Btcttflnary at &mmntrft gtatur*. 489 I 



to the preceding sub-family ; white, orange, 

 and brimstone being their prevailing tints. 

 The last-named are, however, occasionally 

 very destructive, the larvae feeding for the 

 most part upon the cabbages and other vege- 

 table produce of our gardens. Such of our 

 readers as wish to have additional informa- 

 tion on the Butterflies must consult Double- 

 day and Hewitson's Genera of Diurnal Le- 

 pidoptera, where they will find much valu- 

 able information and accurate description, 

 accompanied with most admirable coloured 

 figures of the principal forms ; it ia a book 

 quite indispensable to any one who wishes 

 to study the subject ; in our popular sketch 

 any great detail would be misplaced. [See 

 LiEPiDOPTEHA : BUTTERFLY.] 



PAPILIO MACHAOX, or SWALLOW-TAIL 

 BUTTERFLY-. This very elegant and con- 

 spicuous Butterfly is of all our indigenous 

 species the largest ; the female, which, as 

 usual, exceeds the male in size, frequently 

 measuring in expanse of wing considerably 

 more than three inches. The general colour 

 of the wings is black, powdered with yellow, 

 and relieved by bold yellow markings. 



The basal half of the hinder winga is also 

 yellow ; and from the posterior margin of 

 them an acute " tail " projects, which may 

 be fancifully compared to the outer tail- 

 feathers of the swallow hence its name : 

 at each inner corner is an ocellated spot of 

 red, with an anterior crescent of light blue ; 

 the whole nearly surrounded by a ring of 

 black. The body is yellow, with two lines 



BUTTERFLY 



beneath, and the back black ; the antenna 

 and legs black. Though this species does 

 not appear on the wiug in our island till the 

 beginning of June, and is rarely seen at all 

 in the northern counties, it is by no means 

 rare in the south and west of England. It 

 is common in several parts of France and 

 Italy, and abundant in Syria and Egypt. ! 

 It flies with rapidity, and is difficult to catch, i 

 The caterpillar is smooth, green, with velvety j 

 black rings : the organ with which it is I 

 armed on the top of the neck is red ; and it \ 

 secretes an acrid liquor, which emits an un- j 

 pleasant smell. It feeds solitarily on um- i 

 Lelliferous plants ; and about July it changes : 

 to the chrysalis, which is greenish, with a 

 longitudinal black band on each side. 



PARADISELLXffi, or BIRDS OF PARA- 

 DISE. The genus Paradisea, distinguished 

 in most species by a peculiar union of splen- , 

 dour and elegance, appears to be confined to 

 the regions of Papua or New Guinea, and 

 the small isles in the immediate vicinity ; ' 

 extending only a few degrees on each side 

 the Equator. For a long time the most ' 

 absurd fables and traditions were current 

 respecting these magnificent specimens of 

 the feathered tribes : namely, that they passed 

 their whole existence in sailing in the air, 

 the dew of heaven being their only food ; 

 that they were destitute of legs ; that they 

 never took rest except by suspending them- 

 selves from the branches of trees by the 

 shafts of the two elongated feathers which 

 form a characteristic of this beautiful race, 

 and that they never touched the earth till 

 the moment of their death. From such a 

 tissue of absurdity and error the world has, 

 however, long been free ; and time has dis- 

 covered that these birds have not only legs, 

 but that they are both large and strong. 



Birds of Paradise, which are allowed to 

 exceed all others in the beauty, variety, and 

 peculiar construction of their plumage, as- 

 sociate in large flocks in the delightful aro- 

 matic woods and groves of their native is- 

 lands : and the inhabitants themselves, not 

 insensible to their charms, give them the ! 

 name of God's Birds. From the rapidity i 

 of their flight, as well as their being con- I 

 tinually on the wing in pursuit of insects, 

 their usual prey, they are sometimes called ; 

 the swallows of Ternate. However, as the j 

 country where they breed is visited with i 

 tempestuous seasons, these birds are seldom '. 

 seen at such times ; and it is supposed that 

 they then migrate to countries where their 

 food is to be found in greater abundance ; i 

 for, like swallows, they have their stated ; 

 periods of return. There are several species 

 of this beautiful group ; but as it would be 

 impossible to convey a perfect idea of the 

 originals, unless we could represent their 

 vivid and ever-changing tints, descriptions 

 of two or three will suffice. 



The GREAT EMERALD PARADISE BIRD, j 

 (Paradisea apoda.~) The general length of 

 this most elegant bird, from the tip of the 

 bill to the end of the long side-feathers, is : 

 about two feet, but to the end of the real tail i 

 about twelve inches, the size of the bird being 

 that of a thrush. The bill is slightly bent, j 



