A BUTTERFLY SERENADE 



tiopas on a beech stem, walking around each other, 

 and agitating their wings, with oft-repeated cries." This 

 was new to our Government entomologist, Mr. Riley, 

 and subsequently he received the following letter sub- 

 stantiating the fact from an entomologist in Bedford, 

 England : 



" The sound made by this butterfly, without doubt, is the ex- 

 pression of certain emotions, be it of anger or of love ; but since 

 it is not made by the breath we cannot, I think, consider it more 

 than elementary voice. It may be that 



"'in Loraine ther notis be 

 Full swetir than in this countrie,' 



for English entomologists are, I believe, generally of opinion that 

 the sound which butterflies make is caused by their rubbing their 

 wings together in their ardor. The Vanessa Antiopa is only a 

 migrant to this country 

 (Great Britain), and sel- 

 dom seen, but it breeds in 

 Europe and Northern 

 Asia, commonly along wil- 

 low bordered streams. I 

 have a few specimens from 

 the banks of the Po, and 

 from one of these I have 

 detached the fore wing. 

 Along the lower edge of 



this I notice a smooth projecting vein, b, which, viewed from the 

 direction, a, with a strong magnifier, is seen to be flattened and 

 notched like a file for not quite half its length. This vein, when 

 the wings are expanded, rests on another projecting vein on 

 the hinder wing in such a manner that when the upper wing is 

 moved the notched vein rubs over this vein, as the bow rubbed 

 with resin works on the violin string. 



" Let any one now take a dried specimen of this butterfly from 

 the cabinet, and grasping the fore wing by its front edge, rub it 

 backward and forward over the hinder one, so that the bases 



