MARCH. 59 



order Lepidoptera, as the first species makes its appearance 

 this month, though some, having survived the winter, may be 

 seen on sunny days even earlier. This, the most beautiful, 

 if not the most interesting order of insects, will, from the 

 attractive nature of the species, occupy a considerable por- 

 tion of these sketches, and it is therefore desirable to be 

 well acquainted with its leading features. The order I/epi- 

 doptera includes the Butterflies, Hawk-Moths, and Moths, 

 terms nearly corresponding to the genera Papilio, Sphinx, 

 and Phalana of Linnaeus, and to the modern divisions 

 founded on the times of flight Diurnal, Crepuscular, and 

 Nocturnal, One of the distinctions between these families 

 consists in the form of the antennae ; those of the Butterfly 

 being clavate (that is, terminated by a club) ; those of the 

 Hawk-Moth, prismatic, thickest in the middle ; and of the 

 Moth, setaceous, gradually tapering to the extremity. The 

 position of the wings, when at rest, forms another distinctive 

 mark ; those of the day-flying Lepidoptera being held verti- 

 cally, whilst those of the Moth are never in this position, 

 bat vary considerably in their angle to the plane of position. 

 The thorax of these latter insects is shorter and more robust 

 than among Butterflies, and they possess a stiff bristle at 

 the base of the under- wings, which, passing through a hook 



