44 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



Sub-family, except the Morphin^ by the rudimentary front 

 legs, and more or less completely open wing-cells. The 

 smaller species flutter from flower to flower, but the larger 

 species are strong on the wing, and have a robust and sus- 

 tained, and, in some cases, a very lofty flight. They have a 

 habit, however, of returning constantly to a favourite spot, 

 or of settling on the ground in muddy places to drink, or 

 else on trees to suck the exuding sap. They are also fond of 

 settling on dung, carrion, or other strongly-smelling substances. 



The Nymphalina and Apaturince. may be divided into a 

 number of fairly distinct groups, four of which are represented 

 in Britain by the Fritillaries, the Vanessas, the White Admiral, 

 and the Purple Emperor ; in short, by all our largest and most 

 conspicuous species, except those of a white or yellow colour. 

 It will be best to treat of the various groups of these extensive 

 Sub-families separately, under the different representative gen- 

 era which we have selected for illustration. 



Most recent authors do not recognise the two Sub-families ; 

 but the larvae of Charaxes and Apatura differ so much from 

 those of the earlier genera, that I have finally decided to treat 

 them as a distinct Sub-family, as was done by Boisduval and 

 others. It is only right to say that this course was strongly 

 urged upon me by the late Mr. Jenner Weir, whose recent death 

 is regretted by so many as the loss of a friend, as well as of a good 

 naturalist. Though he was a wonderfully well-informed man, 

 he wrote little himself, and usually left it to others to publish 

 his observations. 



Schatz and Rober, in their great work on the genera of 

 Butterflies, divide the Nymphalina (including with them the 

 Apaturince) into twelve groups of somewhat unequal im- 

 portance. They have also made several trenchant alterations 

 in the position of many of the genera ; and their arrangement 

 will, in the main, be followed here. It is as follows : 



