LEPIDOPTEEA. 



CHAPTER I. 



RHOPALOCERA, OR BUTTERFLIES. 



I VERY much regret the necessity for using such 

 words as that which appears at the head of this 

 chapter. I employ such words as seldom as possible, 

 and always explain them when compelled to use 

 them, as is the case at present. Still, in many in- 

 stances, scientific terms are absolutely necessary, 

 because there are no existing English words which 

 have the same signification, and in many others, even 

 though there may be English equivalents, the scien- 

 tific terms are so universally employed that it is 

 necessary to introduce them and explain their mean- 

 ing. 



To begin with the word Lepidoptera. It is 

 formed from two Greek words, the one signifying a 

 scale, and the other a wing, and is given to those 

 insects because their wings are, for the most part, 

 covered on both sides with flat scales which overlap 

 each other just like the tiles of a house. This is the 

 most important characteristic of the order, but there 



