LEPIDOPTERA. 



395 



Family NYMPHALID.E (Nym-phari-dae). . 

 The Four-footed Butterflies. 



The family Nymphalidae includes chiefly butterflies of 

 medium or large size ; but a few of the species are small. 

 With a single exception, these butterflies differ from all 

 others in our fauna in having the fore legs very greatly re- 

 duced in size in both sexes. So great is the reduction that 

 these legs cannot be used for walking, but are folded on 

 the breast like a tippet. A slight reduction in the size of the 

 fore legs occurs in the Lycaenidae, but there it occurs only in 

 the males, and to a much less degree than in this family. 



In the venation of the wings (Fig. 467) the four-footed 

 butterflies differ from 

 the two preceding 

 families in retaining 

 all of the branches 

 of radius of the fore 

 wings, this vein be- 

 ing five-branched. 



The larvae are 

 nearly or quite cylin- 

 drical, and are 

 clothed to a greater 

 or less extent with 

 hairs and sometimes 

 with branching 

 spines. 



The chrysalids are 

 usually angular, and 

 often bear large pro- 

 jecting prominences ; 

 sometimes they are 

 rounded. They al- 

 ways hang head 



downwards, SUp- F.G. 4 6 7 .-Wings of Basilarchia a*ty**ax. 



ported only by the tail, which is fastened to a button of silk. 



