NYMPH ALIDiE. 
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domain. While the insect is at rest one may cautiously advance 
quite near, but any sudden movement will alarm it, when off it will 
go so rapidly that one can scarcely see it. It frequently returns to 
the same spot in a few moments, and resting with half-spread wings, 
looks as if daring the observer to make another trial to take it cap¬ 
tive. It is sometimes too confident of its powers, and finds itself a 
prisoner, when its struggles to escape are indeed desperate. So bold 
is this butterfly at times, that after striking at it with the net and 
missing it, I have had it alight on my hat or my clothing, as if it 
considered the performance good sport and desired me to try again. 
My brother had an interesting experience with this butterfly dur¬ 
ing the latter part of July in southeastern Missouri. He discovered, 
resting on the leaves of trees surrounding a patch of goat-weed, a 
number of the males of this species, waiting for the females to make 
their appearance. The males were very shy and active, so much so, 
in fact, that he almost came to the conclusion that he would not be 
able to capture any, until he hit upon this plan: after seeing one 
alight on a leaf, he would carefully walk around to the back of the 
tree, and then come up under him, when he would see his shadow 
from the under side of the leaf, and with a quick movement of the 
net make him captive. The females were not so alert or active, and 
flew low down near the ground, often alighting on the goat-weed to 
deposit their eggs. 
Species of the genus Apcttura inhabit North and South America, 
Europe and Asia, and among them are some of the most brilliantly 
colored butterflies known. Their sombre ground colors of dark 
brown and black throw into strong relief the flashing green, 
blue, purple and lilac with which Nature has so lavishly adorned 
them. Sometimes these colors are in the shape of wide bars or 
patches, and again even covering the whole surface of the wings, as 
