RUBY-TAILED FLY.RUBY-TAILED FLY.Generally of a brilliant metallic green or blue.
RUBY-TAILED FLY.Generally of a brilliant metallic green or blue.
RUBY-TAILED FLY.
Generally of a brilliant metallic green or blue.
WOOD-ANT.Photos by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park.WOOD-ANT.The largest species found in Britain.
Photos by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park.WOOD-ANT.The largest species found in Britain.
Photos by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park.
WOOD-ANT.
The largest species found in Britain.
The last group in this order are theBees. They may generally be easily recognised by their shaggy bodies and legs. As with the Wasps, most species are solitary, or live in very small communities. Some few are smooth,and more or less metallic. A photograph of a large and beautiful South American species appears in the Coloured Plate. The largest British bees are the stout-bodiedHumble-bees, orBumble-bees, which are generally yellow, more or less banded with black, or else black with a red tail. They form a small nest of cells just beneath the surface of the ground in meadows. A common European species, not found in England, is the large black, violet-wingedCarpenter-bee, which makes its nest in a gallery burrowed in a post, where there is a separate compartment for each grub.
SOLITARY ANT.?00000?0233a(MALE.)?0233b(FEMALE.)Photos by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park.SOLITARY ANT.(MALE.)(FEMALE.)Not a true ant, but a burrowing-wasp, believed to be parasitic in the nests of humble-bees.
Photos by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park.SOLITARY ANT.(MALE.)(FEMALE.)Not a true ant, but a burrowing-wasp, believed to be parasitic in the nests of humble-bees.
Photos by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park.
SOLITARY ANT.(MALE.)(FEMALE.)
Not a true ant, but a burrowing-wasp, believed to be parasitic in the nests of humble-bees.
There are only a few species belonging to theTrue Hive-beesfound in different parts of the world. They can always be distinguished from any of theSolitary Bees, some of which much resemble them, by having a single long, narrow cell, about four times as long as broad, running along the front edge of the fore wing. In the solitary bees the corresponding cell is much broader and shorter, rarely more than one and a half times as long as broad, and only occupying a small portion of the front edge of the wing.
Hive-bees have always been looked upon with more interest than most other insects, both on account of the valuable products of honey and wax which they produce, and because of their remarkable habits. They are probably less intelligent than ants, but they are larger; and as all classes of their adult population are winged insects, and have been kept in a domesticated or semi-domesticated state for many centuries, they have lent themselves more readily to observation.
HORNET.Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.HORNET.The largest species of true wasp found in Britain.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.HORNET.The largest species of true wasp found in Britain.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.
HORNET.
The largest species of true wasp found in Britain.
The hive-bees live in very large communities, and in a state of nature they make their nests in hollow trees or in crevices of rocks, where they build their waxen cells, store their honey, and rear their young. There are three classes among them,—the queen-bee, the female and the mother of the hive; the male, or drone; and the neuter, or worker, which is really an imperfectly developed and usually sterile female. Like other insects, bees pass through a metamorphosis, which in their case is of the description called "complete," for the immature forms of the bee show no resemblance whatever to the winged insect which will finally be perfected. Every bee commences its life in the form of an egg. Each egg is laid by the queen-bee in a separate cell, and in a few days the egg hatches into a white footless maggot, which is carefully tended by the workers, and fed by them with a preparation secreted by the bees, which is carefully graduated, not only according to the age of the grub, but is differently constituted according to the sex and status of the bee; for it is well known that it is in the power of the workers to develop a young grub which would otherwise become a sterile worker into a perfect queen-bee, by placing it in a large cell, and rearing it on the same nourishing food which is supplied to those grubs which are intended to become perfect queens. When the grub is full-grown, it spins itself a small silken cocoon, and becomes a pupa, or nymph, as it is called. The pupa somewhat resembles a swathed mummy, for all the external portions of the future bee can be seen outlined in the hard casing which encloses it. As soon as it arrives at maturity, it makes its way out through the upper end, when the cell is atonce prepared by the other bees for a fresh occupant. The newly born bee is at first moist, flabby, and pale-coloured; but in a few hours her skin dries and hardens, when she at once commences her life-long labours, at first tending the young bees and doing other necessary duties in the hive, and then, a fortnight later, going forth with her companions to collect honey and pollen in the meadows and gardens.
