vi RHOPALOCERA MORPHIDES BRASSOLIDES 349 



be seen. There are only about 100 species of Morphides, and 

 50 of these are included in Morpho, which is peculiar to tropical 

 and sub-tropical America ; the other half of the family is divided 

 among ten or twelve genera, found in the Indo-Malay region : 

 there being none in Africa. The eastern Morphides, though 

 fine Insects, are not to be compared, either in size or brilliancy, 

 with their American allies. The species of Morpho are ap- 

 parently found only in the great forests of South America, 

 where they are far from rare ; some have a flapping and undulat- 

 ing flight, straight onwards along the alleys of the forest, and 

 near the ground ; others are never seen except steadily gliding 

 with outstretched wings from 20 to 100 feet above the ground, 

 where they move across sunny spaces between the crowns of the 

 taller trees ; the low - flyers settle frequently on the ground 

 to suck the juices from fallen fruit, but the members of the 

 other section never descend to the ground. As regards the 

 caterpillars, W. Miiller tells us l that the spines they are armed 

 with break off, and enter the skin, if the creatures are carelessly 

 handled. Four of the five species known to him are conspicu- 

 ously coloured with black, red, yellow and white. The individuals 

 are gregarious. The larvae of M. achilles sit in companies, often 

 of more than 100 individuals, on trunks of trees, and so form a 

 conspicuous patch. The caterpillars of M. epistropliis hang to- 

 gether as red clumps on the twigs of their food-plants. Hence 

 it appears that in this genus we have an exception to the rule 

 that night-feeding caterpillars rest in a hidden manner during 

 the day. 



Sub-Fam. 5. Brassolides. Large butterflies, ivith the cell of 

 the hind wing closed, and usually with a small adjoining predis- 

 coidal cell. Larva not very spiny ; thinner' at the two ends, the tail 

 bifid, the head perpendicular and margined with spines. This 

 small sub-family includes less than 100 species arranged in about 

 eight genera, all South American. They have the very unusual 

 habit of resting during the day like moths, becoming active only 

 late in the afternoon. They are truly noble- Insects ; although 

 not possessed of the brilliant colours of Morpho, they are 

 adorned, especially on the under surface, with intricate lines 

 and shades most harmoniously combined, while the upper surface 

 is frequently suffused with blue or purple. This sub-family 



1 Kosmos, xix. 1886, p. 355. 



