626 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND 



Writers, in comparing the insects of Europe and America, have usually 

 called attention to their similarity ; and since these regions are embraced 

 between the same isothermal lines and nourish the same cereals, we should 

 naturally look for a great resemblance. But if we compare the butterflies 

 of the better known districts, such as eastern North America and 

 Europe omitting from each the extreme southern species, we shall find, 

 to start with, that eastern America is poorer than Europe, having about 

 one-fifth less butterflies. Or if we make the comparison family by family we 

 shall discover first, that while half of the European butterflies are brush- 

 footed butterflies (Nymphalidae) less than one-third of the American 

 butterflies belong to this family. The gossamer-winged butterflies 

 (Lycaenidae) are also proportionally a little less abundant in America 

 than in Europe, while the typical buttei-flies (Papilionidae) are slightly 

 more abundant. The balance on the American side, however, is made up 

 in the lowest family, since nearly one-third of the American fauna is com- 

 posed of skippers (Hesperidae) while scarcely more than one-tenth of the 

 European fauna is composed of this family. As contrasted with each 

 other, then, Europe is peculiar for its wealth in brush-footed butterflies, 

 America in skippers. 



The disparity of representation is rendered more striking when we com- 

 pare the minor groups. We will not here enter into many details, but 

 only point out the following facts : first, that the great disparity of num- 

 bers in the brush-footed butterflies on the two continents is almost wholly 

 due to the vast number of meadow-browns (Satyrinae) in Europe — it has 

 seventy-seven species while we have but nineteen ; second, that the pre- 

 ponderance of skippers in this country is due to the great proportion of 

 the Pamphilidi or smaller skippers, which number forty-four with us, 

 against nine in Europe ; third, that while the hair-streaks (Theclidi) are 

 twice as numerous in America as in Europe, twenty species against ten, 

 the balance in the sub-family is more than restored by the superior number 

 of blues (Lycaenidi) in Europe, where there are thirty-eight species to 

 our thirteen ; fourth, that while the numbers of the typical butterflies on 

 the two continents are almost equal, there is no similarity of representa- 

 tion in the groups composing the family, excepting in the whites (Pieridi) 

 where there are eight in Europe and five in America ; for the orange-tips 

 (Anthocharidi) number seven in Europe and two in America, the yellows 

 (Rhodoceridi) ten in Europe and twenty in America, the swallow-tails 

 (Papilionidi) three in Europe and nine in America, and the Parnassians 

 (Parnassidi) six in Europe and none in America. 



Notwithstanding such striking contrasts, there are many apparent 

 resemblances ; but upon analysis nearly all of these disappear. Take, 

 for example, the two most striking cases, the Vanessidi and theHesperidi, 

 in both of which the numbers are virtually the same in the two coun- 



