388 IN LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



The Calverts found this same widely distributed 

 butterfly in Costa Rica and during these rests or 

 sleeps it became so dormant that one allowed it- 

 self to be picked up, making but little effort to 

 escape. Beebe says that in British Guiana the 

 Heliconias alight on bare twigs, folding their wings 

 and sleeping through the night. In this position 

 they presented no surface to the rain; they also 

 hung edgewise to the direction from which it was 

 sure to come. Ours seem often to be possessed 

 with a spirit of mischief, for when a lot of them 

 have alighted for the night another will come and 

 make repeated dabs at the rest until finally they 

 are all irritated into flight. 



I often see a rather large butterfly (Timetes 

 petreus), one of the dagger wings, which is an 

 example of protective mimicry almost as wonder- 

 ful as the celebrated leaf butterfly (Kallima para- 

 lekta) of the East Indies, which may now be seen 

 in most large museums. Our species has long 

 wings with a rather irregular outline, the ends of 

 the upper pair being strongly curved outwards. 

 When flying it is a most conspicuous object as 

 both surfaces of the wings are a bright rufous red 

 or even scarlet and have three narrow, dark bars 



