NYMPHALIDiE. 
235 
have often seen many of these fine butterflies resting on the half- 
decayed fruit, slowly opening and shutting together their blue, pur¬ 
ple and black wings, the, picture of satisfied contentment. They are 
very tame under these circumstances, and one may with caution 
move quite close to them and enjoy their rare beauty. 
How many happy hours slip away while one is thus engaged in 
watching and admiring ! What a school this study of entomology is 
for the children ! It takes them into the sunny fields, gives them 
plenty of exercise, and fills their minds with pleasant and interesting 
thoughts. A boy with a net in his hand, a cyanide bottle, and plenty 
of insect papers in his pockets, and with a little encouragement in 
the right direction from his parents, is not the boy who is likely,to 
get into mischief. Ilis mind and time are too well occupied for that. 
But I am wandering from my subject. There is usually some dif¬ 
ference in size between the sexes of this species of Limenitis , the male 
being the smaller and also the brighter in coloring. The spots of 
color are usually more sharply defined in the male, and the deep 
orange spots on the under side are larger and more intense. Occa¬ 
sionally specimens are captured, and these are always males according 
to my experience, which are a deep rich purple over nearly all of the 
upper surface. These captures are rare, but the insects are so 
