into 

 its firmly constructed tubular nest of many grass- blades, so lined with 

 silk that any openings between the grass-blades are covered with a 

 gauze-like framework, somewhat resembling that of the cocoon of the 

 Geometrid moth, Zerene catenaria. The caterpillars of the Lamochores 

 species construct a feeble gauze-like tubular nest, between grass-blades, 

 in which they hide when not feeding, their habits being very similar 

 to those of the species of Atrytone (supra). The larvae of Lamochores 

 niantaaqua feed on ordinary grasses, their tubular nests loosely-con- 

 structed of grass-blades, in which, however, all the lateral slits are 

 kept from opening by numerous connecting threads between the 

 blades ; the larva of L. taumas also feeds upon common grasses 

 (apparently only by day), and is apparently an indolent, yet timorous, 

 creature, retiring at the least alarm, curling up, if disturbed, when out 

 of its nest, but rarely leaving it, living always close to it, and eating 

 the driest blades rather than go the least distance for fresh material. 

 The larva of Calpodes ethlius folds over a small portion of Carina leaf, 

 and fixes it in position by a few stitches of silk, enlarging this tempo- 

 rary retreat, or folding a new section as it grows ; it feeds from this 

 tubular case just along the edges of the leaf, retreating within the 

 nest when alarmed. Dodge observes that larvae he reared in confine- 

 ment curled the leaves just enough to form a convenient hiding-place, 

 although not confining themselves exclusively to it, since he noticed 

 that, more than once, the larvae were observed stretched out at full 

 length on the foliage, or even on the sides of the box. 



Aitken observes (Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. So.c, ii., p. 42) that the 

 larva of Chapra mathias feeds, in India, on a common grass, stitching 