HIVE-BEE.?00000(QUEEN, WORKER, AND DRONE.)Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park.HIVE-BEE.(QUEEN, WORKER, AND DRONE.)There are only about ten or twelve kinds of true hive-bees known.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park.HIVE-BEE.(QUEEN, WORKER, AND DRONE.)There are only about ten or twelve kinds of true hive-bees known.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S., Regent's Park.
HIVE-BEE.(QUEEN, WORKER, AND DRONE.)
There are only about ten or twelve kinds of true hive-bees known.
There is never room for more than one queen-bee in a hive; and the queens, which may be recognised by their longer bodies and shorter wings, have such a mortal hatred of each other that, whenever two of them meet, they will fight, if permitted, until one is killed. But in summer, when young bees are hatching daily in large numbers, and the hive is getting over-populated, the workers do not permit the queens to fight; and finally one of them (usually the old queen in the first instance) works herself up into a great flurry, and rushes out of the hive, attended by several hundred followers, to seek for fresh fields and pastures new. This is called "swarming"; and a strong hive will often throw off as many as four or five swarms in the course of the summer. It is then the object of the bee-keeper to get the queen to enter a new hive, for otherwise the swarm may fly to a distance and be lost; but wherever the queen-bee takes up her abode, her companions will assemble round her, and at once commence the work of building combs and storing up honey.
BUMBLE-BEE ON EVERLASTING-PEA.Photo by B. H. Bentley][Sheffield.BUMBLE-BEE ON EVERLASTING-PEA.Bumble-bees make their nests in the ground, and live in smaller communities than the hive-bee.
Photo by B. H. Bentley][Sheffield.BUMBLE-BEE ON EVERLASTING-PEA.Bumble-bees make their nests in the ground, and live in smaller communities than the hive-bee.
Photo by B. H. Bentley][Sheffield.
BUMBLE-BEE ON EVERLASTING-PEA.
Bumble-bees make their nests in the ground, and live in smaller communities than the hive-bee.
The drone, or male bee, is rather larger than the worker, and has a more obtuse body. He may be at once distinguished by his long thirteen-jointed antennæ, or feelers, for the antennæ are shorter and only twelve-jointed in the queen and worker. There are several hundred drones in a hive; but the queen only pairs once in her life, on the wing, and the ceremony is immediately followed by the death of the drone. The drones have no sting, for the sting of the female and worker is really a modified ovipositor, or egg-laying apparatus, analogous to the organ which is so conspicuous in many ichneumons and other insects belonging to the same order as the bees. In the autumn the unfortunate drones are all massacred or else driven forth from the hive by the workers, when they speedily perish. The workers are by far the most numerous of the inhabitants of a bee-hive; there may be many thousands of them, and their number appears to be only limited by the dimensions of the hive itself.
The ancients had observed something of the economy of bees, but many of their ideas on the subject were strangely fantastic. It was perhaps natural to suppose that the leader of the bees was a king rather than a queen; but it was also supposed that a swarm of bees could be obtained by killing an ox and leaving the carcase to rot. This notion appears to have originated in swarms of flies, more or less resembling bees, having been noticed flying round or near putrefying carcases.
Among all the truly social insects—i.e.hive-bees, wasps, ants, and termites, or so-called white ants—we find that the bulk of the community consists of sterile females, and the number of fertile females is very small, even in those cases where more than one female is permitted to live in a nest, as among wasps.
BEES.Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.BEES.Swarming from the hive after the queen.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.BEES.Swarming from the hive after the queen.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
BEES.
Swarming from the hive after the queen.
Humble-beeslive in small communities, consisting of males, females, and workers; but their economy is very simple compared with that of the hive-bee, and they do not confine themselves to a single female to a nest.
TheSolitary Beesare very numerous in species, and consist only of males and females. They do not live in communities, but each female constructs a dwelling for her own young. Many of them burrow in the ground, and they are so far gregarious that a large number of females will sometimes form their burrows near each other in the same bank. There are about two hundred different kinds of bees known to inhabit the British Isles. The solitary bees are very varied in their habits, and some of them are parasitic on other species.
