THE 



NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 



Vol. 13 September, 1917 No 6 



THE COMMON BUTTERFLIES 



HE BUTTERFLIES afford ideal material 

 *for nature-study, and especially for inter- 

 esting the pupils in the mastery of a group. In 

 almost any locality outside of the large city, 

 there may be found in the course of a season 

 thirty or forty species of butterflies, and at least 

 twenty of these are common. Because the 

 number is so small, the species are easily 

 learned and most of them may be identified while on the wing. 

 The teacher should bear this point in mind for it is a great ad- 

 vantage for a child to be able to identify a creature without having 

 to kill it to make sure. 



In 1906 when the editor was conducting the Home Nature-Study 

 Course for Cornell University, a butterfly leaflet was issued as a 

 part of this course. This leaflet was very popular at the time and 

 there are still many requests for it from teachers and pupils of 

 many states although the leaflet has been long out of print. 

 Therefore, it has seemed wise to reprint it with such additions as 

 will make it applicable to a wider range than New York State for 

 which the original was written. 



A pleasure similar to that afforded by the sight of a beautiful 

 flower is experienced when the eye rests upon a bright hued butter- 

 fly. It may be balancing itself above its partner in beauty, the 

 flower which gives it nectar, or it may be following the graceful 

 curves of its path in the air, or if frightened it may zigzag by so 

 swiftly that the eye only catches a bit of moving color; and 

 although almost every one is attracted by these beautiful creatures, 

 yet aside from two or three of the most common species very few 

 people know their names or their habits. Yet each one of the 

 butterflies has a most interesting life-history, and some of them are 

 of great economic importance. 



