IN CRODUCTION: 
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ALL the tribes of insects necessarily excite our wonder and admiration, either from the 
striking metamorphoses which they undergo, or by their curious structure, or the intricacy of 
their form, or splendour of colour ; but none arrest the attention of the tyro so soon as the 
beautiful and distinct class, known as Butterflies or Moths. The large size of the exquisitely 
constructed wings of this tribe of insects—so great in proportion to their generally slender 
bodies—and the exquisite traceries, often in the richest hues, with which those wings are deco- 
rated, render these insects at once conspicuous to the most inattentive observer. 
This may be said more truly of the Butterfly than the Moth family, inasmuch as the wings 
of Butterflies are generally much larger and more splendidly coloured than those of Moths ; 
and also because Butterflies fly by day, disporting in the bright sunshine where they cannot fail 
to attract observation, while the flight of Moths is generally nocturnal, and consequently remains 
unobserved except by the experienced student. 
To pursue the detail of characteristics which distinguish Butterflies from Moths, I may 
call attention to the exquisite variety of colouring with which the under surfaces of their wings 
are decorated, often of totally different character to the markings of the upper side. In the 
class known as the Coppers, for instance, the upper surface of the wings is of a bright metallic 
scarlet, sometimes without spot or mark, while the under side is of a soft pearly gray; pro- 
fusely dotted over with eyelike circlets of white surrounding a black spot or pupil. In Moths, 
on the other hand, the under-side of the wings generally presents but a pale reflex of the 
markings of the upper surface, and in no case are they of remarkable beauty as with many 
kinds of Butterflies. 
Another distinction between these two closely related families of insects is the different 
markings of the wings, which occur in the two sexes; these are so distinct, and sometimes in 
both cases so beautiful, as to have led even the great Linnzus himself, in the comparative 
infancy of the science of Entomology, to mistake the male and female of the same kind for 
distinct species. As examples of this disparity I may cite the little blue Butterfly, known as 
the “Clifden Blue,” in which the wings of the male are of a lovely azure, while those of the 
female are of deep brown. Then there is the common white Butterfly of our gardens, known 
as the “ Garden White,” which in the male sex has the beautiful creamy white of the wings 
perfectly immaculate, except at the dark tips, while in the wings of the female there are two 
large and very conspicuous black spots near the centre. In Moths, on the contrary, scarcely any 
distinction exists, in the markings of the wings of the respective sexes, though other distinctions 
still more singular distinguish them in that section of the family, but which do not call for 
detail in this place. 
