25(5 PiERiD*^?. INSECTS. Anthocharis, 
This species was found by Mr. Wallace on the island 
of Batchian among the Molucca islands. Some of the 
species have the wings black, marked with pale streaks; 
the hind wings being of a rich yellow, bordered, spotted, 
or lined with black. The Ornithoptera Brookeana is 
figured — Plate 9, fig. 2. Speaking of the species of 
Papilio proper, good authorities refer to them as being 
insects of rapid and powerful flight ; it is certainly the 
case with our British species. They take long circuits, 
and return after the lapse of a few minutes in the same 
direction, and often precisely in the same track on which 
they set out. 
A very interesting genus of the family is Parnassius, 
a genus of white Butterflies with rings of pinkish red 
on the wings. Tliey are found on the mountains of 
Europe, Asia, and America. The abdomen in the 
female terminates in a horny pouch or plate. The 
larvje feed on sedums, saxifrages, and such like alpine 
plants; as befits residents in a cold region, they are 
pubescent. The flight of the perfect insects is de- 
scribed as being slow and graceful until disturbed. 
When pursued, P Apollo and P. Phmbus are capable 
of great speed. 
When full grown, the caterpillar of our Swallow- 
tail butterfly no longer eats, but rests quietly on the 
stem of the plant, sedate and motionless. They 
sometimes are for two days in this position, when, 
with a small white web spun from the creature’s 
mouth, the tail is fixed. With this foundation made, 
the larva makes a fine white silken thread, the ends 
of which are fixed, one on each side, near the head. 
Harris has well described the after process ; — “ I 
could not help admiring with what care and pains he 
worked to make it strong : rubbing with his mouth 
backward and forward with such a motion as the shoe- 
makers use in waxing their ends. When finished, he 
put his head under or through it, and the thread then 
fell across his back ; but the thread now appeared too 
big for him. After this he remained two days more, 
during which time he shortened and grew thicker, and 
at length changed into the chrysalis.” In May and 
June the butterfly appears. 
The family Pieridce is readily known from the pre- 
ceding by the want of the spur on the anterior tibiae, 
and by the abdominal margin of the posterior wings 
forming a distinct channel for the reception of the 
abdomen. The larva is more or less pubescent, has no 
tentacula, and tapers slightly towards each extremity, 
riie head of the pupa is always pointed, never bifid 
or truncated. The Pieridae form an extensive group 
of insects scattered over the whole world. The pre- 
vailing colours in the insects of this family are white 
and yellow. Our common Cabbage-butterfly {Pieris 
Brassicoe), and Brimstone-butterfly {Gonepteryx Rham- 
ni), are characteristic examples of the family. 
The species of the genus Euterpe, with their broad 
hairy head, are found in the New World, as are the 
species of the singular genus Leptalis, in which the 
hind wings are generally much broader than the fore 
wings, and nearly or quite as long. Some of the species 
have a striking resemblance to the family Heliconidse, 
and not less resemble them in their habits. Of the 
small genus Lexiconhasia, with its delicate wings rounded 
at the end, we have one species, L. Sinapis, which 
generally frequents open places in woods, and flies 
rather slowly with an undulating unsteady motion. 
The larva feeds on the tufted vetch and bird’s-foot 
trefoil {Lotus comiculatus). The larvae of the numer- 
ous species of the genus Pieris are particularly attached 
to the various species of Cruciferse, and some of the 
British species, in their larva state, are very destructive 
in our gardens, making inroads on our cabbages, turnips, 
Indian cress, and mignonette : while in the United 
States, one described by Dr. Harris under the name of 
P. oleracea, is equally injurious to cabbages, turnips, 
and other garden Cruciferse. 
Some of the Indian and Australian species are varied 
on the under sides with bright colours, such as red and 
j'ellow. The male of a very common Australian species 
{Pieris nigrina) is white above, while below it is 
black, and has yellow marking on the fore wings and 
red streaking on the lower. 
The grub of the Pieris Cratcegi is often so very 
numerous in France as to occasion great injury to the 
almond trees, which are cultivated extensively in the 
south. Linnseus calls it' “ the pest of gardens.” In 
the neighbourhood of Paris the gardeners, and those 
who would preserve their fruit trees, make a regular 
practice of stripping the branches of as many of these 
caterpillars as they can see. In this country it is not 
a very common insect ; but in the south of France, 
if the almond plantations should happen to be attacked 
two or three years in succession by it, the loss of their 
leaves occasions the destruction of these valuable trees, 
and every year the amount of produce is materially 
affected by the caterpillar of this butterfly.* 
The species of the genus Pieris are very numerous. 
Nearly two hundred are known, whose range extends 
from the Arctic l egions to the Tropics, and from the 
Tropics to the most southern lands where butterflies 
are met with. 
The genus Zegris, one species of which, Z. Euplieme, 
is found in Spain and in the Crimea, is singular 
among butterflies, inasmuch as the larva spins a deli- 
cate silken net-like web on the stems of the Sinapis. 
It suspends itself by a very fine transverse thread, and 
by the tail. The larva grows very slowl}’- ; the insect 
itself flies with great rapidity. 
The species of Anthocharis have the wings in the 
males tipped with orange, or with pinkish red ; they 
are commonly called Orange-tips. 
The species of the genus Callidryas are found both 
in the New World and in the Old; their colours are 
most frequently yellow or orange, while a few are of a 
chalky white above ; the females differ very much from 
their partners. Mr. Doubleday tells us, that the perfect 
insects appear in a few days after the change from the 
larva to the pupa state. They are powerful and rapid 
in flight, and fond of settling on flowers and the muddy 
banks of rivers and pools. I have heard Mr. Bates 
narrate, how he has seen clouds of the males of one 
species fly over the Amazon, near Ega. This habit of 
congregating in countless myriads has been observed 
by several writers. Sir Robert Scbomburgh, when 
* Guerin Meneville: Esaai smiles Insectes Nuisibles, Enc. 
Mod., vol. xviii., p. 278. 
