174 
MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES. 
defined. This butterfly inhabits the southern states, and is some¬ 
times seen as far north as New York. It is a common insect in 
Florida, the larva feeding on various garden plants, such as beans, 
peas, cabbages, etc., and often doing considerable damage. 
We may often find on the locust trees the nests of the larvse of 
our beautiful Eudamus tityrus. These caterpillars, although often 
quite common, are solitary in their habits, each one making its sep¬ 
arate cell in which it resides during the daytime, coming forth to 
feed at night. The caterpillar is light green, banded across with 
lines of darker green, having a reddish-brown head, with two large 
yellow spots placed where one would expect the eyes to be. These, 
with the monstrous size of the head, give the creature a very peculiar 
appearance. When full grown, the caterpillar spins a thin, silken 
cocoon, usually in a curled leaf, and attaching itself b}^ the tail, with 
a thread of silk about its body, undergoes its transformations. The 
butterfly comes forth in June and July, and is to be found about 
flowering shrubs and weeds in open country, being seldom seen in 
forests. Along brooks or the borders of ponds are favorite haunts of 
this butterflj 7 . It is a rapid flyer, and is somewhat shy, although one 
may approach it closely if care be taken. I have in mind one locality 
near Lebanon, Ohio, where along the banks of a brook this insect was 
very abundant, every bunch of flowering weeds having its occupants, 
the bright, silvery spot on the under side of the lower wings glisten¬ 
ing as they moved about in the sunlight. This butterfly has a very 
wide range, being found over nearly all portions of the United States. 
Eudamus lycidas. Upper side. 
Another insect, closely resembling the preceding both in size and 
the coloring of the upper surface, is Eudamus lycidas. It is a little 
