The _Hesperiidae_ or Skipper family includes all the large bodied, small-winged, moth-like butterflies, called Skippers because of their jerky, erratic manner of flight. They are mostly small, dull colored butterflies with short, hooked antennae. The caterpillars are recognized by their large heads and small necks, and usually live in nests made of leaves fastened together with silk. The chrysalids are rounded and moth-like, and (unlike all the other families) are usually enclosed in a loose cocoon of silk. The classification of Skippers is a complicated business; the Hesperiidae is the only family in which the beginner will find it difficult to identify his specimens. _Epargyreus tityrus_, the Silver-spotted Skipper, is the largest member of the family, with an expanse of about one and three-fourths inches. The general color is dark brown, with yellowish spots; the common name is derived from the silver area on the lower surface of the hind wing, which shows when the insect is at rest. The caterpillar is yellowish green, with a dark brown head; it feeds upon the leaves of the locust and other leguminous trees. When the caterpillar is mature it leaves its hammock in the locust tree and builds a light silken cocoon upon or near the ground. The Silver-spotted Skipper is found in nearly every part of the United States. [Illustration: Fig. V.--The Cabbage Butterfly (_Pieris rapae_). This butterfly was brought over from Europe about 1860, and has spread to every part of the United States and Canada. A, egg; B, caterpillar; C chrysalis; D, imago.] _Atalopedes huron_, the Sachem Skipper, is a little golden brown species, with an expanse of a little more than an inch. The male has a darker area in the center of the front wing, while in the female the fore wing is marked by several small white spots. When at rest this skipper and its near relatives usually elevate the fore wings and depress the hind wings, an attitude characteristic of this group. The dark, cylindrical caterpillar feeds upon various grasses: the chrysalis is slender, with a little swelling upon the thorax, and the tongue sheath is free as in the pupae of moths. The Sachem is known from New York to Florida, and as far west as eastern Colorado. _Ancyloxipha numitor_, the Least Skipper, is the smallest butterfly within our borders, measuring often less than three-fourths of an inch from tip to tip. The slender body and hookless antennae distinguish it from all other skippers. The general color is bright reddish brown, the hind wings being particularly brilliant, and surrounded by a darker border. Its flight is weak and wavering, and it rests often among grasses at the edges of creeks or swamps. The yellow eggs are laid on grasses; the tiny yellow caterpillar has a black head and a body covered with bristles, and lives in a rolled-up blade of grass. The chrysalis is reddish, with small black dots. The Least Skipper is widely distributed everywhere east of the Rocky Mountains.