﻿Butterflies 
  of 
  the 
  Amazon 
  Valley. 
  2G3 
  

  

  witliin 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  like 
  the 
  Satyridcc, 
  which 
  in 
  

   their 
  peculiar 
  ocellated 
  markings 
  they 
  both 
  so 
  much 
  resemble 
  ; 
  al- 
  

   most 
  leading 
  us 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  colour 
  and 
  marking 
  of 
  an 
  insect 
  

   affects 
  its 
  habits, 
  or 
  vice 
  versa. 
  The 
  Erycinas, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  

   remarked, 
  fly 
  as 
  strongly 
  and 
  as 
  rapidly 
  as 
  the 
  Hespcrias. 
  Ernests 
  

   and 
  Nijmphid'mm 
  are 
  also 
  rapid 
  flyers, 
  while 
  Slalachtls, 
  which 
  

   approaches 
  Hdiconia 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  markings, 
  resembles 
  it 
  also 
  in 
  its 
  

   flight 
  and 
  frequents 
  the 
  same 
  situations. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  genera 
  

   are 
  weak 
  but 
  rather 
  active 
  flyers, 
  and 
  from 
  their 
  small 
  size 
  and 
  

   their 
  suddenly 
  disappearing 
  beneath 
  a 
  leaf, 
  are 
  not 
  always 
  easy 
  to 
  

   capture. 
  

  

  We 
  now 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  Tlieclas, 
  of 
  which 
  about 
  sixty 
  species 
  may 
  

   be 
  found 
  at 
  Para, 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  still 
  undescribed. 
  

   Embjmion, 
  Marsyas, 
  Etolus 
  and 
  others, 
  frequent 
  the 
  open 
  grounds 
  

   in 
  the 
  sunshine, 
  while 
  Pholeus 
  and 
  many 
  more 
  are 
  found 
  only 
  in 
  

   the 
  depths 
  of 
  the 
  forest. 
  All 
  fly 
  very 
  quickly 
  and 
  settle 
  upon 
  

   leaves 
  and 
  flowers 
  with 
  the 
  wings 
  erect. 
  They 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  pecu- 
  

   liar 
  habit 
  of 
  moving 
  the 
  two 
  lower 
  wings 
  over 
  each 
  other 
  in 
  oppo- 
  

   site 
  directions, 
  giving 
  an 
  appearance 
  of 
  revolving 
  discs. 
  In 
  the 
  

   interior 
  the 
  species 
  are 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  numerous 
  as 
  at 
  Para, 
  and 
  

   this 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  generally 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  Brazil, 
  

   many 
  species 
  being 
  recorded 
  fiom 
  Pernambuco 
  and 
  Rio 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  from 
  Honduras 
  and 
  Florida, 
  but 
  few 
  from 
  the 
  mountainous 
  

   districts 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  find 
  a 
  single 
  

   species 
  recorded 
  from 
  Peru 
  or 
  Bolivia 
  or 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  countries 
  

   west 
  of 
  the 
  Andes. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  now 
  reached 
  the 
  last 
  family 
  of 
  butterflies, 
  the 
  Hespe- 
  

   ridce, 
  which 
  are 
  particularly 
  abundant 
  in 
  South 
  America, 
  and 
  of 
  

   which 
  about 
  200 
  species 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  at 
  Para. 
  Like 
  the 
  Theclas, 
  

   they 
  are 
  far 
  less 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  interior. 
  Our 
  own 
  little 
  skip- 
  

   pers 
  afford 
  but 
  a 
  faint 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  variety 
  and 
  beauty 
  of 
  the 
  tro- 
  

   pical 
  Hesperidce, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  expand 
  upwards 
  of 
  three 
  inches. 
  

   Neither 
  do 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  our 
  species 
  hold 
  good 
  for 
  the 
  whole 
  

   family, 
  which 
  presents 
  many 
  important 
  characters. 
  There 
  are 
  

   three 
  distinct 
  modes 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  carried 
  in 
  repose 
  : 
  — 
  

   1st. 
  They 
  are 
  closed 
  and 
  carried 
  erect 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  typical 
  butterflies 
  ; 
  

   2nd. 
  The 
  fore 
  wings 
  are 
  elevated 
  while 
  the 
  hind 
  ones 
  expand 
  ; 
  

   and 
  3rd. 
  The 
  wings 
  are 
  all 
  expanded. 
  The 
  great 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  

   South 
  American 
  species 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  divisions, 
  

   such 
  as 
  the 
  genera 
  Pyrrhopygn, 
  Ericides, 
  Gon'mrus, 
  Goniloba, 
  and 
  

   some 
  species 
  of 
  Pamphila, 
  as 
  P. 
  Epictetus. 
  To 
  the 
  second 
  division, 
  

   which 
  includes 
  one 
  British 
  species, 
  very 
  few 
  South 
  American 
  //e*- 
  

   peridce 
  belong, 
  principally 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Pamphila 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  third 
  

  

  