166 
MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES. 
keeping out its enemies, reminding one in this respect of the larva of 
some species of caddis flies. The chrysalis is smooth, shaped like 
Larva of Tlesperidte. (Budamus tityrus.) 
that of a moth, and is powdered with a bluish dust. It is suspended 
by the tail within its thin silken cocoon, and has a thin band of silk 
passing around the body after the manner of the Papilionidce. 
At the beginning of the skippers, as they are often termed, is 
a genus of large, powerful insects which inhabit the southern states, 
New Mexico and Arizona, known to entomologists by the name 
Megathymidce, or giant skippers. In this genus the head is not so 
large in proportion to the rest of the body as in most of the members 
of this family, but the body is very stout and well supplied with 
muscles to work the stiff and proportionately short wings, making 
these insects very strong on the wing. The antenna;, though fur¬ 
nished with a long curved knob, are not pointed nor recurved into a 
hook as in most of the Hesperidce. These insects fly very rapidly, 
but seem as if undecided where to go, and dart first to one side and 
then the other, suddenly alighting, and seldom remaining more than 
an instant in a place. All four wings are folded vertically over the 
back when the insect is at rest, differing in this habit in an important 
degree from the majority of the skippers. 
The best known of this genus is Megathymus yuccae , so called 
from the larva passing the most of its existence in the stem and root 
of the yucca or Spanish bayonet. The butterfly is dark umber-brown, 
the base and the margin of the wings being tinged with yellow. The 
light markings on the outer third of the upper wings are yellow. 
All four wings are more or less hairy next the body. The under side 
is much like the upper, the yellow spots being repeated beneath, but 
paler, while there are gray scales toward the outer portion of both 
sets of wings. The female is a good deal larger than her mate, 
measuring three inches in expanse of wing, the male being but two 
and one-half inches across the outstretched wings. The coloring is 
much the same in both sexes. I have never seen the larva or chrys¬ 
alis of this insect, and know nothing of its early life-history, 
taking the following interesting descriptions, with its habits, from 
