L E I L U S Braziliensis. 

 Brazilian Emerald Butterfly. 



Sur-Generic Character. 



Wings when at rest, horizontal, slightly expanded; posterior fur- 

 nished with acute tails. Palpi short, porrect; the last joint 

 nearly naked, projecting heyond the head, but shorter than the 

 second joint. Tibia of the anterior feet, spined in the middle : 

 claws very small. Antenna filiform, thickened in the middle; 

 the tips bending outwards, but not uncinate. Sw. 



Specific Character. 



Wings black, varied with lines and bands of golden green : pos- 

 terior wings tailed, the green spots round the margin divided 

 and insulated ; the tails black, with a narrow white edge. 



In Mus, Britt. Nost. 



This species, hitherto confounded with that peculiar to 

 Surinam, is found only in Brazil ; but its precise geographic 

 range, in that vast empire, has not been correctly ascertained. 

 We had the pleasure of capturing several specimens in 

 Lat. 8,24, S. in the vicinity of Pernambuco, where great 

 numbers appear during the early weeks of May, and again 

 in June. 



On refering to our journals, we find the following note. 

 " Papilio Leilus. — Great numbers of this insect were flying 

 during the whole of the morning, past Aqua Fria (Per- 

 nambuco), in a direction from north to south : not one 

 deviated from this course, notwithstanding the flowers which 

 were growing around: they flew against the wind, which 

 blew rather strong, and near the ground, but mounted over 

 every tree or other high object which lay in their course; 

 yet their flight was so rapid, that 1 could not capture a 

 single specimen. They went singly, and near fifty or sixty 

 must have passed the spot opposite the window, before 

 mid-day: they continued to pass for three or four days in 

 this manner. 12th June, 1817." Now it is clear that 

 these insects could not have come from so far north as 

 Surinam, where only the other species is found ; and they 

 certainly do not migrate to the more southern latitude of 

 Kio de Janeiro. As we have never seen this species in the 

 London Cabinets, we have deposited a specimen in the 

 British Museum, that our entomologists may become ac- 

 quainted with the structure of the feet. 



13(i. 



