islands of Corsica and Sardinia. The genus Parnassius inhabits the 

 mountains of Europe, Asia, and America. Thais and Loritis belong to 

 what may be termed the Mediterranean fauna, whilst one genus is purely 

 Australian, and three Asiatic. 



GENUS L PAPILIO. 



Auctorum. 



PAPILO The Latin word for Butterfly. 



Linnaeus included the whole of the butterflies under the generic name 

 Papilio, but he only knew 260 species, whereas 7695 are included in Kirby's 

 Catalogue of 1871. The name is now restricted to the Swallow-tails, which 

 having a larger number of species than any other over 500 species, although 

 only four occur in Europe and many of them being amongst the largest and 

 most beautiful of the butterflies, still give the name a deserved precedence. 



The characters of the genus may be described thus : antennae rather long, 

 moderately thick; fore-wings long, with arched costa; hind-wings with the 

 margin toothed, and a prolonged tail. 



PAPILIO MACHAON. 



The Swallow-tailed Butterfly. 



MACHAON, Linn., Macha'on. The hero of this name is mentioned by 

 Homer, 11., ii. 731. The two sons of ./Esculapius, skilled in leechcraft, 

 Podalirius and Machaon. 



There is no possibility of mistaking this noble insect for any other of our 

 native species, after a glance at its portrait. It superior size, conjoined with 

 the possession of a pair of long tails on the hind-wings, would at once mark 

 it distinctly, independently of the peculiar markings and colour. 



In the colouring of the wings, which expand from three to four inches, a 

 broad simplicity prevails, the general ground tint being a clear creamy yellow, 

 with the veins and marginal bands of the deepest velvety black. The broad 

 bands of black on the front wings are powdered towards the centre with 

 yellow scales, and those on the hind wings with blue scales. The only other 

 colour on this side is a large eye-like spot of red, blue, and black, at the 

 anal angle of .the hind wings. The underside is very similar in colouring to 

 the upper, but the black markings are less decided and sharp, and there are 

 several red spots on the hind wings. 



Yery few varieties have been found in England. There is one in the 

 British Museum, with the ground colour drab, instead of creamy yellow, and 



