GENERAL ACCOUNT OF BUTTERFLIES 



lera ; and the dragon-flies and damsel-flies, the 

 order Odonata. Sixteen of these orders are 

 commonly recognized. 



The moths or " millers," the skippers, and the 

 butterflies constitute the order Lcpidoptera. 

 The members of this order have four wings, 

 which are membranous and covered with over- 

 lapping scales ; the mouth-parts are formed for 

 sucking; and in the course of their development 

 they undergo what is known as a complete meta- 

 morphosis. 



II. THE STRUCTURE OF BUTTERFLIES 



The body of a butterfly consists of three 

 regions, which are known as the head, the thorax, 

 and the abdomen. The head is the first of the 

 three regions ; the thorax, the intermediate ; and 

 the abdomen, the last. 



The head bears the eyes, the antennse, and the 

 mouth-parts. 



The eyes are two in number, one on each side 

 of the head. They are easily recognized by their 

 position and hemispherical form. But when 

 they are examined with a lens they present a 

 very different appearance than do the eyes of 

 man ; each eye being composed of a large num- 

 ber of little eyes, or ommatidia as they are 



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