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Madam Maria Sybilla Merian's History of 

 Surinam Insects, 



Methodized, with Remarks, by Ja. Petiver, F. R. S. 



THIS celebrated Lady having pubiifhed two Quarto Volumes 

 of the Infefts, their Changes and Feed, or Germany and 

 the Netherlands, (the firft her native country, and the lait her 

 refidence) here prefents us with the Hiftory of fuch as the found 

 and painted in Surinam, with their lively Figures, Changes, and 

 the Plants they feed on. 



CAP. I. Lizards, Frogs, and Serpents. 



1. '"Tp^HE Safeguard. Tab. 4. Lacerta marmorea Surinam- 



JL enjis, cauda nigris zonis ornata. This is a beautiful 

 amphibious Lizard, or frnall Crocodile, of ten or twelve feet long : 

 it feeds on fifh, dead carrion, flies, ants, &c. Their eggs, which 

 the Indians eat, are as big as thofe of hens : thefe they lay in the 

 fand, and are hatched by the fun. This feems to be the Guiney 

 Pompom, a harmlefs bugle-fkinned lizard, Gaz. tab. 15. fig. 6. 



2. Surinam Stellio. Tab. 23. Lacerta Surinam, ccerulefcens, 

 maculis albis. A harmlefs Lizard ; the body blueilh, with white 

 fpots, and a broad blue lilt along the back from head to tail. 

 This laid four whitifh round eggs, which hatched at fea with the 

 authorefs in her return home ; but the dam and young died for 

 want of proper food. 



3. Wing-eared Surinam Frog. Tab. 56. Rana aurita Surinam. 

 digitis globofis ; from two extended flaps, or ears, placed between 

 his head and moulders. He is of a dark brown, marbled in feve- 

 ral parts with green eye-fpots and ftreaks : what is very fingular, 

 he hath globular toes inftead of claws, that he may with the more 

 eafe walk on the furfaceof moill mud, &c. Gaz. 1^0. 12. 



4. Dorfiferous Surinam Toad. Tab. 59. Bufo Surinam, foetis 

 Dorfifer. The female of this ftrange out-of-courfe animal breeds 

 its young ones on its back, whereon are many cells, each contain- 

 ing an egg : thefe, when ready to fpawn, you may fee creeping 

 out, as the figure curioufly reprefents. The body is dark brown, 

 their fore feet fingered, but the hinder webbed. Gaz. 151. 12. 



5. Tun-belly Snake. Tab. 5. Serpens marmorata Surinam. 

 •ventre tumido ; from the largenefs and limilitude of that part. It 

 is fpotted like our Adder or Viper, but with greater variety, and 

 finer. It lays foft eggs, as other fnakes, fpotted blue. Gaz. 151. 8. 



6. Surinam Ribband-Snake. Tab. 46. Serpens Surinam, mar- 

 morata rubefcens. The back of this is red, and belly white, but 

 both finely marbled. Found at the root of a Jafmine. 



CAP. II. SECT. I. Single coloured Butterflies. 



7. Whitifh Surinam Butterfly. Tab. 58. Papilio Surinam, e 

 flawedine albefcens. Has the face of fome of our common Englifh 

 white Butterflies, but yellowifh below, v/ith buff edges and marks ; 

 fpotted with fllver in the midft of each wing. The caterpillar is 

 hairy-tufted and briitly, with faflron fpots : it feeds on the Welted 

 Bean-tree, and turned into a thread-pendent green coffin June 16. 

 and 26th broke into the butterfly, three inches long, viz. between 

 the tip of each upper wing, and one and a half broad. G. 149. 4, 5. 



8. Surinam Brimftone-Butterfly. Tab. 51. Papilio Surinam, fla- 

 vus. Shape and lize of the lait, but yellow on both fides, without 

 any fpots above. The caterpillar of the fame colour, a little 

 hairy, armed with five blackthorn-like prickles ; the coffin brown, 

 turned June 16. and the 30th it hatched. Gaz. 141. 7, 8. 



9. Pale CaJhe-zv-Eje. Tab. 16. Papilio Surinam, pallidus, alis 

 inferioribus oculatus. The greater! part is of a yellowifh white, 

 the felvedge of the lower wings brown and eyed. The leaves of 

 the Cafhew-apple is the food of this caterpillar, which is grofs 

 and fhort, thick fet with large tufts of white hair, fo long that it 

 appears not unlike a fhock dog. Coffin brown, common fhape ; 

 which turned March 3. hatched the 1 8th. Gaz. 142. 16, 17, 18, 19. 



