100 Beautiful Butterflies. 



invariably fixes his throne upon the summit of a lofty 

 oak, from the outmost sprigs of which, in sunny days, 

 he performs his aerial excursions ; when the sun is at 

 the meridian, his loftiest flights take place, and about 

 four in the afternoon he assumes his station of repose. 

 He ascends to a much greater elevation than any other 

 insect, sometimes mounting higher than the eye can 

 follow ; especially if he happens to quarrel with ano- 

 ther Emperor, the monarch of some neighbouring oak ; 

 they never meet without a battle, flying upwards all 

 the while, and combating with each other as much as 

 possible ; after which they will frequently return again 

 to the identical sprigs whence they ascended. The 

 wings of this fine species are of a stronger texture than 

 those of any other in Britain, and more calculated for 

 that gay and powerful flight which is so much admired 

 by entomologists. 



" The females, like those of many other species, are 

 very rarely seen on the wing ; in three days I captured 

 twenty-three (another regicide), nine of them in one 

 day, and never took a female at all. The males are 

 only to be taken with a long net, fixed at the end of a 

 rod twenty or thirty feet long. There have been in- 

 stances, though rare, of their settling on the ground 

 near puddles of water, and being taken there. When 

 the Purple Emperor is within reach, no fly is more 

 easily taken ; for he is so very bold and fearless, that he 



