Photo by E. C. Atkinson.
BLUE BUTTERFLY.
Among the most conspicuous of the smaller European butterflies.
Butterflies are divided into several groups, the first of which includes the Brush-footed Butterflies, so called because the front pair of legs is converted into hairy paws, useless for walking, and only employed for toilet purposes. This is a very extensive group, including about half the butterflies known, and is divided into several smaller sections. The most interesting species among the Danaids is the Monarch, one of the largest and commonest butterflies found in North America. It is migratory in its habits, and has succeeded in acclimatising itself throughout the Pacific islands as far as Australia and New Zealand, as well as in the Canaries; and so many specimens have been taken recently in the south of England that it seems not unlikely to take up its residence there also. It is a tawny butterfly, not unlike the one represented on the preceding page, but much larger, measuring about 5 inches across the wings. The caterpillar is yellow, with transverse black bands, and a pair of long, black slender filaments near each extremity of the body. The pupa is pale green, with golden spots, and is suspended by the tail, as is the case with most of those of the Brush-footed Butterflies.
The next group, the Long-winged Butterflies, includes a considerable number of species with long rounded wings, found in tropical and sub-tropical America. A species with black and transparent markings is shown on page [710], but many have wholly transparent wings, except for a narrow black or brown border.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.] [Milford-on-Sea.
BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY AND HUMMING-BIRD.
Note proportionate sizes.
Turning to more familiar insects, there are several kinds of large or moderate-sized tawny butterflies, marked with black spots and lines, called Fritillaries in England. The caterpillars are spiny, and feed on violets and other low-growing plants. The photograph on page [710] shows the Diana Fritillary, a large and handsome species, which is somewhat of a rarity in the Southern States of America; it measures 4 inches in expanse, and the sexes are very dissimilar. It is dark brown, with a broad orange border spotted with black in the male, and rows of more or less connected green or white spots in the female.