406 
THE POSEIDON. 
flies having knobs at their tips, while those of the Moths are pointed. The first family is that 
of the Papilionidee, in which are included the largest and most magnificent specimens of this 
order. The fanciful names with which so many of these insects have been honored are chiefly 
due to Linnaeus, who was so struck with the splendid dimensions and gorgeous coloring of 
these insects, that he deemed them worthy of Homeric titles, called them Equites, or knights, 
and, separating them into two divisions, gave to all those which have red spots on the sides 
of the breast the names of the Trojan heroes, and to those which were without the red spots, 
and had an eye-shaped mark on the lower wings, the names of the Greek warriors who fought 
against Troy. Unfortunately, for this division, it happens that the two sexes of many species 
are very diverse, and cause great confusion, so that Polycaon, one of the Greeks, and Lao- 
docus, a Trojan hero, have been found to be the two sexes of the same insect, the latter being 
the female. 
The splendid insect which is shown in the illustration is one of a genus which, by common 
consent, takes the first rank among the Lepidoptera, in consequence of their great size, the 
elegant boldness of their shapes, and the richness of their coloring. In them, the two fore-legs 
are not stunted, as is the case with 
so many butterflies, but are large, 
strong, and can be used in walk- 
ing ; and the tips of the antennae 
have a very slight bend upwards. 
The caterpillar of this insect is 
furnished with two retractile 
tentacles, placed on the neck in 
a fork-like shape, and is able to 
protrude these organs at will, at 
the same time emitting a very 
unpleasant odor. The chrysalis 
is hung up by means of silken 
threads from the tail, and the 
body is prevented from swinging 
about too rudely by a pair of 
very stout silken cords, one of 
which is affixed to each side, and 
moors the pupa firmly to the 
substance against which it hangs. 
The shape of the pupa is rather 
peculiar, being angular in its out- 
line, and having also an irregular 
curve. 
The perfect Amphrisitjs is 
a boldly marked insect, though 
without much variety of color- 
ing. The upper wings are rich 
blackish -brown, and the lower 
are fine king’s-yellow, edged 
with jetty-black, and having a 
fringe of long hair-like scales upon their inner edges. The under side is nearly of the same 
colors, except that a few dashes of chalky- white are seen upon the upper wings, as if dashed 
in with a quick sweep of a dry brush, and a similar dash of yellow is seen upon the lower 
wings. The abdomen is bright yellow below and dark brown above, and round the neck is a 
narrow collar of fiery crimson, rich and silken as “ chenille.” 
Another species of this genus, the Poseidon - , is a great favorite with the natives of the 
Darnley Islands, who are accustomed to catch several of these fine insects, to tie one end of a 
fine thread to the butterfly, and the other to theiF hair, so as to permit the insects to flutter 
AMPHRISIUS .— Ornitkoptera Amphrisius. 
