HOW BUTTERFLIES ARE PROTECTED. 
IN the July number of Birds and 
All Nature we quoted from 
an interesting article in the 
Boston Transcrtptsome informa- 
tion concerning the commercial 
aspect of Butterflies. From this study 
of the remarkable collection of the 
Denton Brothers of Wellesley, we 
print another extract, which will 
indicate to our readers something of 
what they may expect to see in future 
numbers of Birds, as it is our purpose 
to present all of the remarkable 
specimens of these insects. Some of 
our subscribers tell us that they would 
rather have the pictures than the 
specimens themselves. In an early 
number we shall present a picture of 
the wonderful Butterfly Croesus. It is 
an inhabitant of India, and even there 
is rarely seen and difficult to secure. 
It is of deep dead black, with broad 
splotches on the wings, which are exactly 
the color of new, untarnished gold, its 
name being given it for this charac- 
teristic. But, as the Transcript says, 
"perhaps the most interesting thing 
in looking over the Dentons' collection 
is to have them explain the wonderful 
ways in which they are protected 
from their natural enemies, the birds. 
Perhaps the most remarkable instance 
of the way in which this is done is 
the leaf butterfly, a native of India. 
The upper side of this insect's wings 
has the characteristically brilliant 
coloring of its country, but the under 
side is of a dull brown, the significance 
of which is not seen until the insect 
alights and closes its wings. When 
it is in this position it has exactly the 
appearance, in shape and color, of a 
dead leaf, and this is so exact that 
even the little dark spots caused by 
decaying fungi on the leaves are 
reproduced. 
" What is most wonderful of all is 
that these spots vary, and in different 
specimens have the appearance of 
different kinds of fungi, the imitation 
being invariably a perfect one. 
" This characteristic is to be seen in 
nearly all kinds of butterflies, the 
under side of the wings of the most 
brilliantly colored species being of a 
dull color which does not readily 
attract attention. Almost the only 
variation to this is in certain species 
which ordinarily carry their wings 
erect, and droop them when they 
alight. In these the brilliant coloring 
is on the under side of the wing, and 
the dull color on the upper side. 
Perhaps the most remarkable single 
case known is that of a certain Indian 
moth, which is a heavy flyer, and 
found in the woods. When this moth 
alights, it leaves only the tip of its 
wings sticking out of the leaves, and 
this tip, in marking, color, and 
attitude, has exactly the appearance 
of the head of a cobra. The same 
general scheme may be observed in 
our native moths, and also in most 
other heavy flyers, in the sharply 
defined round markings, one on each 
wing. These have the appearance of 
an eye of some good-sized animal, and 
keep many birds from making any 
closer investigation. 
" Another interesting instance of 
of the self-protecting instinct is found 
here in the habits of some kinds of 
our native butterflies. Some of these 
are naturally protected by having so 
strong and unpleasant taste that the 
birds will not eat them. The habits 
of these kinds are imitated by other 
kinds that have a strong resemblance 
to them, but which are not naturally 
protected, and this is so successfully 
done that the birds let them alone and 
prey upon other varieties that have 
just as strong a resemblance to, but 
do not imitate the actions of the 
protected ones." 
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