508 THE HECTOR. 



chalky white are seen upon the upper wings, as if dashed in with a quick sweep of a 

 dry brush, and a similar dash of yellow is seen upon the lower wings. The abdomen is 

 bright yellow below and dark brown above, and round the neck is a narrow collar of 

 fiery crimson, rich and silken as " chenille'." 



Another species of this genus, the POSEIDON, is a great favorite with the natives of 

 the Darnley Islands, who are accustomed to catch several of these fine insects, to tie 

 one end of a fine thread to the butterfly, and the other to their hair, so as to permit the 

 insects to flutter about their heads. This style of head-dress is much admired, and, 

 indeed, is equally poetical and artistic. Many of these insects differ greatly, according 

 to sex, the upper wings of the male PRIAM, for example, being velvety black, striped 

 with silky green, and the hinder wings entirely silky green, spotted with black and 

 orange ; while the female is dark brown, spotted with white. 



IN the genus Papilio we find the insects to be of nearly as magnificent proportions as 

 in the former genus, though none of them reach the enormous size of the Priam, which 

 will sometimes measure nearly eight inches across the spread wings. The colors are, 

 however, more varied, and quite as brilliant, while a curious feature is often added by 

 the prolongation of the hinder wings into two long tail-like appendages. The larva is 

 of varied form, sometimes smooth, sometimes covered with fleshy protuberances, some- 

 times long, and able to throw out or to withdraw at pleasure the two first segments of 

 the body, sometimes short, thick, and grub-like, and in one or two instances marvel- 

 lously resembling snails in the general form. The genus is a very comprehensive one, 

 including between two and three hundred known species, among which may be found 

 almost every imaginable tint in every gradation, and exhibiting bold contrasts of color 

 which scarcely any human artist would dare to place together, and which yet produce 

 a result equally striking and harmonious. 



Our first example is the SARPEDON, one of the most common of the genus, being found 

 plentifully throughout many parts of Asia, Australia, and the Sandwich Islands. Its 

 flight is rather swift, and easily recognizable, and, in common with many allied species, 

 it has regular beats, traversing the same ground time after time with almost mechani- 

 cal regularity. Entomologists take advantage of this habit, and if they see one of these 

 butterflies pass over a certain spot, they just go and sit down where they saw the in- 

 sect, and catch it as it comes round on its next circuit. 



The coloring of the Sarpedon is simple, and yet brilliant. On the upper side the 

 ground color of the wing is brown, with a very slight tinge of chestnut; and the bold 

 band which traverses the wings is rich iridescent green, having much of the azure re- 

 flection that is seen in green nacre. The little crescentic marks on the lower wings 

 are of the same hue. Below, the broad band is very pale green, and on the lower wings 

 are several streaks and dashes of crimson. 



The HECTOR forms a fine contrast to the preceding insect, its colors being almost 

 wholly black and flaming crimson. On its upper surface, the front pair of wings are 

 sooty black, with a broad dash of gray-brown over the centre, and a little pencilling of 

 the same color near the tips ; and the lower wings are deep velvety black, diversified 

 with spots of intense crimson. The wings have a very narrow edging of white. The 

 chest and part of the a"bdomen are black, and the head and rest of the abdomen of the 

 same rich crimson as the spots on the wings. The under surface is colored much in the 

 same way, except that the crimson spots are larger. 



On the large" engraving at page 505, and in the right-hand lower corner, may be seen 

 a butterfly, with two very long straight tails to its under wings. This insect belongs to 

 the genus Papilio, and is known by the name of Protesilaus. The colors of this species 

 are comparatively dull, but when examined, their soft contrasts are so pleasing to the eye, 

 that any change would only be for the worse. Above, the upper wings are partly trans- 

 parent, a large patch of white scales being set near their base. The under wings are 

 mostly white, with the exception of a little dash of scarlet on their inner edge, a few 

 half moons of dull yellow near their tips, and streaks of blackish brown on their edges 

 and along the centre of the tails. On the under side is a little more variety, the shining 



