156 THE ATALANTA. 



the name was of no Consequence to them, and any 

 harmonious combination of syllables was all that 

 they required. Many a valuable hour have they 

 wasted, or rather caused others to waste, in seeking 

 through lexicons and dictionaries for the purpose 

 of discovering the derivation of those unmeaning 

 and underived names. 



At last men of science began to see that the name 

 ought to be descriptive of the creature, or its habits, 

 and yet as short as possible ; and when this idea was 

 matured, true nomenclature began. In the reformed 

 system, insects are gathered together in societies, 

 through which some general characteristic runs, and 

 each individual bears the name of its genus, as the 

 society is called ; and also a second name that dis- 

 tinguishes its species. 



The first butterfly which will be mentioned in 

 these pages is seen figured on plate D, fig. 4 ; and 

 very appropriately bears the name of Atalanta. Those 

 skilled in mythology, or Mangnall's skimmings there- 

 of, will remember that Atalanta was a young lady, so 

 swift of foot that she could run over the sea without 

 splashing her ankles, or on the corn-fields without 

 bending an ear of corn under her weight. The flight 

 of this butterfly is so easy and graceful, that poetical 

 entomologists invested it with the name of the swift- 

 footed Atalanta. 



Also it is called the Scarlet-Admiral, in which, two 

 names is to be seen the confusion respecting sexes 



