PAET TIT 

 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES 



"We have now treated in detail of tlie changes tlirough which 

 butterflies and moths have to jmss, and have studied the methods 

 by which we may obtain and preserve the insects in their different 

 stages. I shall now give such a brief description of individual 

 species as will enable the reader to recognise them readily. "We 

 will begin with the butterflies. 



CHAPTER XII 



THE SWALLOW-TAIL AND THE 'WHITES' 



Family — Papilionid.i; 

 TJie Sioallow-tail (Pajnlio Machaon) 



Om' first family {Papilionidcc) contains only one British species — 

 the beautiful Swallow-tail {Pa2^ilio Tlfac/tao?;), distinguished at once 

 from all other British butterflies by its superior size and the ' tails ' 

 projecting from the liind margin of the hind wings. 



This beautiful insect is figured on Plate I, where its bold black 

 markings on a yellow ground are so conspicuous as to render a 

 written description superfluous. Attention may be called, however, 

 to the yellow scales that dot the dark bands and blotches, making 

 them look as if they had been powdered ; also to the blue clouds 

 that relieve the black bands of the hind wings, and the round red- 

 dish orange spot at the anal angle of each of the same wings. 



It appears that this butterfly was once widely distributed 

 throughout England, having been recorded as common in various 

 counties, and has also been taken in Scotland and Ireland ; but it 

 is now ahnost exclusively confined to the fens of Cambridgeshire, 



