The Classification of Butterflies 



FIG. 77. Antennas of moths. 



States and Canada have antennae which are not club-shaped, but 

 are of various other forms. Some moths have thread-like antennae 

 tapering to a fine point; others have feather-shaped antennae; 



others still have an- 

 tennae which are 

 prismatic in form, 

 and provided with 

 a little hook, or 

 spur, at the end; 

 and there are many 

 modifications and 

 variations of these 

 forms. The club- 

 shaped form of the antennae of butterflies has led naturalists to call 

 them Rhopalocera, as has been already explained in speaking of 

 this subject on page 17. Moths are called Heterocera. The word 

 Heterocera is compounded of the Greek word eVspov (beteron), mean- 

 ing other, and the Greek word x;pag (keras), meaning a horn. They 

 are lepidoptera which have antennae which are other than club- 

 shaped. Besides the distinctions which exist in the matter of the 

 form of the antennae, there are distinctions in the veins of the wings, 

 and in the manner of carrying them when at rest or in flight, which 

 are quite characteristic of the two groups; but all of these things 

 the attentive student will quickly learn for himself by observation. 

 Scientific Arrangement. Having thus cast a passing glance at 

 the differences which exist between moths and butterflies, we 

 take up the question of the subdivision of the butterflies into 

 natural groups. Various systems of arranging butterflies have 

 been suggested from time to time by learned writers, and for a 

 knowledge of these systems the student may consult works 

 which treat of them at length. It is sufficient for beginners, for 

 whom this book is principally written, to observe that in modern 

 science, for purposes of convenience, as well as from regard for 

 essential truth, all individuals are looked upon as belonging to a 

 species. A species includes all those individuals, which have a 

 common ancestry, and are so related in form and structure as to 

 be manifestly separable from all other similarly constituted as- 

 semblages of individuals. For instance, all the large cats having 

 a tawny skin, and in the male a shaggy mane, constitute a spe- 

 cies, which we call the lion ; the eagles in the eastern United States, 



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