The largeCarpenter-bees, which form their nests in wood, are not British; but there are some small British species which make theirs in the interior of bramble-sticks. Some are very hairy; others are smooth, and look at first sight like small wasps, being banded with black and yellow. But one of the handsomest and most conspicuous of the solitary species is theFulvous Bee, which is a hairy species much resembling a small humble-bee, and is one often seen in abundance along with other bees, flying round sallow blossoms in spring.
SCALE-WINGED INSECTS, OR BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS.
BY W. F. KIRBY, F.L.S.
ButterfliesandMothsare easily distinguished from other insects by many very obvious characters, and a considerable number are remarkable for the beautiful and varied colours of their wings. These are, as it were, tiled with overlapping scales, attached to the membrane by a slender stem; hence their name, Scale-winged Insects. These scales differ very much in shape, sometimes being long and slender, and almost hair-like, while at other times they are widened at the extremity, like a battledore, or they may be short and broad, like a fan or a shovel. Different forms of scales are found on different parts of the wings of the same insect; and some forms of scale are peculiar to the male, as are usually the dense tufts of scales found on the fore wings of the Skipper Butterflies, and on the hind wings of the Chrysippus Butterfly. The varied colours of these scales are due partly to pigment, interposed between the extremely delicate double or triple tissues of which the scales are composed; or, more rarely, to the refraction of light from the surface of the scales themselves, or, as has recently been stated, to different coloured scales alternating so that the varying colours are visible at different angles, as in the metallic "shot" colour of the Purple Emperor Butterfly, and in various species found in South America and other countries. In the case of the Purple Emperor, and in many other butterflies, this "shot" colouring is confined to the males. Indeed, as a rule, female butterflies and moths are larger than the males, but far less brilliantly coloured than their mates. There are, however, many species in which the sexes differ little in size or colour; but it only rarely happens that the female is more brightly coloured than the male.
The bodies of butterflies and moths, the legs, and often more or less of the base or borders of the wings are clothed with hair or hair-like scales. These insects have a long or short proboscis, through which they imbibe their food, which consists of the honey of flowers, the sap of trees, or moisture from the ground. Like other insects, they have six legs in the perfect state; but in some species either the front or hind pair becomes more or less rudimentary, especially in the males.
LEAF-BUTTERFLY.Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.LEAF-BUTTERFLY.These butterflies are so remarkably like certain leaves that it is almost impossible to distinguish the difference even at close quarters.
Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.LEAF-BUTTERFLY.These butterflies are so remarkably like certain leaves that it is almost impossible to distinguish the difference even at close quarters.
Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.
LEAF-BUTTERFLY.
These butterflies are so remarkably like certain leaves that it is almost impossible to distinguish the difference even at close quarters.
Butterflies and moths pass through four stages. The egg is laid by the female on some plant which will provide suitable nourishment for the caterpillar. A caterpillar, which is the next stage, is a jointed, worm-like creature with sixteen legs; those corresponding with the legs of the perfect insect are horny, and a pair is placed on each of the first three joints behind the head. The next four pairs, called "prolegs," are thick and fleshy, and a pair is placed under each of joints seven to ten (reckoning the head as joint one), the last joint of all being provided with a pair slightly differing from the others, and called "claspers." In many young caterpillars, however, and also in the full-grown caterpillars of a considerable number of moths (especially among those with slenderbodies), one or more of the first three pairs of pro-legs may be rudimentary or absent, and the caterpillar walks by arching its back at every step, in a way that must be seen to be appreciated, though such caterpillars (popularly called Loopers, on account of the way they loop up their bodies in walking) are often very active, and cover the ground much more rapidly than one might imagine. Sometimes the claspers, or last pair of legs, are modified into tentacles, which, in the caterpillars of the Puss-moth and its allies, contain retractile whips, used as weapons of defence.
SOUTH AMERICAN LONG-WINGED BUTTERFLIES.Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.SOUTH AMERICAN LONG-WINGED BUTTERFLIES.Showing external resemblance between two butterflies of different families.
Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.SOUTH AMERICAN LONG-WINGED BUTTERFLIES.Showing external resemblance between two butterflies of different families.
Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.
SOUTH AMERICAN LONG-WINGED BUTTERFLIES.
Showing external resemblance between two butterflies of different families.
DIANA FRITILLARY.Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.DIANA FRITILLARY.The male is dark brown, with a broad orange border spotted with black. The female has green marginal markings.
Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.DIANA FRITILLARY.The male is dark brown, with a broad orange border spotted with black. The female has green marginal markings.
Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.
DIANA FRITILLARY.
The male is dark brown, with a broad orange border spotted with black. The female has green marginal markings.
QUEEN OF SPAIN FRITILLARY.Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.QUEEN OF SPAIN FRITILLARY.Brown above, with plush spots; spotted with silver beneath.
Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.QUEEN OF SPAIN FRITILLARY.Brown above, with plush spots; spotted with silver beneath.
Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.
QUEEN OF SPAIN FRITILLARY.
Brown above, with plush spots; spotted with silver beneath.
Caterpillars are very voracious, and increase in size with great rapidity; and whenever their skin gets too tight, after splitting it, they slip it off (along with the lining of the stomach and intestines), and after a few hours' lethargy, necessary to recover from the debilitating effects of such a serious operation, and to give the new skin time to dry and harden, they begin to feed again as voraciously as ever. The number of these moults varies according to the species; when the caterpillar has attained its full growth, it enters upon the third stage of its life as a pupa, or chrysalis.
A pupa means a doll, or swaddled baby, and is a very appropriate name for the dark-coloured object, cased in a horny skin, with no detached organs visible, except the sheath for the proboscis in some of the Hawk-moths, in which this organ is unusually long, but with the separate cases of the wings, legs, etc., of the future butterfly or moth plainly visible in the sutures on its surface. The pupæ of some butterflies have more or less metallic colours; and to these only is the term "chrysalis" applicable.
Some pupæ are naked, and those of most butterflies are either suspended by the tail, or attached to a branch by a belt of silk round the body. Those of moths are generally formed either in an earthen cell under the surface of the ground, or else are enclosed in an oval case called a "cocoon," chiefly composed of silk, though sometimes moss or chips of wood are worked into it. Other pupæ are found between leaves, or, in the case of caterpillars which feed in the wood of trees, or in the stems of plants, in the galleries where they have lived.
When the perfect butterfly or moth is ready to emerge, the pupa splits, and the insect works its way to the open air. Its body is limp and heavy, and the wings are like little flaps of wet rag; but it discharges a quantity of superfluous fluid, generally of a red colour, and fixes itself on a branch, or other convenient foothold, where its wings can hang downwards.The expansion and contraction of the muscles pump air into the hollow tubes which form the framework of the wings; these rapidly expand to their full size, and become dry and firm at the same time. After this, the insect flies about with its companions, pairs, lays its eggs, and then dies, after enjoying its life for a period, varying according to the species and the season, from a few hours to several months.
TAWNY ADMIRAL.TAWNY ADMIRAL.A North American butterfly.
TAWNY ADMIRAL.A North American butterfly.
TAWNY ADMIRAL.
A North American butterfly.
We have not yet spoken of the feelers, or antennæ, of butterflies and moths. They are two long, jointed organs, nearly always knobbed at the end in butterflies, or at least the terminal joints are thicker than the rest. But in moths the antennæ are of different shapes, and generally end in a point. Sometimes they are simple and thread-like; sometimes they are thickest in the middle, and thinner at both ends, as in the Hawk-moths; and they are often comb-like, especially in the males, as in the Silk-moths.
Butterflies.
CATERPILLAR OF TAWNY ADMIRAL.Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.CATERPILLAR OF TAWNY ADMIRAL.Remarkable for the sharply contrasted black and pale markings.
Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.CATERPILLAR OF TAWNY ADMIRAL.Remarkable for the sharply contrasted black and pale markings.
Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.
CATERPILLAR OF TAWNY ADMIRAL.
Remarkable for the sharply contrasted black and pale markings.
As already mentioned, butterflies may be distinguished from moths by their antennæ being thickened at the extremities. There are comparatively few species in Europe—only about three hundred, of which between sixty and seventy are met with in the British Islands; but in tropical countries they are much more numerous and varied. It is a mistake to suppose that butterflies are always bright-coloured insects, and moths the reverse; for though many butterflies are brightly coloured, others are very dingy. On the other hand, although it is equally true that many moths are dull-coloured, others, especially among those with slender bodies, or those which fly by day, are quite as brilliantly coloured as any butterflies.
