386 THE LIFE OF AN INSECT. 



ing the prismatic colours of light. But insects of 

 every tribe, however splendid in attire, fade be- 

 fore the glories of the butterfly tribe. Linnaeus, 

 speaking of the splendid colours of these insects, 

 and particularly of the gorgeous tints which 

 appear on the upper surface of the wings of a 

 butterfly called the Morpho Menelaus, and another, 

 justly observes, that there is scarcely anything in 

 nature that for brightness and splendour can be 

 paralleled with this colour. It is a kind of rich 

 ultramarine, that vies with the deepest and purest 

 azure of the sky : and what must cause a striking 

 contrast in flight, the prone surface of the wings 

 is as dull and dark as the opposite is brilliant ; so 

 that one can conceive this insect to appear like a 

 planet in full radiance, and under eclipse, as its 

 wings open and shut in the blaze of a tropical sun. 

 The scales on the wings of some species shine 

 with such extraordinary intenseness and brilliancy, 

 that it is impossible to look at them in a bright 

 light, as they completely dazzle the beholder. 

 Messrs. Kirby and Spence say, they "know no 

 insect upon which the sight rests with such un- 

 tired pleasure as upon the lovely butterfly that 

 bears the name of the unhappy Trojan king 



