92 BUTTERFLIES 



Great Southern White (Pontia monuste or Pieris phileta.) 

 Expanse 2| inches. General color white with a nar- 

 row black margin around apical angle of front wings. 

 These margins are wider in the female, in which sex there 

 is a series of marginal spots on the hind wings. Easily 

 known by its large size. 



THE TRIBE OF THE ORANGE-TIPS 



When one sees a gossamer- winged butterfly flitting from 

 flower to flower on a bright June day it seems one of the 

 most ethereal of earth's visions. One could readily fancy 

 that the whole sight — flowers, butterflies, and all — might 

 easily vanish into thin air. So it is something of a shock 

 to hear scientists talk about fossil butterflies and to realize 

 that these fragile creatures have been living generation 

 after generation for untold millions of years. A realiza- 

 tion of this fact, however, helps us to understand the 

 many wonderful ways in which butterflies in all stages of 

 their existence have become adapted to the conditions of 

 their lives. 



There is perhaps no group of butterflies whose beauty 

 seems more fragile than that of the Orange-tips. These 

 are delicate creatures, with slender bodies and almost 

 gauzy wings, of a size somewhat smaller than our common 

 white and yellow butterflies. Perhaps the most remark- 

 able feature is the marking of the wings, the upper sides of 

 the front pair having an orange patch near the apex and 

 the under sides having a background of delicate whitish or 

 yellowish green, lined and spotted with darker coloring 

 in a very characteristic way. This peculiar marking is so 



