Bird-winged Butterflies. 



201 



Very similar to the male of the last-mentioned is the poseidon bird-wing from 

 New Guinea and neighbouring islands, but the green near the hind-border of the 

 fore-wings is a more definite band, and a thin, branching streak of the same vivid 

 colour runs through the centre of the wing. The hind-wings are green with a very 

 narrow border of black, a sprinkling of black scales, and two obscure black 

 spots. The hind-body is of a rich, clear yellow. This is another Insect that greatly 

 affected Wallace when he first caught it at Dobbo in the Aru Islands. He thus 

 records the incident : " I had the good fortune to capture one of the most magnificent 

 Insects the world contains, the great bird-winged butterfly. ^ I trembled with 

 excitement as I saw it coming majestically towards me, and could hardly believe 

 I had really succeeded in my stroke till I had taken it out of the net, and was gazing, 

 lost in admiration, at the black velvet and brilliant green of its wings, seven inches 



Photo hy] [F:. step, F.L.S. 



Priam's Bird-wing. 



This is OHO of the largest of all butterflies known, the female measuring as much as ten inches across the outspread wings. The dark 

 parts of the photograph are smoky brown in the Insect, and the light patches are white on the fore-wings and dirty grey on the hind- 

 wings. The male is differently marked in black and vivid green. 



across, its golden body and crimson breast. It is true I had seen similar Insects 

 in cabinets at home, but it is quite another thing to capture such yourself — to feel 

 it struggling between one's fingers, and to gaze upon its fresh and living beauty, 

 a bright gem shining out amid the silent gloom of a dark and tangled forest. The 

 village of Dobbo held that evening at least one contented man." 



Of a quieter type of coloration, but still exceedingly beautiful is a West African 

 bird-wing, - in which thc> ground colour is a clear bluish-grey bordered with velvety- 

 black, in which tint the nervures arc also marked out, affording a fine contrast. 

 Another quietly coloured species is D'Urville's bird-wing,^ from New Guinea, etc., 

 whose prevailing colour is rich black, bordered with violet. Ouite different from 

 these is the enormous Drury's bird-wing'* of West x'\frica. This butterfly measures 



1 Ornithoptcia poseidon. - (). xalmoxis. ^ O. crurvilliana. ■• Dniiya antimachus. 



