HESPERIDiE. 
167 
a quotation by Prof. G. H. French from Prof. C. V. Riley. The 
larva lives inside the stem and root of the yucca. The eggs, which 
are pale green, are deposited singly on the leaves, and when hatched 
the caterpillar conceals itself in a web near the tip of the young leaf. 
As it grows, it generally works to the base of the leaf, feeding as it 
goes, entering the stem when it is about one-fourth grown. The 
young larva is dark brick-red, with the head and top of the second 
segment pitchy black. The full-grown larva is two and one-half 
inches in length, and of a dull, translucent white covered with a 
white, glistening, powdery secretion of a waxy nature. 
The burrow made by this caterpillar often extends two feet or 
more below the surface of the ground. Before pupating, the larva 
makes a place of exit for the butterfly, lightly closing the cavity near 
the end. It then makes a cell sufficiently farther down to give room 
enough to pupate, and in this it undergoes its transformations. The 
perfect fly emerges in April or May. There is but one brood in a 
season. There are two other species of this genus found within the 
borders of the United States, but their life in the caterpillar and 
chrysalis state has not yet been worked out. They, doubtless, bore 
in the stems and roots of sub-tropical plants. Central and South 
America have representatives of this genus. 
To the genus Thanaos QNisoniades') belong a number of Avidely 
distributed, dull brown or black insects with broad, flat wings, having 
a few small white dots and sometimes a row of dark purplish mark¬ 
ings on the upper wings. 
These insects usually appear early in the spring, and are among 
the first which a collector may take with the net. They are to be 
found along roads or paths in wooded districts, or in open spaces 
near woods. They delight to sport among low shrubs and bushes, 
and fly quite rapidly, two or three chasing each other about from 
bush to bush, often alighting and spreading their wings out flat, 
holding themselves ready to immediately take wing. They are quite 
pugnacious, and readily give chase to other insects that may pass 
their way. Great care is necessary in separating the species, as many 
of them resemble each other closely. Some are double-brooded, first 
making their appearance in April and May, and again the latter part 
of summer. Although so plain in coloring, these butterflies come at 
a time when the more attractive and larger kinds have not come forth 
to delight the collector. They are sufficiently numerous that one 
may secure perfect specimens with no great difficulty, and the most 
