Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-01-08
SLEEPY DUSKY-WING.
Something About a Butterfly With a
Wonderful Pocket.

The dusky-wing is one of a family
of small, sober-tinted butterflies, be-
longing to the tribe of shippers, So
called from their darting flight and
their bustling ways. One would
imagine the dusky wings fond of night
or at least of shadow, for there is a
dreamy dusky-wing as well as our
sleepy dusky-wing, but they are butter
flies Of the day, and like the open road,
as well as moist places in the woods.
Have you not often noticed, in driv
ing, small puddle in the road sur
rounded by perfect swarm of butter
flies, and seen them rise only to return
speedily, and after great deal of how
ering and posturing, alight in the same
place? You see, they have to arrange
it so that each butterfly may have
comfortable room for his wings beside
the puddle. Our special dusky- wing
has very dainty tastes although she
probably also visits puddles- and
feeds chiefly on violets and blueberries
in their season.
There are some interesting facts
about these butterflies in their earlier
caterpillar stage, which / will tell you
before describing the wonderful
pocket of the higher winged life. The
.caterpillars use silk for their nest
Innings, and for their fastenings.
Juvenal's dusky- wing lives on the oak,
and makes a nest from it's leaf, draw
ing its edges together with strands Of
golden silk; and often dropping golden
curtains Of thin and delicate silk,
like tissue, before it's openings.
When it is ready to leave its old
house for a new one, which it does
whenever it casts off the old skin, it
never forgets to bite in two the golden
strands and let the leaf-flap fly back to
it's natural position. It's last home,
where it sleeps as a chyrsalis before
emerging as full-grown butterfly is
fully lined with golden silk, for it may
have to remain there for many cold
days. If any accident happens to this
nest, it repairs the damage, but the
second silk lining is no longer gold,
but white, like the white silk portiers
and Innings of it's cousin, the dreamy
dusky- wing.
The male butterfys have the proud
privilege of a pocket, but the pocket
of a butterfly is wonderfully made. It
is really an extension of the under
wing folded back on the upper side, but
it is exquisitely colored and marked
like the upper side so that it is very
hard to detect, and no one has yet dis
covered just how it is opened, although
undoubtedly the butterfly can throw it
open while he is flying.
At first glance there seems to be
only white or amber-colored] silk floss
within, but examine this with mi
scroscope and you will find twisted
ribbons, slender rods shaped like a
shepherds crook, others jointed BAN
bOo-like, and flexible rods and tiny
scales of various sorts and patterns.
1t is known that insects have mar
velously keen scent, and it is believed
that all these odd little objects are
perfume-b boxes, and that the fragrance
SO thrown abroad is a signal call for
the female butterfly, which may be
say the least, very interesting guess,
and there is much evidence to prove
that butterflies and moths are sum-
moned from great distances by odors
that we would hardly notice.-Phila-
delphia Times.