MIMICRY. 



573 



We now come to another group of Butterflies, called Pierinse, 

 familiar to us through our " Whites," Orange-tip, Brimstone, &c. 

 Another example of insect mimicry is here given, the insect 

 being a curiously exact copy of another Butterfly named Thy- 

 ridia Psidii. A figure and description of this insect will be 

 found on page 588. 



This is a large and handsome genus, a number of species 

 having been brought from tropical America by Mr. Bates. The 

 present species is the largest at present known, and is very 

 scarce, only a single specimen being in the British Museum. 

 It was brought from Tapajos. The colouring is very simple, 



Fig, 318.— Dismorphia orise. 



(Black and yule yellow.) 



the dark portions of the wing being black, and the rest a very 

 pale yellow, and rather translucent. The body is black, with 

 very narrow white rings on the edges of the segments, and the 

 antennae are black, except their tips, which are yellow. The 

 wings are similarly coloured on both sides. 



Red and yellow are the hues which predominate in Dismorphia, 

 and when a number of them are placed together they have a most 

 gorgeous aspect. The handsomest of them is certainly Dismorphia 

 Spio, an inhabitant of St. Domingo. The general colour of this 

 insect is as follows. The upper wings are black, with three large 



