Canadian Butterflies. 219 



From the beauty of tlieir colours, the insects of this sub-family 

 were styled by LinnaBus, in his fanciful arrangement ot the But- 

 terflies, Equites or Knights, and were divided into two sections ; 

 those with black wings, and spotted with red on the breast, form- 

 ing the first group, Equites Troes or Trojan Knights ; and those 

 which are destitute of these markings, but are ornamented with 

 an ocelated spot on the anal angle of the hind wings, constituted 

 the second, Equites Achivi or Greek Knights. In modern ar- 

 rangements it is formed of several genera, of which only the typi- 

 cal one, Papilio, occurs in North America. 



GENUS I. PAPILIO. LINN^US. 



Antennae rather long, with a moderately large oval and gra- 

 dually formed club, which is somewhat curved and not compress- 

 ed ; Palpi very short, not projecting beyond the head, all the 

 joints very indistinct, and the third or terminal one very minute 

 and hardly visible; tongue long; eyes large and naked; abdo- 

 men rather short and ovate conical ; wings strong and elongate, 

 more or less toothed at the edges, the posterior pair being often 

 produced into a long point or tail, from whence they have obtain- 

 ed the name of " Swallow-tailed Butterflies," and having the inner 

 margin folded upwards so as to allow of the free motion of the 

 abdomen ; the strong central nerve of the fore wings emits four 

 branches behind, and the middle cell of the hind wings is closed 

 and emits six nerves. The first pair of legs are alike in both 

 sexes — the two fore legs being fitted, as well as the four hind 

 ones, for walking ; the anterior tibia3 have a single strong spur at 

 the middle, the four posterior tibite have two long spurs at the 

 tip of each. The anal valves of the male, of moderate size. Lar- 

 vte naked, never pubescent, and furnished on the neck with a 

 fleshy furcate tentacle, which they are able to retract or exsert 

 at will. In a very large number the two first segments are at- 

 tenuated and capable of being drawn in under the third and fourth, 

 which are swollen, and often ornamented with ocular spots. The 

 Chrysalides are attached by the tail, and girt round the middle 

 by a silken thread, with the head pointing upwards, and forked or 

 bimucronate. 



This genus is extremel}^ numerous — Boisduval having des- 

 cribed 224 species, exclusive of several which he has detached un- 

 der other generic names. They are mostly of large size, and are 

 found in almost every quarter of the globe. They are more nu- 



