500 



NATURAL HISTORY OF ARTHROPODS. 



found in Amboina, ami others of the East India islands, extending in modified forms 

 or varieties to Australia. Closely related species, distinguished by the same bril- 

 liancy of color, are peculiar to the Molucca Islands. The butterflies of which P. 

 rhetenor and P. proterioi\ are representative examples, are remarkable for the great 

 prolongation of the hind wings, which are narrow, deeply indented, sometimes with 

 long tails, and strongly marked with blood-red sjiots on the margius. They ai-e, for 

 the most part, very large and showy insects, and are natives of the northern portion 

 of India, as well as of China and Jaj)an. A species from the latter countr}', P. alci- 

 nous, is remarkable for the color of the female, which is fawn drab, witli orange mark- 

 ings, while the male is black, with red markings on tlie margin. 



The various portions of Australia cannot be said to be rich in the species of Pajnlio, 

 only seventeen species having as yet been recorded from that continent, but five of 

 which seem to be peculiar to it, the remainder being stragglers from the East Indian 

 and Malayan regions. One of the remarkable forms is P. erectheus, a large and 



F[G. 626. — Papilio alciiwus. 



showy species, in which the sexes differ consideraljly, the male being black in ground 

 color, while the female is brownish white, with wide black bordei-s, marked ^^'ith 

 orange dashes and spots. It is a very common insect in the warmer piarts of Austr.alia, 

 and is frequently seen flying in the streets of Sydney, the caterpillar being at times 

 very destructive to orange plantations. 



P. aarjx'f/o/i, witli its wings jirofuscly marked with bright blue green, is a very 

 strikiug object in the g;irdens and ])lantations of Xew Holland, and is one of the 

 species delighting in almost ]ierpetual flight, selecting some open sunny s]iace, and 

 traversing this backAvards and forwards for hours with singular pcrtinacit}', rarely 

 aligliting, or, if so, onlv for a moment, arising again at the slightest disturbance, and 

 gliding rather than fl) ing o>ei- the s]M)t it has selected for its jdnyground. It is 

 a '\\ idely distriliuted species, reuclilng thi'oughout India to China and Japan. 



Europe claims but kmv sjiecies of Papilio: viz. 1' iii(idi<ion, P. podalirhis, P. 

 alc.'-aitor, and P. Ii.ospitoii. The first named of these is the most common, and is 

 found in some ])oi'tions of (!crmany and France in considerable numbers. Its c;iter- 



