The Brimstone 



THE BRIMSTONE BUTTERFLY (Gonepteryx rhamni}, 

 Plate IV., Fig. 2. When I glance at this beautiful 

 butterfly, I always feel inclined to laugh, not at the 

 butterfly oh dear no ! but at a practical joke I once 

 saw through, much to the astonishment of a soldier 

 friend. He had brought home a large assortment of 

 fine butterflies from India, and in going over the stock 

 my attention was arrested by the peculiar pattern on 

 one of them. For ground colour and outline it 

 certainly resembled our own Brimstone, but what 

 weird markings 1 Turning the hand-glass on it 

 revealed the fact that it was hand-tainted. I asked the 

 sergeant who did this, and then he suddenly remembered, 

 and gave vent to a loud guffaw. " The scamps, by 

 Jove ! That carries me back to a certain mess-room at 

 Darjeeling when this insect was handed over to me by 

 a certain young officer as a great rarity. He was sure 

 there was not another like it in the camp ; and he was 

 right. Lots of our fellows went * butterfly dodging,' 

 and had big collections to take home ; but not one of 

 them had this one. They named it * The Officer's 

 Fancy.' Now, I recollect seeing this same officer out 

 sketching and fooling around with a box of paints. 

 It's clever, though, isn't it ? He took us all completely 

 in." This was hardly to be wondered at ! The colours 

 had been very delicately laid on, and the pattern 

 adopted was of the eye-spot and streak order, so that the 

 whole effect was quite harmonious and in good taste. 



But the Brimstone requires no artificial aids to make 

 it a warm favourite with all butterfly lovers ; if it lacks 



B.I. 41 6 



