Feb. 1887.] 



A^D OOLOGIST. 



31 



thoptera Brookiana, of Malacca, a velvety black 

 fly, with a breadth of wing of six inches, large 

 bodied, nearly as stout as a moth, brilliantly 

 marked on the body and wings with green, and 

 having a rich crimson collar around its neck. 

 This fly is scarce, and sells in this country for 

 $9. I know of only one owned in tlae State of 

 Connecticut. 



A butterfly that exceeded this in price a few 

 years ago, was the Thaliura phipheAis of Mada- 

 gascar, a fly not larger than Papilio Phileiwr, 

 but indescribably brilliant, being streaked with 

 green and gold and crimson metallic shades. 

 For years not one example of this fly could be 

 procured in America at any price. 



About 1874 a European collection was broken 

 up, and Herman Strecker the greatest collector 

 in this country, purchased a single specimen for 

 £3, 10s. 



Subsequently an entluisiastic collector got in- 

 to the Madagascar forests and sent a few to 

 London whei-e they were readilj- sold for $>10 

 each. Encouraged by the result of this sale, 

 he soon forwartled them in large quantities, 

 and the price fell to .$1.2.5 each. At this i)rice 

 man}- were bought. 



Til is collector while sleeping by a Are 

 in the Madagascar woods caught his clothing on 

 Are and was so badly burned that he died. No 

 one has since followed in his footsteps, the Phi- 

 phens have grown scarcer and scarcei', and they 

 are again valued at $6 each, with a tendency to 

 doul)le in price before man}' years. 



Among the high i)ricedlepidoptera which any 

 collector would feel proud to own is ; Papilio 

 teleffonons, taken at Batchian, one of the Moluc- 

 ca islands, and valued at $7.50; Erebus strix, 

 of Brazil $6 ; Ornithoptera pria)aus, of Austral- 

 asia, $5 ; Papilio Doubledayi., of Java, $3.75 ; 

 atheroma Ixion, of Brazil, $3 ; Morpho Ci/pris, 

 $5.50; and Morpho menelans^ $4; Attacus At- 

 las, of China, $4.75; and Sequnsa Triangularis. 

 of Australia, $5. 



There is no end to beautiful and expensive 

 butterflies and moths, and I believe that it is a 

 matter of record that as high as £100 has been 

 paid for a new and rare specimen. We com- 

 moners have to be satisfied with the less expen- 

 sive examples of beauty, in the field of nature. 



Collecting on the Amazon. 



Mr. M. Abbot Frazar left Boston on January 

 5th for Mexico and lower California, where he 

 will collect the birds and eggs of the country 

 for Mr. Wm. Brewster of Cambridge. 



Another gentleman is preparing to visit lower 

 Arizona in Mr. Brewster's interest. 



After fourteen days on board the Macapa 

 (from Manaos), steaming against the strong 

 current of the Amazon, which had grown tire- 

 some enough in spite of the wonderful beauty 

 and rarity of the vegetation along tlie banks. 

 Iquitos our destination finally came in sight. 

 It is the largest town on the Peruvian Amazon, 

 situated on a high clay bank, which even at 

 this the rainy season, (June), was elevated fif- 

 ty or sixty feet above the water. 'J'he bank 

 is exceedingly steep but everywhere tliickly 

 overgrown with shrubbery, except whei-e slip- 

 pery paths lead to the springs, whicli in many 

 places issue from the bank, and at which the 

 natives are seen at all hours, drawing water in 

 earthen flasks, for the supply of the town, as 

 well as bathing themselves and washing their 

 scanty clothing. 



On muddy spots along the shore the bright 

 yellow and orange Callydrias 'uitterflies may be 

 seen settled, starting up in clouds on being dis- 

 turljed, and finally scattering only to collect a- 

 gain when everything is quiet. I collected six 

 species ; of these three, C. Eubule, Argante and 

 Philas, (the former much rarer here than on the 

 lower Amazon) are also found in the southern 

 United States. 



C. Trite, clear yellow above, and C. Statira, 

 a wliite specie with the inner half of the wings 

 pale yellow, are the more abundant ones, wliile 

 C. Meniptpe is the largest and finest, expanding 

 fully four inches and a half white with orange 

 tip on the fore wings. 'l'h(>se gatheiings of 

 butterflies on the beach, seem to be made up 

 of males and the females are seen yery seldom, 

 generally about the food phuit of the larva, and 

 C. Eubule and Statira are the only ones of which 

 I have taken any number of females; while the 

 female of C. Menippe is still unknown to me. 

 It is remarkable how rarely the fenniles of 

 most species of tropical butterflies are seen and 

 of many species still unknown. 



Other familiar butterflies Cahenis DiOe, pale 

 green with black markings, Caloinis Julia and 

 Anarila ,hitrophai are seen flitting about the fo- 

 liage. These species are found on the whole 

 Amazon but never in the forest being confined 

 to the river banks and clearings, or weedy 

 streets of towns, where thej- hover about the 

 herbage peculiar to such places. 



Another inse(^t peculiar to the waterside is 

 the beautiful Uramia moth which so closely 

 immitates the genus Papilio both in appearance 



