THE MORPHINE. 



A, LEPTALIS THEONOE ; B, ITHOMIA FLORA. 



with a forked tail, and feed on different kinds of grasses. The Butterflies frequent marshes, meadows, 

 and mountains, and many are among our commonest Butterflies, flying in every field. Many species 

 of the genus Erebia ai-e found in the Alps, the great majority of 

 which are brown, with a row of more or less contiguous red 

 spots towards the margins, marked with a series of black spots, 

 which often, again, show a small white dot in the middle. The 

 Scotch Argus Butterfly (Erebia meclea) is the best known repre- 

 sentative of this genus in Britain. Some foreign Satyrince are 

 of a brilliant blue, though this colour is rare in the sub-family ; 

 but one of the most remarkable Butterflies known, as regards 



' O 



colour, is Argyrophorus argenteus, a Chilian insect, which is of 

 a uniform pale silvery colour above. 



The small sub-family of the Elymniinoe consists of the two 

 genera Elymnias and Dyctis. We have already noticed the 

 female of Elymnias undularis as one of the mimics of Danais 

 chrysippus. All the species of Elymnias, except two, which are 

 African, are East Indian or Malayan. They are generally dark- 

 coloured insects, averaging about three inches in expanse ; the 

 fore wings are often spotted with blue and white, and the hind 

 wings are bordered with orange. Most of the species are striated 

 with brown on the under side, and the group has a strong family likeness, which renders it easy 

 to recognise it. Nearly all the Elymniinoe mimic other Butterflies in the arrangement of their colours 



on the upper side of the wings, but their wings are always dentated, 

 and often angulated, whereas all the Butterflies which they super- 

 ficially resemble have rounded wings. 



The next sub-family, the Morphine?., though including some con- 

 spicuous East Indian species, is best represented by the typical genus 

 Morpho, which contains the magnificent blue Butterflies of South 

 America. The most brilliant of all known Butterflies is, perhaps, the 

 male of Morpho cypris, a dazzling sky-blue Butterfly, five inches in 

 expanse, which can be seen at the distance of half a mile in the sun. 



A white band across the centre of the wings only enhances its beauty. The female sometimes 

 resembles the male, and sometimes, 

 as is often the case in MorpJio, 

 is of a tawny or orange colour. 

 Some of the species of Morpho 

 fly near the ground, and fre- 

 quently settle, but nearly all the 

 largest and most splendid species 

 fly at a great height. 



The next sub-family, the Bras- 

 solince, consists entirely of tropical 

 American species, but these are 

 dull-coloured Butterflies, which fly 

 at dusk. The great Butterflies of the 

 genus Caligo resemble Morpho in 

 size and appearance, but are brown, 

 with the upper side of the wings 

 suffused with dull blue. The under 

 surface is curiously marbled and speckled with brown and grey, and on the under side of the hind 

 wings is an enormous oval dark spot, in a broad pale ring, resembling an owl's eye. 



The sub-family Acrceince chiefly contains African species of the genus Acrcea, though one or two 

 inhabit India or Australia, and the genus Actinote is South American. The wings of the Acrceince are 



EREBIA EURYALE. 



MORPHO CYPRIS. 



