THE MALAYAN PAPILIONIDE, ETC. 131 
Pre-eminent among such groups are the diurnal 
Lepidoptera or Butterflies, whose extreme beauty 
and endless diversity have led to their having been 
assiduously collected in all parts of the world, and 
to the numerous species and varieties having been 
figured in a series of magnificent works, from those 
of Cramer, the contemporary of Linnzus, down to 
the inimitable productions of our own Hewitson.* 
But, besides their abundance, their universal distri- 
bution, and the great attention that has been paid 
to them, these insects have other qualities that espe- 
cially adapt them to elucidate the branches of inquiry 
already alluded to. These are, the immense develop- 
ment and peculiar structure of the wings, which not 
only vary in form more than those of any other 
insects, but offer on both surfaces an endless variety 
of pattern, colouring, and texture. The scales, with 
which they are more or less completely covered, imi- 
tate the tich hues and delicate surfaces of satin or 
of velvet, glitter with metallic lustre, or glow with 
the changeable tints of the opal. This delicately 
painted surface acts as a register of the minutest 
differences of organization—a shade of colour, an 
additional streak or spot, a slight modification of 
outline continually recurring with the greatest regu- 
larity and fixity, while the body and all its other 
* W. CO. Hewitson, Esq., of Oatlands, Walton-on-Thames, 
author of “ Exotic Butterflies ” and several other works, illus- 
trated by exquisite coloured figures drawn by himself; and 
owner of the finest collection of Butterflies in the world. 
K2 
