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The Purple Disk

LOWELL.

Epidemia epixanthe (Ep-i-de'mi-a ep-i-xan'the) PLATE XXXVI, FIG. 5, 6 The wings above are brown in the male, with a strong reflection, in the female they are grayish brown. Both wings are more or less spotted with black, and on the hind wings there is a sinuous submarginal orange line, beginning at the anal angle and fading out near the middle of the outer margin. In the female there is a line of black spots on the outer half of the fore wings that are wanting in the male. Below, the wings are gray spotted with black. Expanse of wings one inch or less.

CATERPILLAR. - Not described and food-plant unknown. It is very little we know of this Lilliputian butterfly except that it requires a keen eye helped by a robust imagination to see any purple whatever on its wings. The female's wings are yellow bronze; but if the wings of the male are held in the right light there is a sheen upon them that suggests the red purple of the clover blossom.

On the under side the wings of the female are lemon yellow, and those of the male gray with yellowish pearly sheen. Surely size has nothing to do with spirit, for this merest mite of a butterfly is a born fighter, and Mr. Saunders says soon wears out its wings in tilts and combats at butterfly tournaments. It frequents cranberry bogs and swampy meadows and is very local in its habits. It is found in Canada and New England and westward to Kansas.