﻿Butterjiles 
  of 
  the 
  Amazon 
  Valley. 
  261 
  

  

  We 
  now 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  giants 
  among 
  butterflies, 
  tlie 
  Morphidce 
  

   and 
  BrassoUdce. 
  The 
  magnificent 
  Morphos 
  are 
  abundant 
  at 
  Para 
  

   and 
  in 
  every 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Amazon 
  valley 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  rare 
  Hecuba 
  is 
  

   found 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  interior. 
  The 
  Morphos 
  are 
  forest 
  insects, 
  rarely 
  

   coming 
  into 
  the 
  open 
  grounds, 
  and 
  often 
  flying 
  for 
  miles 
  along 
  

   roads 
  and 
  open 
  pathways. 
  Their 
  flight 
  is 
  slow 
  and 
  undulating, 
  

   but 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  take 
  on 
  the 
  wing. 
  At 
  Barra, 
  on 
  the 
  

   Rio 
  Negro, 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  July, 
  I 
  found 
  Morpho 
  Hecuba 
  very 
  

   abundant. 
  Its 
  habits 
  differed 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  species, 
  as 
  it 
  fre- 
  

   quented 
  the 
  open 
  woods 
  and 
  glades 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  city, 
  but 
  

   only 
  for 
  about 
  an 
  4iour 
  every 
  morning 
  from 
  9 
  to 
  10 
  o'clock; 
  at 
  

   other 
  times 
  not 
  one 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  It 
  flew 
  rather 
  high, 
  and 
  was 
  

   so 
  very 
  cautious 
  in 
  rising 
  suddenly 
  to 
  escape 
  the 
  net, 
  that, 
  notwith- 
  

   standing 
  all 
  my 
  endeavours, 
  I 
  succeeded 
  in 
  obtaining 
  very 
  few 
  

   specimens. 
  These 
  are 
  all 
  diurnal 
  insects, 
  while 
  the 
  genera, 
  

   Caligo 
  or 
  Pavonia, 
  Dynastor, 
  Ops'iphanes 
  and 
  Brassolis 
  are 
  truly 
  

   crepuscular, 
  never 
  flying 
  by 
  day 
  except 
  when 
  disturbed, 
  but 
  ap- 
  

   pearing 
  to 
  be 
  voluntarily 
  active 
  only 
  for 
  about 
  half 
  an 
  hour 
  before 
  

   sunrise 
  and 
  after 
  sunset. 
  They 
  remain 
  hid 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  in 
  the 
  

   gloomiest 
  shades 
  of 
  the 
  forest, 
  where 
  I 
  have 
  sometimes 
  en- 
  

   countered 
  them 
  ; 
  and 
  even 
  when 
  they 
  come 
  out 
  they 
  take 
  but 
  

   short 
  flights, 
  frequently 
  settling 
  either 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  a 
  path- 
  

   way, 
  or 
  on 
  a 
  leaf, 
  before 
  resting 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  generally 
  make 
  

   several 
  trials 
  to 
  find 
  one 
  which 
  will 
  not 
  bend 
  too 
  much 
  with 
  their 
  

   weight. 
  I 
  have 
  bred 
  Brassolis 
  Sopfiorce 
  from 
  the 
  larva 
  which 
  

   feeds 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  cocoa-nut 
  palm 
  and 
  much 
  disfigures 
  

   them. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  family, 
  the 
  Satyridce, 
  agrees 
  with 
  the 
  last 
  as 
  much 
  in 
  

   habits 
  as 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  marking. 
  The 
  great 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  

   South 
  American 
  Salyridcv 
  is 
  their 
  frequenting 
  the 
  shadiest 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  forest, 
  and 
  their 
  invariably 
  flying 
  along 
  or 
  very 
  near 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  So 
  universal 
  is 
  this 
  habit 
  that 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  remember 
  to 
  

   have 
  ever 
  seen 
  any 
  species 
  rise 
  four 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  earth, 
  while 
  the 
  

   greater 
  number- 
  of 
  them 
  do 
  not 
  exceed 
  as 
  many 
  inches. 
  They 
  

   rest 
  also 
  upon 
  the 
  lowest 
  herbage 
  or 
  upon 
  the 
  ground 
  itself. 
  The 
  

   exquisite 
  clear-winged 
  Histeras 
  all 
  have 
  this 
  habit 
  in 
  perfection. 
  

   //, 
  Pkra 
  is 
  common 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  Amazon 
  district. 
  Esmeralda 
  is 
  

   widely 
  distributed, 
  but 
  scarce 
  ; 
  and 
  Andromeda 
  does 
  not 
  occur 
  at 
  

   Para, 
  but 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  Esmeralda 
  in 
  the 
  interior. 
  

   H. 
  Philoctetcs 
  is 
  also 
  widely 
  distributed, 
  but 
  very 
  rare, 
  and 
  I 
  took 
  

   one 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  singular 
  Caerois 
  Cliorinceus 
  at 
  Santarem, 
  on 
  the 
  

   south 
  or 
  Brazilian 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Amazon, 
  in 
  a 
  dry 
  open 
  forest. 
  

  

  I 
  will 
  here 
  mention 
  the 
  beautiful 
  Bia 
  AclorioHj 
  which, 
  though 
  

  

  