Canadian Butterflies. 349 



rally very small. The abdomen is elongated. Tlie wings large, 

 in some triangular, in others oblong and narrowed. Tbe cater- 

 pillars are cylindric and elongated ; tbey are very variously orna- 

 mented, some being glabrous, with several long fleshy prolonga- 

 tions, others are covered with slender spines and tufts of hairs, 

 others again are entirely smooth, and some are clotlied with long 

 white hairs. The chrysalides are suspended by the tail, and never 

 supported by a band in the middle. This very numerous family 

 contains some of the most beautiful and remarkable amongst the 

 Diurnal Lepidoptera, Some of the species, especially of the typi- 

 cal genus Heliconia, having the wings so scantily covered with 

 minute scales, that these organs are completely transparent. This 

 genus, (Heliconia,) is very extensive, but is exclusively confined 

 to the new world, where its metropolis is in the West Indian Is- 

 lands, and South America. One species is, however, met with in 

 Georgia and Florida, and is common in Mexico. 



The Heliconiidse may be conveniently divided into two sub- 

 families, viz., Danaidi and Heliconiidi, the former of which is 

 alone represented in Canada. 



SUB-FAMILY, DANAIDI. 



This contains some very large and handsome species. They 

 are mostly inhabitants of the inter-tropical regions, of the old 

 world where they appear to take the place of the Heliconiidl of 

 the western hemisphere. 



Palpi wide apart, and not rising above the top of the head, 

 their second joint is a little longer than the preceding ; club of 

 the antennae very gradually formed ; the wings large, with the 

 discoidal cell of the posterior pair closed ; thorax strong and thick; 

 abdomen rather long; anterior pair of legs not fitted for walking, 

 their tarsi hardly distinguishable into five joints, but generally 

 consisting of a single piece with several crowded spines at the ex- 

 tremity. The Larvae are glabrous, cylindric, rather long, provided 

 with two, four, six, eight or ten fleshy prolongations, which are 

 long, flexible, almost filiform, and placed by pairs on the different 

 segments. The jDupae are shortened, cylindric, without angulosities, 

 and ornamented with brilliant golden spots. 



One of the species which inhabits New Holland, it is said, some- 

 times appears in such vast numbers as to darken the air by the 

 clouds of them. 



It is divided into several genera, only one of which inhabits 

 North America. 



