258 



Helicosid^.- 



-raSECTS.- 



-AcR.EIDyE. 



neighbourhood of Thirsty Sound on the 29th of May, 

 1770, when lie mentions that his party found a space 

 of tliree or four acres covered by millions of them 

 on the wing, and they noticed that every twig and 

 branch were loaded with almost equal numbers at rest. 

 A species of this genus, with its characteristic brownish 

 red hue and black markings, is represented on some 

 Egyptian wall paintings in the British Museum. The 

 same species is still abuudant in Egypt and in the 

 Mediterranean district. 



The species o( Ilcstia are butterflies of a large size, 

 with semitransparent whitish wings of rather delicate 

 texture, with the nervules and numerous spots on or 

 between the nervnres and nervules and on the outer 

 margin, and sometimes the margin, black. Mr. Arthur 

 Adams observed a species of this genus, Hesiia Lcuconce, 

 on the Sladjico Sima islands; and says that it flies 

 slowly over the tops of the bushes and is easily taken. 



Family— HELICONIDiE. 



The family {HcUconida:) is a very extensive one, 

 which maybe said to be peculiarly American. Theyhave 

 elongated front wings generallj' mucli rounded exter- 

 nally, their hind wings are narrow, and they have the 

 costal margin almost double the length of the abdominal, 

 while the latter margin has no fold to form a channel 

 for the reception of the abdomen. The abdomen is 

 elongated, is always as lung as the wings, and sometimes 

 longer. Tlie antennre are long and gradually clavate, 

 and the palpi are widely separated at the base and not 

 convergent. Little seems to be known of their larvse; 

 the pupa is smooth and is suspended by the tail. 



Lacordaire says that those species with white spots 

 on a black or bluish ground (as Hecate., Sappho, and 

 Antiocha), only live in the forests of Surinam. They 

 fly in a free and easy manner, and do not rise high. 

 The most common species are those with red or yellow 

 spots on the upper wings and with no radiating marks 

 on the lower, as Melpomene, Sara, Thamar, and others. 

 They live in the neighbourhood of habitations and have 

 a bold undulating flight, rarely proceed in a straight 

 course, and yet are easily captured. Some which have 

 yellow or red spots on the fore wings and red or ful- 

 vous ra}s on the second (as Don's, Erato, Cynisca, and 

 others), are found only in the woods. They do not rise 

 high above the ground, and they fly quickly with a 

 sailing and sometimes with a bounding flight. The 

 species in which yellow predominates, mixed with black, 

 such as Eva, Efjhia, Polymnia, &c., for the most part 

 frequent woods. Those with very narrow wings and 

 elongated abdomen have an unequal jumping flight and 

 often alight in great numbers on flowers, when they are 

 easily captured. Others in which the wings are not so 

 long, and the abdomen extends but little beyond the hind 

 wings, have a rapid unequal flight. Lacordaire has 

 often seen them rise suddenly into the air and then im- 

 mediately descend, without ever sailing with expanded 

 wings. He found them in consequence diflicult to 

 capture. The species with more or less transparent 

 wings {Ithomia, &c.), such as Niscca, Flora, (Egle, 

 Dlaphana, Gazoria, &c., remain constantly in the 



deepest forests among the bushes, where they fly slowly 

 within two or three feet of the ground, alighting every 

 minute on the ground. They are social in their habits, 

 being generally found united in little societies more or 

 less numerous. 



On Plate 9 are figin-ed two Heliconice from Mr. 

 Hewitson's woi'ks, where so many of the gi'onp have 

 been so carefufly and beautifully illustrated. Plate 9 

 fig. 4 shows the Helicoma Hermathena, and fig. 5 

 Heliconia Hecatesia. That observer refers to the 

 peculiar gland or appendage which these insects have 

 at the end of the abdomen. It is concealed between 

 the valves of the anus, but is capable of being pro- 

 truded. In the Lycorea Hulia this gland takes the 

 form of a radiating tuft of hairs, which form, when 

 exserted, two feathered globes at the end of the abdo- 

 men. In another species allied to Heliconia Erythra'a, 

 this gland is much developed. It is in the shape of 

 small fleshy balls of an orange colour. Mr. Wallace 

 adds that, when the insect is captured, these balls are 

 always exserted, and they give out a peculiar penetrating 

 aromatic odour which somewhat resembles the smell 

 of chamomile. 



One of the first butterflies to attract the notice of 

 the naturalist in Jamaica is the Heliconia Charitonia. 

 Its beauty and singularity of form, the great length 

 and little breadth of the wings, the length and slen- 

 derness of the bodj', and the brilliant contrasts of 

 colour, lemon-yellow and velvety black, together with 

 the very peculiar flapping of the wings in flight, as if 

 their length rendered them somewhat unwieldy, excite 

 a sensation of delighted surprise. 



Family— ACR.a:iD.a:. 



The family ACR^JD^,* so named from the genus 

 Acrcea, is regarded as closely allied to the Heliconidw, 

 but may be at once distinguished from that family by 

 the insects in it having short, abruptly clavate antennae ; 

 and from the next family it may be known by its poste- 

 rior vrings, the inner margins of wliich do not form a 

 channel to receive the abdomen. The wings in many 

 of the species are semitransparent ; the larvse have 

 mnch resemblance to those of Argj'nnis, being cylin- ' 

 drical and spiny ; the spines are long and set with 

 little whorls of hairs or more delicate spines. The 

 pupaa in some of them are furnished with a few spines. 

 The perfect insects are not by any means showy, 

 though there is a liveliness about one or two of the 

 African species which is very pleasing. These insects 

 resemble the Helicouidce in many particulars, and like 

 them frequent the open parts of woods, and also the 

 shady parts, where a ray of sunshine that has pierced 

 through openings in the dense foliage of the trees shines 

 on the scanty undergrowth of low shrubs or herbage. 

 The flight of the species is described as being rather 

 slow and feeble. The metropolis of this family or 

 sub-family is Africa, particularly in the western parts, 

 such as Sierra Leone. In Asia there are two species 

 only as yet known. 



■ Doubleday : Gen. Diurn. Lep., p- 138. 