10. Small Pappaiv Butterfly. Tab. 40. Papilio a/bus minor Su- 

 rinam, margine flavo, maculis fufcis flmbriatus. The midft of this 

 fmall butterfly is white, felvedged with yellow and brown fpots on 

 the lower edges. The caterpillar yellowifh, with liver-coloured 

 ftreaks, and feeds on the Pappaw leaves : it coffined April 6. and 

 hatched the 20th. Gaz. 145. 11. S. 12. U. 



11. Golden Butterfly, with Black Guards. Tab. 38. Papilio 

 minor aureus Surinam, limbis nigris. This is yellow in the middle, 

 with two half-moons of the fame colour ; the relt black. The 

 caterpillar fmall, fmooth and yellow, ftreaked with green : it feeds 

 on the Wild Caffada : it coffined May 6. and flew the 20th ; near 

 two inches long, and one broad. Gaz. 145. 8. M. 9. P. 



12. Blue Surinam Hair-Streak. Tab. 13. Papilio medius Suri- 

 nam, cceruleus, infra fubpurpurcus. A middling butterfly, about 

 two inches long, and more than one broad ; above wholly blue, 

 except a yellow fpot on the inner tip of each lower wing, with two 

 white-girdled llreaks and around yellow fpot in the middle of each 

 lower wing, near its edge. The caterpillar is fmall, green, and 

 befet with pin-headed hairs, feeding on the Yellow duller Plumb 

 leaves : its coffin little and brown, remained from April 7. to 20. 

 and then changed as above. Gaz. 142. 13. 



13. Grafs Butterfly. Tab. 2. Papilio Surinamenfis, e viref- 

 cente & nigrcdine mixtus. An Pap. Jamaic. e fufco lutefcente, fub- 

 tus virefcens, &c Gaz. 13. 1.? This butterfly, above is equally 

 mixed with dark brown and pale verdigreafe ; but below, moltly 

 of the lait, with buffifh inlets and fomething of reddifh. The cat- 

 terpillar, found on Grafs, was pale green, with a blue head ; its 



15 th into the butterfly, five inches long, and two 



Tab. 32. Papilio Surin. 



fore-legs, two neck-rings, a fide-ftreak and fpots above, red ; the 

 body fomewhat hairy, with two tail-briftles of the fame. Its coffin 

 buff, hanging by a thread ; changed May 10. and 18. broke forth 

 the butterfly as above, more than four inches long. Gaz. 140. 

 3, 4, 17, 18, &c. 



SECT. II. Admirals, viz. fuch Butterflies as generally have 

 a White, Yellow, or other Field, in the midfl of their upper 

 Wings ; the reft of other Colours. 



14. Bias Admiral. Tab. 8. Papilio Surinam, ccerulefcens, campo 

 albo fubtus fanguineo. The ground of this, above is a mixture of 

 blackifh and pale blue, with a white field in the midft of the upper 

 wings, which with fome fmaller white marks are feen below, with 

 feveral bloody partitions and fpots. The caterpillar feeds on the 

 Red Flowered Jafmine ; its head yellow, rayed with thorns ; the 

 body fmooth, greenifh ftreaked with blue, as is its forked tail with 

 that and yellow : the coffin yellow, and of the common fhape ; 

 commenced Sept. 20. Oft. 11. came out three inches and a quar- 

 ter long, one and a half broad. Gaz. 141. 3, 4. 



15. Brown Surinam Admiral. Tab. 35. Papilio Surinam./}//^ 

 cus, areis fla<vis. Above, it is of a brown ground, with yeilow 

 alleys; below, much the fame, but fpotted. The caterpillar (feeds 

 on a Necklace-podded Coral-tree) is fomewhat hairy, reddifh, 

 with white ftreaks on its back : this turns into a yellowifh thick 

 coffin, blotted and girdled with red : it has a fmall mixture of 

 green from the broad end to the middle ; it changed April 1. and 

 hatched the 

 broad. 



