Specimens thus preserved keep well, may be handled readily without fear of injury 

 to them, and in the glass cases both sides of their wings may be examined. A 

 collection of butterflies mounted in this way may be stored in shallow trays and 

 placed in scientific order. The process of mounting in this fashion is, however, 

 somewhat laborious and expensive, and is not generally adopted by scientific men, 

 who wish to be free to examine their specimens under the magnifying glass, occa- 

 sionally touching the wings with benzine to disclose the facts of neuration, and to 

 minutely investigate the feet and other parts of the body, which, when sealed up 

 in the way I have described, are not easily accessible. 



Having thus briefly outlined the principal facts as to the nature of butterflies 

 in general, and the best methods of collecting and preserving them, we now pass 

 on to the description of the commoner species which are found on the continent 

 of North America, north of Mexico and the Straits of Florida. 



Class INSECTA (Insects) 

 Order LEPIDOPTERA (Scale-winged Insects) 



Suborder RHOPALOCERA (Butterflies) 

 Family NYMPHALID^E (The Brush-footed Butterflies) 



The Nymphalidse may be distinguished from all other butterflies by the fact 

 that in both sexes the foremost or prottoracic, pair of legs is greatly dwarfed, useless 



