ORDER IV.—MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES. 207 
meadows, and forests. He might be even so stupid as not 
to know what was wanting, and yet he would feel the loss 
of something to make up its perfection. Besides, these in- 
sects are directly useful, or should be made so, as we have 
before shown, by being one of the best channels through 
which to imprint upon the minds of, the young an indelible 
impression of many of the most important facts in history, 
as well as to impart a thorough knowledge of geography, 
botany, drawing, and painting. 
But aside from their moral or intellectual use, the butter- 
flies of this genus, in their caterpiilars, furnish an abundant 
supply of good food for the birds, and the excrements of 
their caterpillars, when dried and dissolved in water, make 
a most excellent dye-stuff, like those of the large hawk- 
moths. 
The caterpillars of all the Knights, when touched, thrust 
forth from their necks a pair of soft, orange-colored horns 
(tentacula), which emit a fetid smell, and are probably de- 
signed as a means of defense against the attacks of other 
animals. These caterpillars are either smooth or furnished 
with fleshy warts, and they live on several different species 
of plants. Their metamorphosis into cocoons is accom- 
plished in the same manner as that of the preceding genera. 
One of the most common of these Knights is 
The Astertas (Papilio Asterias), represented in Fig. 30, 
with its caterpillar (Fig. 29), is quite large and handsome, 
and is frequently seen in all parts of the Union during the 
whole summer. It has black fore wings, bordered with a 
double row of yellow dots; its hind wings are also black, 
and have a double row of yellow dots, between which are 
seven blue spots; and at their lower extremity is ». swallow- 
tail. The Asterias always deposits her eggs upon some of 
the umbelliferous plants, on those whose flower-stalks issue 
from one common centre, such as carrots, parsnep, celery, 
coriander, cicuta, anise, fennel, parsley, etc. Hence the cat- 