16. Brown, Grailed, Surinam Admiral. 

 ffcus, areis fla-vis, fubtus punclatus. This, above refembles the 

 laft, but differs below in being finely pounced with various fields 

 and differing yellow eye-fpots circled with white. The caterpillar 

 is fmooth and green ; hath a forked head and tail ; the laft yellow- 

 ifh and blue; the other, with its mouth and fide-lines, purple; 

 the lowelt yellow, as are its girdles : its beautiful coffin moltly 

 purple, with fome green and fpeckled with filver : this changed 

 May 20. June 4. hatched, near five inches long, and two broad. 

 Gaz. 144. 1, 2. 



17. Dark Surinam Admiral. Tab. 36. Papilio Sur. nigrefcens, 

 areis albis maculifque flavis. Its ground is very dark, with long 

 white alleys ; the outer fomewhat fpotted, as are the felvedges of 

 the lower wings, with yellow: the upper wings, below are purplifh, 

 the lower tawny with two yellow fpots. The caterpillar fmooth, 

 large, and marbled with tawny black and white : its coffin thick, 

 fhort, fame colours: this changed April 14. the 26th hatched a 

 butterfly four inches long, and above one and a half broad. 



SECT. III. Atlasses. Thefe are Great-eyed Butterflies of 

 the largeft Size, and are more or lefs adorned above with a 

 glorious fhining Blue. 



18. Azure Atlas. Tab. 53. Papilio Surinam, azureus, angufld 

 margine fufca. The upper felvedge of this beautiful infeft is very 

 narrow and brown, with white fpots ; the reft deep blue with fil- 

 ver fhades : it is brown below, with three large eyes in each wing, 

 with greenifh waves edged with tawney and white : it is fix inches 

 long, and three broad. The caterpillar feeds on a fort of Medlar, 

 is yellow ftreaked with red, and each wing befet with it iff prickles : 

 its coffin arched with a bow-ftring ; otherwife like thofe of the 

 common kinds. This and the next appear in January, and hatch 

 about a fortnight after they have coffined. Gaz. 148. 4, 5, 6. 



19. White-lifled Atlas. Tab. 60. Papilio max. Surinam, lined 

 alba angufld notatus. This has a large brown felvedge on the upper 

 wing, with a white flant through the middle ; all the reft blue : 

 underneath it is very finely marbled, and adorned with three eyes, 

 viz. one fmall in the upper wing, and two in the other ; the lower 

 moft magnificently large. The caterpillars are red, with four blue 

 fpots on each fide, from whence ariie black hairy briltles : thefe 

 turn into a beautiful fpotted coffin about new-year's day, and 

 about a fortnight after hatch ; are four inches broad, and almoft 

 eight long. 



20. Bro r wn-fel<v edged Atlas. Tab. 9. Papilio max. Surinam. 

 margine fufco lunulalo. This differs from the laft in being on the 

 brown, with white moons inftead of the lift : it hath below fix 

 middling eyes, with two fmaller in greenifh circles ; the reft of the 

 ground brown, fhaded with purple, and edged with yellow waves. 

 The caterpillar thick, large and fmooth, mixed with yellow and 

 red, ribbed with white eyes and Hants : it feeds on the Pomegranate 

 leaves ; coffined April 22. and hatched May 8. feven inches long, 

 and three broad. 



21. Brown Admiral Atlas. Tab. 7. Papilio max. Surin. fufcus 

 perelegans area ccerulefccnte. Next the body (unlike all the reft) 

 has a large brown field ; as are alio its edges, but waved and eyed 

 with tawney and white : in the midft is a large blue field mixed 

 with filver towards the top, where it is wide;!. Finely veined 

 underneath, moltly with green ; adorned with feven eyes varioufly 

 circled; five inches broad, and near nine long if fully extended. 

 The caterpillar large and green, fet with fhort red prickles, and 

 hairy tufts ; the laft only near its head. It coffined April 20. and 

 hatched May 6. G 3.7. 141. 2. 



22. Bujf Atlas. Tub. 23. Papilio Surin. max. fubtus perlelle 

 oculatus ac marmoratus, &c. Gaz. 28. 1. The upper wings of 

 this are of a fad buff or brown ; the lower blackifh, with a vari- 

 able fliade of blue next the body : below, it is elegantly marbled, 

 and very remarkable for a large eye in each lower wing near the 

 body, which 12 encompaffed witl^part of the wings, very finely 



grayed, 



