The Classification of Butterflies 
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 
Fig. 77.—Antennae of moths. variations of these 
forms. The club- 
shaped form of the antennae of butterflies has led naturalists to call 
them Rbopalocera , 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 sVspov (heteron), mean¬ 
ing other , and the Greek word *£pag {heras), 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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