PLATE C. 



branches of the trees, from whence it darts and glances from one branch 

 to another, and never descends nearer to the ground than the height of 

 about eight feet. Mr. Smeathman observes also, that it turns its head 

 about instantly to the glade or path, and will not suifer any person 

 to approach within a '-^ striking distance " of it, but will dart away 

 on the least motion of the body : if the naturalist, says Mr. Smeath- 

 man, however, exerts his patience, it will at last become more 

 familiar and careless, and is then to be caught upon some particular 

 branch, to which it will appear more attached than to another, 

 ludependently of the unquestionable veracity of the writer, we can 

 have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the information ; the 

 Papilio Iris, or Purple Emperor Butterfly of our own country, 

 aftbrds us precisely an example of the same instinctive caution of 

 those beings of the insect race ; this also, like Papilio Antimachus, 

 frequents the higher branches of the trees, never descending nearer 

 to the ground, and rarely so near, and in common with all the 

 Papiliones when they suspect danger, turn the head ; or alighting upon 

 some bush or herbage, face the object of their distrust; and should the 

 collector in striking with his net, miss his first aim through taking 

 an ill-measured distance, it is not likely he should be able to succeed 

 at that time in capturing the wary insect. 



In speaking of the comparative rarity of this insect, Mr. Drury 

 is less explicit than we could wish ^ he seems to consider, upon the 

 information of Mr. Smeathman, that it is chiefly owing to the 

 loftiness of its flight that the species is seldom taken, and is con- 

 sequently scarce in cabinets : this is probably not the only cause ; 

 the haunts of insects are oftentimes very local, and this we suspect to 

 be the fact with respect to Papilio Antimachus, for although the 



