Evening star., 1936-08-18
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENR

A butterfly is born seven times.
1t passes through six metamorphoseS
in its progress from the almost micro
scopic egg to the adult insect. each stage
having its own peculiar physical struc-
ture, color and way of life. For each of
the periods of its existence it builds a
new house, and most of these ingeniouSly
made structures it destroys when it is
through with them.
Such, at least, is the life history of the
gold-banded skipper, rather rare crea-
ture of the early Summer in damp
Maryland and Virginia woods and by
streamsides. Its progress has been fol-
lowed, step by step, by Austin H. Clark,
Smithsonian Institution biologist, in an
extremely detailed life history study of
a creature little known to entomologists.
The life pattern of the gold-banded
skipper, Mr.. Clark says, roughly approx
imates that of butterflies in general.
Some. however. have fewer stages. This
creature, Mr.. Clark points out, might be
described as seven insects in one. Each
metamorphosis brings into being crea-
ture different not only in physical ap-
pearance but in psychological reactions.
There is a sharp break between each OF
the life forms.
1t emerges from the egg as tiny,
chrome-yellow caterpillar with very
large head, almost half as wide as the
body is long. Thenceforth. for period
of approximately five weeks, the cater
pillar crawls out of its skin five times,
the newly emerged creature differing
notably each time from its appearance
before the rebirth. The differences are
in form, color and hairyneSs.
Then comes the radical change OF
pupation, in which, for protection during
its helpless days of suspended animation
in the cocoon, the insect covers itself
with waxen overcoat which looks, says
Mr.. Clark, like light. lavender-tinted
snow" Out of this stage emerges the
butterfly, to enter upon its final period
of existence.
An outstanding popularity of the be-
havior of this creature in its various
caterpillar stages, Mr.. Clark says, IS ltS
house-building. Almost as soon as the
first tiny caterpillar emerges from the
egg it builds itself shelter like pup
tent by cutting a flap from the edge OF
the leaf on which it finds itself, bendlng
it over and sewing 1t together in the
1Orm OF q llHpeC. Every ucW-poih AL
sect builds this shelter according to an
almost invariable pattern, although close
examination Of hundreds of pup-tents,
Mr.. Clark says, shows small individual
variations.
The first shelter soon is partially de-
stroyed by the caterpillar and larger
one constructed. By the time it enters
the fourth stage of its existence it is
ready for more ambitious home, con-
structed of two leaves fastened together
and quite different from the pup-tent
pattern. This is one of the few house
building butterfly caterpillars.
Once it enters the butterfly stage the
gold-banded skipper is a somewhat OBJ
scure insect, chiefly interesting because
of its peculiar distribution. Its chief
habitat is Mexico and Southern Arizona,
with a secondary habitat in the East,
where it seldom comes under the obser-
vation Of entomologists. 1t appears only
during the afternoon in wet hollows
near water.
One interesting feature Of its life OBJ
served by Mr.. Clark is the selection of
wet open spots in the woods as play
grounds, where the males congregate
and engage in combats. The nearest