336 



SATCfflAK, 



[chap. X.XIV 



one of these noble insects hovering over it, but it was too 

 quick for me, find flew away. The next ilay I went again 

 to the same shrub and succeeded in catchin;T; a female, and 

 the day after a fine male. I found it to be as I liad expected, 

 a perfectly new and most magnificent species, and one of 

 the most gorgeously coloured butterfies in the world. 

 Fine specimens of the male are more than seven inches 

 across the wings, which arc velvety Idack and fiery orange, 

 the latter colour rt'i^lacing the green of the aUied species. 

 The beauty and brilliancy of this insect are inrlescribable, 

 and none but a naturalist can understand the intense 

 excitement I experienced when I at length captured it. 

 On taking it out of my net and opening the glorious wings, 

 my heart began to beat vifsleatly, the blood rushed to my 

 head, and 1 felt much more like fainting than I have done 

 when in apprehension of immediate death, I had a head- 

 ache the rest of the day, so great was the excitement 

 produced by what will appear to moat people a very 

 inadequate cause. 



I hiul decided to return to Ternate hi a week or two 

 morcj but this grand capture determined me to stay on till 

 I obtained a good series of the new butterily, which I have 

 since named Oruitlioptera citeaus. Tlie Mnssaenda bush 

 was an admiiuble place, which I could visit every day on 

 my way to the forest ; and as it was situated in a dense 

 thicket of shrubs and creepers, I set my man Lalii to clear 

 a space all routid it, so that I could easily get at any insect 

 that might visit it. Afterw*ards, finding that it was often 

 necessary to wait some time there, I had a little seat put 

 up under a tree by the side of it, where I came every day 

 to eat my lunch, and thus had half au hours watching 

 about noon, heddes a chance as I passed it in the morning. 

 In this way I obtained on an average one specimen a 

 day for a lung time, but more than half of these ivere 

 females, and more than half the remainder worn or broken 

 specimens, so that I should not have obtained many 

 perfect males had I not found another station for them. 



As poun a-s 1 had seen them come to ilowers, I sent my 

 man I^ihi with a net on purpose to search for them, as 

 they had also been seen at some flowering trees on the 

 beach, and I promised him half a day's wages extra for 



