178 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [November, 



The Rhopalocera, or Diurnals, are divided into four families: 

 the Nympalidae, Lycaenidae, Papilionidae and Hesperidae. The 

 first family mentioned is the most extensive one, containing the 

 greatest number of species. The butterflies in this family may 

 be distinguished from the others by the structure of the front 

 legs in both sexes, which, on examination, will be found to be 

 aborted or atrophied. The chrysalids of the butterflies of this 

 family are suspended by the tail and hang downward. ' ' Al- 

 though other families contain butterflies which vie with the Nym- 

 phalidse in lustrous beauty, this largest family contains upon the 

 whole by far the greatest number and variety of striking forms, 

 whether we consider the butterfly, the egg, the caterpillar, or the. 

 chrysalis. Moreover, they are the forms which are most com- 

 monly seen and noticed by those who have but a popular interest 

 in natural history, for they are the butterflies par excellence of 

 the temperate zone, of the region where civilization has most 

 flourished and the praises of Nature have been most sounded by 

 the poets. It is from the transformation of this group of butter- 

 flies that ancient mythology has drawn inspiration. The very 

 name chrysalis, the ' golden thing' of the Greeks, was drawn 

 from observation of this family, where alone the pupa often as- 

 sumes a golden hue. And it is not strange that they should have 

 so observed them, for of all butterflies these are the most spritely 

 and vivacious, the most audacious, most fond of propinquity to 

 man and his cultivations, and endowed with most varied psycho- 

 logical traits."* 



The Nymphalidae are divided into four subfamilies: the Saty- 

 rinae, Euplceinae, Nymphalinae and Libytheinae. These further 

 divisions are characterized as follows: In the Satyrinae some of 

 the nervures of the forewings are swollen at the base, and the 

 palpi are slender, compressed, heavily fringed with long scale- 

 hairs. In the Euplceinae none of the nervures are swollen; palpi 

 rather stout, not greatly compressed, the fringe slight, short and 

 delicate; antennae naked. The Nymphalinae have the palpi not 

 so long as the thorax; fore legs of both sexes atrophied and im- 

 perfect. In the Libytheinae have the palpi much longer than the 

 thorax; fore legs of male atrophied, of female normal, except in 

 being shorter than the others. The family Lycaenidae is made up 

 of small and delicate butterflies of generally bright color and 



* Butterflies of the Eastern United States and Canada. S. H. Scudder. 



