BUTTERFLY PLANT BUZZARD. 



655 



of considerable singularity connected with this sub- 

 ject, and which appears not easily reconcilable with 

 our ideas of the instincts of animals, viz. that those 

 butterflies, which in the perfect state are furnished 

 with six perfect legs, attach themselves, on assuming 

 the pupa state, in such a position that, on arriving at 

 the perfect state, they will have occasion only to 

 burst their fetters and creep at once along the surface 

 upon which they have been affixed, whilst those 

 butterflies which have the fore legs rudimental and 

 apparently incapable of rendering any assistance, 

 suspend themselves vertically in the manner above 

 described, so that they must necessarily come into the 

 perfect state head downwards, and have to ascend 

 the outside of the fragile pupa case with the assistance 

 only of their four hind legs, before they can obtain 

 a sure footing on the twig or leaf from which they 

 have been suspended. 



It has been well said that the life of the perfect 

 butterfly affords but few materials for the historian ; 

 however pleasant to contemplate, it is barren of facts. 

 The historian, both of butterflies and men, must not 

 look to peace and pleasure for the most abundant 

 interest in his subject. 



The mode of flight in these diurnal lepidoptera 

 varies as considerably as in birds, and affords to the 

 experienced entomologist a surprising number of 

 shades in which the distinction of species may even 

 be traced. The collector knows at a distance the 

 (light of the different genera, and even occasionally 

 that of the different species. But unfortunately the 

 knowledge of these differences in the modes of flight 

 is the fruit of long experience, and can scarcely be 

 imparted by simple descriptions; in fact, it is neces- 

 sary to employ comparative terms for the purpose, 

 which, except to the experienced collector, can scarcely 

 be considered as intelligible. 



M. Lacordaire has published the most complete 

 memoir upon this subject in the Annales of the 

 French Entomological Society ; but his paper is 

 exclusively confined to the butterflies of South Ame- 

 rica. 



We must reserve for a future occasion various 

 peculiarities relative to the physiology of these insects 

 in their different states, as well as their systematic 

 distribution. 



In like manner we have reserved our pictorial 

 illustrations of these insects for our two plates of 

 butterflies. In the first we have represented several 

 splendid exotic species, as Pajnlio Turnus from North 

 America, Papilio Mgem, and Sarpedon from New- 

 Holland, Cynthia Orythla, var. from China, and Thecla 

 Sugriva, ( Horsf.) from Java. Our second plate consists 

 of rare British butterflies, as Papilio Machaon and 

 Podaliritu, the purple edged copper (Lyccena Clin/sds), 

 and the Polyommahu Anon and Artaxcrxcs toge- 

 ther also with the caterpillars of the swallow-tail and 

 nettle butterflies in the act of commencing their 

 transformations, and the chrysalis of the latter, at the 

 moment before attaching itself to the silken button 



BUTTERFLY-PLANT is the Oncidium (tuber- 

 cles on lip) papilio of Lindley. It is one of the 

 Orchis tribe, and a native of Trinidad. Like many 

 of the same family, it is of very curious structure, and 

 in shape quite grotesque. 



BUTTER-NUT is the fruit of the Caryocar nuci- 

 ferum of Linnaeus. A large tree indigenous to Brazil. 

 The flowers are polyandrious, and the tree belongs 

 to the order RhizobolecE. 



BUTTON- FLOWER is the Gomphia (a club) 

 of Schreber. A genus of evergreen shrubs, natives 

 of Jamaica. They are decandrious, and belong to 

 the order Ochnaceee. They bear long spikes of 

 brilliant yellow flowers, and neat serrated shining 

 leaves. 



BUTTON-TREE is the Conocarpiu (cone fruit) 

 of Jacquin. It is a pentandrious plant, and belongs 

 to the natural order Combretacete. They are natives 

 of the West Indies, and said to be highly ornamental. 



BUZZARD (Bute). One of the genera, or perhaps 

 rather sub-genera, into which the great genus Falco, 

 or diurnal birds of prey, are sometimes divided, and 



Buzzard. 



which includes a number of specios, some of which 

 differ considerably in the minutiae of their characters. 

 In general they have the wings long, but there <ire 

 differences in that respect, and some are known pur- 



Moor Buzzard. 



ticularly by the name of long-winged hawks, and 

 others by that of short-winged hawks. Their feet 

 are sometimes feathered down to the toes, and some 

 times not ; indeed, the only character in which they 

 all agree is that of having the beak hooked from the 



