BUT 
BUT 
their fight, fince fuch fmall objects would be ut- 
terly imperceptible at half the diftance; neither can 
it be by the fenfe of fmelling, fince thefe animals 
are not furnilhed with any organs for that purpofe. 
But whatever may be their power of perception, 
certain it is, that the male, after having fluttered 
about for fome time, is feen to take wing, and pro- 
ceed direflly forward to the place where the fe- 
male is perched on a flower. 
Among the various tribes of infeils, it is the 
general rule that females are larger than the males j 
and it holds good in a peculiar manner with re- 
fpedl to Butterflies. The body of the male is 
fmaller, and more flender; and that of the female 
more thick and oval. Previous to the jundion of 
thefe animals, they are feen fporting in the air, al- 
ternately purfuing and flying from each other, and 
preparing, by a kind of amorous dalliance, for the 
more important bufinefs of their lives; and if dif- 
turbed in the afl of coition, the female flies off' 
with the male, who appears entirely pafllve on the 
occafion. 
The females of many fpecies of Butterflies feem 
to have afllimed their airy forms for no other pur- 
pofe than that of fecundating their eggs, and laying 
them. They are neither feen fluttering about in 
queft of food, nor of mates ; and all that p^ffcs dur- 
ing their fliort lives, is only a junflion with the 
males for about half an hourj after which they de- 
pofit their eggs, and die. 
The eggs of female Butterflies are difpofed in 
their bodies like beds of chaplets; and, when ex- 
cluded, they are generally oval, and of a whitifh 
colour: fome, however, are entirely round j and 
others flatted like turnips. The covering, or 
Ihell, of the egg, though folid, is thin and tranf- 
parent; and, in proportion as the caterpillar ex- 
pands within the egg, the colours change, and are 
difl^erently difbributed. The Butterfly feems per- 
fe£lly infl:ru6led by Nature in it's choice of the 
plant or leaf on which to depofit it's burden. 
Each egg contains but one caterpillar; and it is 
requiflte that the little animal, when excluded, 
jfhould be near it's proper food : accordingly the 
little winged creature, though it has itfelf been fed 
on dew, or the honey of flowers, makes choice of 
a very diff'erent fpecies of provifion for it's young, 
and depofits it's eggs on the mofl: unfavoury 
plants, fuch as the ragweed, the cabbage, or the 
nettle. Thus every Butterfly felefts not the plants 
mofl: grateful to it in it's winged ftate, but fuch as 
it has been fed on in it's reptile form. 
The eggs of Butterflies are always attached to 
the leaves of their favourite plants, by a kind of 
fize or glue 5 where they continue unobferved, un- 
iefs carefully fought after. They are fometim.es 
placed round the tender flioots of plants, in the 
lhape of bracelets, conflfting of more than two 
hundred in each, and generally furrounding the 
fhoot like a ring. But fome Butterflies fecure 
their eggs from the injuries of the air by covering 
them with hair plucked from their own bodies ; 
and by this precaution they are kept warm, as v/ell 
as entirely concealed. 
The females of moths lay their eggs foon after 
they are emancipated from their aurelia ftate : but 
there are many Butterflies which flutter about the 
whole fummer, and never think of laying till the 
cold warns them of their approaching end ; and 
fome even continue the whole winter in the hollows 
of trees, and negleft to provide for pofl:erity till the 
beginning of April, when they leave their retreats, 
depofit their eggs, and die. Their eggs foon be- 
gin to feel the genial warmth of the fun ; the little 
animals burfl: from their caterpillar fl:ate ; then be- 
come aurelias and Butterflies in their turn; and thus 
continue the round of nature. 
Endued, as Butterflies are, with fo many ft:ages 
of exiflrence, and poflTeffed of fuch aftonifliing beau- 
ty in that fliate which we m.ay well pronounce their 
perfeft one, it is by no means to be wondered that 
they fliould have been noticed, in their feveral mu- 
tations, with the utmofi: precifion, by thofe who 
have had leifure to cultivate fopleafing an amufe- 
ment: and there are not wanting fome ingenious 
naturalifts, who have acquired no inconfiderable 
portion of fame from the accuracy of their obfer- 
vations on thefe infefts alone, though a compleat 
general hiflrory of Moths and Butterflies, Foreign as 
well as Englifli, feems ftill to be among the many 
defiderata of Natural Hiftory. Indeed, thofe who 
have made the greateft progrefs in other branches 
of the fcience, have in general declined the invefl:i- 
gation of every kind Of infe6ts : convinced that the 
infinitude of different tribes, and the extreme mi- 
nutenefs of many of them, would render the utmoft 
efforts of human fagacity unequal to the tafli of 
forming a compleat difcrimination. 
Butterflies have by fome naturaliflrs been di- 
vided into feven clafl^es, after the following manner. 
The firfl; clafs confifts of thofe which have cla- 
vated feelers, keep the planes of their wings perpen- 
dicular to that of pofition, and whofe lower wings 
are applied clofe to the under parts of their bodies ; 
and thefe likewife ftand and walk with each of 
their fix legs. The white Butterfly, fpotted with 
black, is an infl:ance of this kind. 
The fecond fpecies confiflis of thofe which have 
their v/ings perpendicular to the plane of pofition, 
and whofe lower edges likewife only embrace the 
lower parts of their bodies; they fettle on four 
legs, and generally keep the fore pair of legs folded 
up. Several kinds of the prickly caterpillars pro- 
duce Butterflies of this clafs, and particularly the 
prickly caterpillar of the nettle. 
The third clafs is compofed of Butterflies which 
carry their wings eredt, and have the fame fort of 
feelers as the former clafs ; they only ufe four legs, 
the other pair being fo fmall as to be fcarcely per- 
ceptible. A variety of fpecies may be referred to 
this clafs ; and particularly fome which have their 
wings fpotted with black and white in the fliape 
of thefquares of a chefs-board. 
The fourth clafs likewile contains Butterflies 
with clavated feelers, and fix real legs. When at 
refl:, they hold their wings perpendicular to the 
plane of pofition, but have the edges of their lower 
wings turned up, fo as to embrace and cover the 
upper parts of their bodies, while all the reft are 
naked. Befides this, each lower wing has a long 
appendage near the external end of the bafe, and 
a part whofe point reaches much beyond the refl: 
of the body. This part feems to form a tail, and 
therefore fome have called this infeft a tailed But- 
terfly. However, there are Butterflies which are 
deftitute of thefe appendages ; and yet have their 
lower wings fo bent, that they embrace the lower 
parts of their bodies. Butterflies of this clafs ge- 
nerally appear towards the latter end of July. 
The fifth clafs confifts of thofe which have cla- 
vated feelers, and fix true legs ; but, when they are 
at reft, generally keep their wings parallel to the 
plane of pofition, or at leaft never elevate them 
ilifiiciently for the two upper wings to embrace 
each 
