THE MALAYAN PAPILIOXIDM, ETC. 131 



Pre-eminent among such groups are the diurnal 

 Lepidoptera or Butterflies, whose extreme beauty 

 and endless diversity have led to their having been 

 assiduously collected in all parts of the world, and 

 to the numerous species and varieties having been 

 figured in a series of magnificent works, from those 

 of Cramer, the contemporary of Linnseus, down to 

 the inimitable productions of our own Hewitson.* 

 But, besides their abundance, their universal distri- 

 bution, and the great attention that has been paid 

 to them, these insects have other qualities that espe- 

 cially adapt them to elucidate the branches of inquiry 

 already alluded to. These are, the immense develop- 

 ment and peculiar structure of the wings, which not 

 only vary in form more than those of any other 

 insects, but offer on both surfaces an endless variety 

 of pattern, colouring, and texture. The scales, with 

 which they are more or less completely covered, imi- 

 tate the rich hues and delicate surfaces of satin or 

 of velvet, glitter with metallic lustre, or glow with 

 the changeable tints of the opal. This delicately 

 painted surface acts as a register of the minutest 

 differences of organization a shade of colour, an 

 additional streak or spot, a slight modification of 

 outline continually recurring with the greatest regu- 

 larity and fixity, while the body and all its other 



* W. C. Hewitson, Esq., of Oatlands, Walton-on-Thames, 

 author of " Exotic Butterflies " and several other works, illus- 

 trated by exquisite coloured figures drawn by himself; and 

 owner of the finest collection of Butterflies in the world. 



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