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Genus MORPHO. 
Tub butterflies arranged together under the above 
name are, in many respects, the most remarkable of 
any to which our attention has yet been directed. 
In size they are superior to all the other diurnal 
lepidopterous tribes, except the Ornithoptera, and 
many of them rival even that conspicuous group in 
their dimensions. Although surpassed by many 
others of their tribe in elegance of form and har- 
monious blending of colours, they afford examples 
of as rich tints as are to be found in any other 
natural objects. The blue which adorns the whole 
surface of M. Menelans and Adonis, has a beauty 
and lustre which it is impossible to witness without 
admiration. When flying under the blaze of a 
tropical sun, the brilliancy of the surface, as con- 
trasted with the dark hue of the under side, as 
they are alternately displayed, must render them 
very striking objects. Most of them are from South 
America, but a few occur in the eastern parts of 
India and the great islands of the adjacent Archi- 
pelago. 
The generic characters are more determinate than 
is the case with many others of this order. The an- 
tennas are slender, linear throughout their whole 
length, or thickening so insensibly towards the ex- 
