LEPIDOPTEEA. 173 



resembling the end of a tippet ; and the other a leg furnished with 

 hooks. 



The abdomen has the form of an elongated, or in the majority 

 of species, an almost cylindrical oval. It is composed of five 

 segments, each formed of an upper and a lower ring, joined together 

 by a membrane. The first are larger than the others, and generally 

 overlap the edges, which gives to this part of the body the power 

 of dilating considerably. 



We must dwell longer on the head. It is generally rounded, com- 

 pressed in front, longer than it is broad, and furnished with fine or 

 scaly hairs. The important organs of which this part is the seat, 

 are the eyes, the antennae, the palpi, and the proboscis or trunk. 



The eyes are more or less spherical, surrounded by hairs and 

 composed of innumerable facettes. One often sees on these, 

 colours as various as those of the rainbow. But the colour 

 which serves as a base to all, is black in some, grey in others ; 

 then again there are different gold or bronze-colours of the greatest 

 splendour, inclining sometimes to red, sometimes to yellow, some- 

 times to green. On the compound eye of a butterfly have been 

 counted as many as 17,325 facettes. Simple eyes or stemmata 

 are moreover observed in certain species, and are generally more 

 or less hidden by scales. The antennas are situated near the 

 upper rim or border of each eye. Reaumur has pointed out six 

 principal shapes. One terminates in a little knob, and belongs to 

 the butterflies. The others are variously shaped, and belong to 

 the moths. Some are prismatic, or like beading. And lastly 

 others are shaped like feathers. We represent in Fig. 137 the 

 different forms of the antennae, which Reaumur collected together 

 in plates 8 and 9 of his fifth memoir.* 



The palpi are four in number, two maxillary and two labial. 

 The first are generally excessively small ; one can only ascertain 

 their existence by the aid of a strong magnifying glass ; the 

 second are in general very apparent, straight, cylindrical, covered 

 with scales, and formed of three joints, of which the last is often 

 very small and sometimes very pointed. They also sometimes 

 bristle with stiff or silky hairs. 



The trunk is placed exactly between the two eyes. As long as 



* " Sur les parties exterieurs des papillons," tome i. p. 197. 



