MOSAIC OF BUTTERFLIES. 265 



mirable," the rich and glowing masses of the upper, or the 

 varied and elegant shadings and pencillings of the lower side : 

 the same may be observed of the robes of the " Painted Lady"* 

 and their linings. In many also of our genus Polyommatus, 

 the cerulean blue opened in expansion towards the sky it 

 emulates is hardly more beautiful than that warmer grey beset 

 with mimic eyes, seeming when the wing is erected to look on 

 the lowlier things of earth. Oh ! those blue butterflies ! in 

 their ethereal beauty, of all their lovely tribe most lovely, from 

 the gorgeous " Menelaus," spreading his magnificent robes of 

 azure in the blaze of tropic sun, even to our little " Bedford 

 Blue,"f smallest of blues, smallest of butterflies, which spreads 

 no less proudly its little inch of pinion in our cloudy clime. 



" It is impossible," says Donovan, in speaking of the former 

 (the MenelausJ) "to find in any part of the animal creation 

 colours more beautiful or changeable, pale blue the primary 

 colour, but new tints meet the eye in every direction, varying 

 from a silvery green to the deepest purple, and the whole 

 surface glittering with the resplendence of highly-polished 

 metal." 



In sooth thou art a " glorious minion," thou blue-satined 

 sultan or sultana of the East ! but we can match against thee 

 the changing splendour, deeper if not so sparkling, of the 

 Purple Emperor of our British woods of oak. 



* Cynthia Cardui. See Vignette. f Polyommatus Alsus. 



\ Papilio, or Morp/to Menelaus. Called also " Le Satine bleu." 



