BUTTERFLIES. 139 



The South American species of Morpho are magnificent insects. 

 The great long-winged orange species (M. Hecuba, Linn., and 

 Cisseis, Feld.) are fully nine inches in expanse, and have a lofty 

 sailing flight, while some of the species with broader and shorter 

 wings, such as the black bordered M. Menelaus, Linn., have a 

 lower, but very rapid flight through the forest, and settle occa- 

 sionally. The high-flying species very rarely come within reach ; 

 and Mr. Bates has informed me that although he often saw the 

 beautiful M. Bhetenor, Cram., one of the most richly blue 

 Amazonian species, he was only able to obtain two specimens in 

 eleven years. This, and several blue species, have an orange 

 female, while others have two forms of female, one orange and 

 the other blue ; and others again have females resembling the 

 males. Among the latter are several species of a very delicate 

 blue, or even whitish colour, and generally with no black border. 

 M. Polyphemus, Doubl. and Hew., a Mexican species, is one of these. 



The high-flying species of Morpho which inhabit the moun- 

 tainous districts of Western America, are much easier captured 

 than those which frequent the plains, though their capture is 

 often attended with difficulty and danger. I have heard of one 

 naturalist in Bogota, who fell over a precipice, and broke his arm, 

 and then found that he had a three days' journey to make on horse- 

 back before he could meet with a doctor to set it. Another 

 naturalist, who was collecting in Bolivia (the well-known Mr. 

 Buckley), found that Morpho Godartii, Gue"r., a beautiful species 

 of a rather light blue, which was previously almost unknown to 

 entomologists, frequented an inaccessible ledge in the mountains ; 

 and he was obliged to have himself lowered by ropes over the 

 precipice before he could obtain it. 



SUB-FAMILY IV. Bmssollnce. 



Discoidal cells of the wings closed ; hind wings with a pre-dis- 

 coidal cell; size generally large; body very robust; wings 

 broad, rounded, or scalloped, never tailed or lobed ; hind wings 

 with three more or less fully-formed eyes, one of which is often 

 very large ; flight crepuscular ; larvae with bifid tails. 



The species of this sub-family are large insects, much resem- 

 bling the Morphince. They are nearly always of a brown or 

 tawny colour, and although several species are more or less suf- 

 fused with blue or purple, it is always of a dark tint, rarely, even 



