BUT 
BUT 
'each other above the body. A Butterfly of this 
tlafs proceeds from a fmooth caterpillar of ma.-fh- 
inallows. 
The fixth clafs is chara6lerized by having cla- 
Vated feelers, increafing in thicknefs frona their 
roots to their points. They feem almofb continu - 
ally in motion, hovering over flowers, and thrufting 
in their trunks, in order to extraft the juice. 
From the noife they make with their wings, Jbme 
call them by the name of humming-bird moths; 
but Beaumont places them among the papillio, be- 
caufe the wings of fome fpecies are not fo entirely 
covered with farina as to be quite opaque, for they 
are partially tranfparent. 
Lepidoptera of the feventh clafs have feel- 
ers incurvaced in the form of rams-horns ; of which 
kind is the Butterfly found very commonly in 
meadows, on the flocks of plants, and which flies 
very little in the day-time. Merian, from this cir- 
cumflrance, contends, that it ought to be referred to 
the clafs of moths ; but Ray and Reaumur place.it 
among Butterflies. Ray likewife makes another 
clafs of thefe Butterflies, with feelers like conical 
threads. 
Mr. Harris, fecretary to the Aurelian Society, 
has given us the following fynoptical fvfl:em of the 
Papillio, comimonly called Butterflies. 
Butterflies, fays this ingenious gentleman, are 
difl:inguifned from other infefts by thefe generical 
charafters: their antennjE, or horns, are clubbed 
at the extremities ; their wings, when at refl:, are 
clofed together ere6t over their backs; and they 
fry only in the day-time. 
■ Linnsus has divided them into five phalanges, 
or genera; viz. Equites, Heliconii, Danai, Nym- 
phales, and Plebeii. 
In that genus which is called Equites, the under- 
wings have each an appendage, or tail; and, from 
this circumftance, they are denominated fwal- 
low-tails. 
In the Heliconii, the wings are long, narrow, 
and even at the edges ; thefuperior ones being large, 
and the inferior fmall. 
- In the Danai, the wings are fmooth and even at 
the edges, v/ithout denticulations or tails, exaflly 
like thofe of the common white Butterfly. 
In the Nymphales, the wings are denticulated, 
and ocellated, having eye-like fpots or rings. 
The Plebeii comprehends the numerous tribes 
of minute Butterflies which feem to be a difl:in6l 
generation or order from any of thofe juft enume- 
rated. 
In this country, we have only about fifty-three 
fpecies : for a more particular account of which the 
curious reader is referred to Mr. Harris's Englifli 
Lepidoptera, as it is not poffible, in a work of this 
very general nature, to give more of thefe elegant 
infefts than a few of the mofl beautiful and curi- 
ous fpecimens in the difl:erent genera. 
The reader is accordingly prefented with accu-. 
rate defcriptions, and delineations from nature, of 
thofe which appeared miofl: likely to be acceptable ; 
and fome of them are aftual non-defcripts, from 
difl^erent parts of the world. 
Thefe are arranged on four plates, in the follow- 
ing manner. 
PLATE THE FIRST. 
Fig. I. Bp.own Hair-Streak ; the Betul^e, 
Plebeii, of LinriJEus. The head, thorax, and 
abdomen, are of a dark brown colour; and the 
wings are alfo of a lovely dark brown, the fuperior 
ones having each a large orange-coloured fpot 
near the tip, which almoll covers the fan-mem- 
branes. 
Fig. 2. Under -fide. The under-fide is of a brown- 
ifli orange-colour. The fuperior wings have each 
a triangular fpot near the tip, reaching from the 
feiftor-edge half way down the wing, where it ter- 
minates in a point, which is not only of a darker 
brown than the refl, but edged round with a neat: 
white line; there is alfo a fmall black fpot near 
the middle of each fuperior wing. The infe- 
rior ones have each a broad bar extending quite 
acrofs; which is of a darker orange-brown than 
the refl: of the wing, and neatly edged or bor- 
dered with white. 
The expanflon of the wings, fi-om tip to tip, is one 
inch and three-quarters. 
The caterpillar feeds on buckthorn : it changes 
into a chryfilis in July, and the fly comes fordi 
in Auguft ; when it may be found playing on the 
tops of hedges, near maple-trees, round which 
it fportively purfucs others of it's own fpecies. 
Fig. 3. The Deiphobus, Equites, of LinnjEus. 
The antennae, head, thorax, and abdomen, toge- 
ther with the fuperior wings, are of a fine dark 
brown ; each wing having, near the fhoulder li- 
gament, two triangular fpots of deep fcarlet, the 
largeft near three-quarters of an inch long, and 
the other, beneath it, about the fize of a cana- 
ry-feed. The inferior wings are of an orange- 
brown, but very pale : in the centre, on each mem- 
brane, near the fan-edge, is a large black Ipot; 
and thefe, joining together, compofe a broad ir- 
1 gular bar reaching to the abdominal pait, 
where there are two feparate and difl:in6b fpots 
on each wing. The tails are black, and on the 
fan-edge of each there are fix crefcent-fliaped 
fpots of orange-brown. 
The expanfion of the wings is fix inches and a 
half 
Edwards fays that this Butterfly is a native of Chi- 
na, but it is alfo known to exifl: in many parts of 
the Eafl: Indies. 
The infe6l above defcribed is a female : the male, 
which is fmaller, is given by Edwards, who 
feems to produce it as a difl:in(l:i: fpecies, though 
their markings are fimilar, and both were 
brought from China. 
Fig. 4. The Blue-Fly ; the Argus, Plebeii, of 
Linnaeus. The antennfe are black, having white 
fpecks down them ; the head is covered witli 
white hair; and the thorax and abdomen are 
cloathed v/ith hair of a lightifli blue colour. 
The wings, which are of a mofl; fplendid and 
beautiful blue, have the glofs of fine fattin; and 
they are each bordered or fringed with white. 
Fig. 5. Under-fide, The under-fide is of a grey or 
cinder-colour, fprinkled all over with fmall eye- 
like rings of white, each having a black fpot in 
the middle. 
The expanfion of the wings is one inch and three- 
eighths. 
The Blue-Fly is com.mon in England. It appears 
the beginning of June; and is found playing 
among long grafs in meadov/s, where it confl:ant- 
ly fleeps at night. 
Fig. 6. Broad Green-Barred Swallow-Tail. 
The head, thorax, and abdomen, as well as the 
.2 L wings, 
