been consecrated in our own days by several poets, thougli 

 by none with such exquisite taste and moral ifeeling, as by 

 the venerable Historian of the Medicii. 



So few of those insects, generally called Butterflies, were 

 known to Linna3us, that he included them all in one genus, 

 dividing them, for the most part, into natural groups. Fa- 

 bricius continued this arrangement, with little variation, and 

 has left us the description of near 1,160 species ! Yet before 

 his death, this laborious naturalist saw the absolute necessity 

 of dividing this immense genus into many others, and left 

 among his MSS. a sketch of his proposed arrangement, pub- 

 lished afterwards by Illiger, and partially adopted (we venture 

 to think also very imj^erfectly) by M. Latreille. 



The insects which are therefore now left under the old 

 genus Papi/io, are principally found out of Europe, and are 

 remarkable for their richness of colouring and immense size. 

 M. M. Latreille and Godart have described, with great pre- 

 cision, 146 species : it is, however, to be regretted, that they 

 have adopted no sections or divisions to assist the student in 

 his search after any particular species, among this extensive 

 number. The great disadvantage of this is very obvious, 

 and it has induced me to attempt something like a natural 

 distribution of those insects, which, with every care to avoid 

 an unnatural separation of kindred groups, I am fully aware, 

 in some cases, is very artificial, and it is only offered until a 

 greater knowledge of the larvae, &.c. will enable us to fix on 

 more substantial characters than those I have adopted. This, 

 however, will be a work of time ; and until then, I think some 

 guide to the ready knowledge of the species, however objec- 

 tionable, is better than none. 



Much might be said on the affinities which connect this 

 with several other genera. Among the most striking is that 

 existing between them and the Noctiicc(N. Palroc/iis Fab.) by 

 means of Pap. Lei/us Lin. which thus stands between the 

 night and the day-flying Lepidopteroe. Many of the insects 

 placed in our division of Giceci caudati, are allied to Diniais 

 Lat. by the larva of both having retractile hornshaped 

 processes, and the two genera seem still further connected 

 by Papilio siniilis and dissifni/is in one group, and by P. Pria- 

 mm in the other; while the clear v.'inged species from New 

 Holland seem to indicate an affinity with the Heliconicc. 



The laborious and important investigations of M. Savigny 

 into the structure of the mouth of these insects are too well 

 known, to require a more particular notice in this slight 

 sketch of the subject, 

 n. 93. 



