INSECTA ORDER LEPIDOPTERA. 



its allies. Many of these are butterflies of a rich velvety black or brown, 

 with bluish-white spots towards the extremity of the long, broad, rounded 

 wings, and also in the middle. They are often flushed with rich purple. 

 The Danaince are butterflies with very tough integuments, and exhale an 

 odour which is supposed to render them distasteful to birds. 



Many other butterflies and moths resemble them externall} 7 , and are be- 

 lieved to share in their immunity from persecution. This phenomenon 

 is called "mimicry," and is exhibited in the greatest per- 

 Mimicry in feetion by Limnas chrysippus, the pattern and colours of 

 Butterflies. which are more or less accurately reproduced in at least a 

 dozen butterflies and moths, belonging to different families; 

 but in several instances in the female only, the male exhibiting the normally 

 and frequently very different colouring of its proper genus. The larvre of the 

 DatiaincB are usually provided with several pairs of long fleshy filaments, and 

 feed on Aristolochice. 



Of the remaining sub-families, several are entirely exotic, and two, the Itho- 

 and Heliconince, are American butterflies with long rounded wings and 

 slender bodies, which have sometimes been com pared to dragon- 

 flies. They are butterflies generally measuring from two to 

 four inches across the wings, which are often black, with red or 

 yellow markings, or yellow with black markings. The typical 

 species of the Ithomiince, however, often have transparent 

 wings, with only brown borders, and a brown band at the end of the discoidal 

 cell. 



The AcrceituK are another long-winged sub-family of butterflies, chiefly 



found in Africa and America. The African and the few Eastern species are 



generally red or tawny, with black spots, and sometimes 



Sub-Family partly transparent ; but the American group usually has 



Acrceince. black markings on a tawny 



ground, or radiated tawny 



markings on a dark ground, especially on 



the hind-wings. 



Two more sub-families of large butterflies 

 are chiefly South American. These are the 

 Morphince and Brassolinw. 

 Sub-Families The typical species of Mor- 

 Morphince, and pho (Fabr.) measure from 

 Brassolince. three to eight inches across 

 the wings, and many of them 



Sub-Families 



Ithomiince and 



Heliconince. 



black, with a broad blue band. through the 



wings ; while others, including some of the 



largest and longest-winged species, are brown 



or orange. These are all American ; but 



there is a greater variety of genera, though 



much smaller, and more varied in colour, in 



the East Indies. On the under-surface they 



are always marked with large eye-spots, as 



in the Satyrvncz. The Brassolince are large 



brown or tawny butterflies (rarely dull blue), 



which are entirely confined to Tropical America. They have generally one 



large eye-spot on the under-side of the wings, and traces of one or two more ; 



GaUgo teucer. 

 Reduced. 



