THE SWALLOW-TAIL. 179 



bold projection being rendered necessary by the fact 

 that these insects are all day fliers, perpetually on the 

 wing, and, consequently, very conspicuous. Now, 

 there are many creatures certain birds, for example, 

 dragon-flies, and other predacious foes which are 

 very fond of Butterflies, and would wofully thin their 

 numbers did not their multitudinous eyes enable them 

 to see the approaching enemy in time for their broad 

 wings to carry them out of danger. The form of the 

 proboscis is also shown in Figs. I and 2, the former 

 representing it as it appears when coiled up so as to 

 be out of harm's way, and the latter showing it as 

 partly uncoiled; as it appears when the insect is about 

 to take food. 



WE now proceed to take in their order some 

 typical examples of British Butterflies. The first 

 family is called Papilionidae, and may be distinguished 

 by having the first pair of legs formed for walking, 

 the tip of the antennae not hooked, and the discoidal 

 cell of the hind wings quite closed. Only one genus 

 inhabits this country, and only one species, the 

 beautiful SWALLOW-TAIL Butterfly (Papilio Machaon\ 

 which is shown in the frontispiece. 



In the genus to which this Butterfly belongs, the 

 hind wings are tailed, and the caterpillar, or larva, is 

 furnished with a forked appendage called the ' nuchal 

 horn ' because it issues from the neck. In this species 

 the horn is only used in moments of irritation, and 

 is concealed within the body, its place being only 

 marked by two dots. If, however, the caterpillar be 

 irritated or hurtj it immediately throws out the horn, 



N 2 



