HAIR-STREAKS. 



521 



the resemblance being so close, that without the aid of a magnifier which shows their real 

 structure, a person who had seen them for the first time might well imagine that they had 

 been veritable pieces of gold-leaf, and fastened to the wing by cement. This butterfly is 

 a native of Demerara. 



Our last example of this family is the MISIPSA, which may be seen in the left-hand 

 lo\ver corner of the same engraving. The colour of this pretty little insect is silvery blue, 

 over which are drawn a number of black bands, thus producing a very bold effect. The 

 under surface is simply light brown, with some bands of a darker hue. The 

 inhabits the regions about the Amazon. 



THE magnificent insect called 

 the NEOPTOLEMUS belongs to the 

 genus Morpho, in which are con- 

 tained some of the most resplen- 

 dent beings to be found in the 

 world, all being beautiful, and 

 some endowed with a gorgeous- 

 ness of colouring that is almost 

 inconceivable. In the present 

 species the upper wings are of 

 the richest azure, glittering like 

 burnished metal, and iridescent 

 as the opal, but with far greater 

 intensity of hue. In some lights 

 the colours are sombre enough, 

 being only pale grey and darkish 

 brown ; but when the light falls 

 favourably upon the wings, their 

 colours are truly magnificent. 

 Around the edges of the wings is 

 a broad belt of black, very deep 

 towards the tips, and narrowing 

 towards the angle. The under 

 side is soft brown, decorated with 

 many irregular stripes of yellowish 

 grey, and besprinkled with a num- 

 ber of eye-like spots arranged in 

 a tolerably regular row, three on 

 each of the upper wings, and of 

 nearly equal size, and four on each 

 of the lower wings, one being very 

 large and separate from the rest, 

 and the remaining three small 

 and close together. In the centre 

 of each eye there is a little white 

 spot, round which is a broad ring 

 of black, then a narrower ring of 

 buff, then a line of black, and 

 lastly a grey line. 



JTJST above the left-hand corner 

 of the Thoas' wing in the illustra- 

 tion on page 505, may be seen a little butterfly ol simple colouring. This is one of 

 the HAIR-STKEAK butterflies, belonging to another family called the Lycoenidae. In this 

 family are contained the beautiful blue butterflies so common in the fields, and whose 

 exquisitely spotted under surface never fails to attract admiration. All the Copper 

 Butterflies belong to the same family. 



NEOPTOLEMUS. Morpho neoptfremvt 



