Nymi-halid.e.- 



-INSECTS.- 



-MOKPHID.E. 



259 



P'AMiLY— NYMPHALID^. 



The butterflies of this family have almost withont 

 exception the fore legs sliort and not fitted for walking; 

 the tibiiE and tarsi of the male are often clothed at the 

 sides with a fringe of fine hairs, forming a flattened 

 brush ; tlie tarsus consists of a single elongated joint, 

 blunt at the tip, and without claws (fig. 155) ; the eyes 



rig. 155. 



and lal>ial palpi are large, the latter extend considerably 

 in front of the head ; the thorax is large, and the wings 

 are large and often greatly variegated in colour, and 

 marked with ocellated spots; the larva is long and 

 more or less spined, it is generally not attenuated 

 behind, and is blunt at the end ; the chrysalis is elongated, 

 and is simply suspended by the tail, hanging by tlie 

 extremity of the body, and not girt across the middle 

 by a skein of silken thread. 



Mr. Bates found out when in Brazil how to distinguish 

 the sexes of the Nymphalidte by the fore legs — the 

 fore tarsi in the males have a few pairs of minute 

 spines at the apical joints, which are not found in 

 the other sex. This difference prevails in the Heli- 

 conidse, Satyridte, Erycinidee, and probably in the 

 Polyommati. 



The Painted-lady butterfly (Cynthia Cardui) 

 is universally distributed; it is found throughout 

 Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, in Greenland, and 

 a specimen has been taken as far north as lat. 59°, and 

 west long. 319°; it has also been taken in Terra del 

 Fuego. 



Vanessa Urticce, Vanessa Polychloros, Vanessa Ata- 

 lanla, Vanessa Id, Vanessa Antiopa, Grapta C. album, 

 and the Argynnis and Mclikea genera, are all nym- 

 phalidous butterflies. 



As illustrations of the curious larvaj of the NympJi- 

 alidas, and no less curious angled chrysalids, there are 

 figured two specimens from the work of Dr. Horsficld. 

 Fig. 156 is the larva of Acanthea jjrimaria ; Fig. 157 

 the pupa of the same. 



To the Nymphalidaj belong the genera Liiuenitis, 

 and Apatura. The former genus with its allies, Nrjitis 

 and Athjma, abounds in exotic species. One of our 

 rarer British butterflies belongs to this genus. It is 

 the Limenitis Sibilla or the White Admiral. The 

 larva feeds on the honeysuckle. 



On Plate 9, fig. 1, and 1 o, is figured Mr. Hewitson's 

 exquisite Amazon Butterfly {Catugrumma excelsior), 

 ■ one of a set of truly gorgeous South American Butter- 

 tlies, the under sides of which are so curiously marked. 

 Columbia is particularly rich in species. On Plate 

 9, fig. 6, is figured Epicalia Penthia, one of a genus 

 the sexes of which dillbr greatly— so much so, that the 



males and females of one species have been described 

 as two species of two genera. 



To this family belong many gorgeously decorated 

 Butterflies, the males of which are shot over with vivid 

 purple, or with metallic green and blue. 



Fig. 156. Fig- 157. 



Larva of Ac.antliea primal ia. 



In this country we have one of these, though it is 

 confined to the southern parts. Tlie Butterfly is named 

 the " Purple Emperor" {Apalura Iris). 



The Caterpillar of the Purple Emperor feeds on 

 sallows and on the poplar ; it is a pretty object, espe- 

 ciafly to a collector, who much admires that singularly 

 armed head, which has two horns on it, somewhat like 

 a snail or slug. Its colour is pale green, with slant- 

 ing yellow lines and a yellow stripe on each side. 

 The chrysalis is suspended by the tail on tlie under side 

 of a leaf. The male is a truly beautiful insect, having 

 for its basis colour blackish-brown, which, as the insect 

 turns to the light, seems to change into the most bril- 

 liant purple, the colour varying most surprisingly ot 

 every turn, while the white band and the broken white 

 spots relieve the hues in a manner that is singularly 

 charming. 



An insect from South America, figured in our plate 

 (^Apalura laura — Plate 9, fig. 3), is one of a set 

 washed with silver on the under side, and having the 

 finest " shot" of green and blue running over the 

 greater part of the upper wings. 



The Cilcnnis Dido is a handsome, though not very 

 showy butterfly, named by its first describer after the 

 Queen of Carthage, celebrated in the classic page of 

 Virgil. Mr. II. W. Bates found it and other species 

 of the genus very abundantly in June, 1852, on the 

 river Amazon. The species figured (Plate 10, fig. 1) 

 is the Agrias Claudia. 



Familv— MOBPHID^. 



In this family of Butterflies are many of the lai^est 

 and most brilliant of the Diurnal Lepidoptera. Although 

 some of the group are found in Asia and the Asiatic 