BLUE BUTTERFLY.Photo by E. C. Atkinson.BLUE BUTTERFLY.Among the most conspicuous of the smaller European butterflies.
Photo by E. C. Atkinson.BLUE BUTTERFLY.Among the most conspicuous of the smaller European butterflies.
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 theBrush-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 theDanaidsis theMonarch, 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, theLong-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 page710, but many have wholly transparent wings, except for a narrow black or brown border.
BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY AND HUMMING-BIRD.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY AND HUMMING-BIRD.Note proportionate sizes.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY AND HUMMING-BIRD.Note proportionate sizes.
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, calledFritillariesin England. The caterpillars are spiny, and feed on violets and other low-growing plants. The photograph on page710shows theDiana 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.
LARGE BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Photos by J. Edwards]LARGE BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Scarce and nearly extinct in England.
Photos by J. Edwards]LARGE BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Scarce and nearly extinct in England.
Photos by J. Edwards]
LARGE BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).
Scarce and nearly extinct in England.
MAZARINE BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).[Colesborne.MAZARINE BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Practically extinct in England.
[Colesborne.MAZARINE BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Practically extinct in England.
[Colesborne.
MAZARINE BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).
Practically extinct in England.
An occasional immigrant on the south coast of England.Photos by J. Edwards]LONG-TAILED BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).An occasional immigrant on the south coast of England.
Photos by J. Edwards]LONG-TAILED BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).An occasional immigrant on the south coast of England.
Photos by J. Edwards]LONG-TAILED BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).
An occasional immigrant on the south coast of England.
BLOXWORTH BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).[Colesborne.BLOXWORTH BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Probably a casual visitor in England.
[Colesborne.BLOXWORTH BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Probably a casual visitor in England.
[Colesborne.
BLOXWORTH BLUE BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).
Probably a casual visitor in England.
TheAngle-winged Butterfliesinclude several of the best known and most brightly coloured British species, such as theRed Admiral, a velvety black butterfly, with a transverse red band on the fore wings, and several white spots between this and the tip, the hind wings having a red border, spotted with black and blue. It measures about 2½ inches across the wings, and is common in gardens and orchards in summer and autumn. The caterpillar, which feeds on nettle, is brown or black, with yellow stripes and spines. TheTawny Admiralis a North American butterfly, remarkable for its resemblance to the larger butterfly called the Monarch, of which we have already spoken. The Danaids and Long-winged Butterflies have tough integuments and a disagreeable odour, which more or less protects them from birds. Many other butterflies belonging to other families have a superficial resemblance to these, and are believed to share in their immunity. This phenomenon is technically called "mimicry." The caterpillar of the tawny admiral is grey and black, with curious spiny tufts.
LARGE COPPER BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Photos by J. Edwards]LARGE COPPER BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Extinct in England since 1860.
Photos by J. Edwards]LARGE COPPER BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Extinct in England since 1860.
Photos by J. Edwards]
LARGE COPPER BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).
Extinct in England since 1860.
DUSKY COPPER BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).[Colesborne.DUSKY COPPER BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Taken near Ilfracombe, August, 1887.
[Colesborne.DUSKY COPPER BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).Taken near Ilfracombe, August, 1887.
[Colesborne.
DUSKY COPPER BUTTERFLY (MALE, FEMALE, AND UNDERSIDE).
Taken near Ilfracombe, August, 1887.
The group of theSatyrscontains a great variety of moderate-sized brown or tawny butterflies, usually with round spots centred with white towards the margins of the wings. Many species are common in meadows; others, which are dark brown or black, with red, white-centred marginal spots, are numerous in mountainous countries, and two species are found in the north of England and Scotland. The caterpillars of the Satyrs are usually smooth and green, with a forked tail, and the pupæ are formed on the surface of the ground.
The greatBlue Butterfliesof South America form another group of Brush-footed Butterflies.
The second family is almost entirely American, and is only represented in England by a brown butterfly about an inch in expanse, called theDuke of Burgundy Fritillary. Thecaterpillar is reddish, and feeds on primroses. It is not a very abundant species in England.
NEW GUINEA GOLDEN BUTTERFLY.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., Milford-on-Sea.NEW GUINEA GOLDEN BUTTERFLY.A remarkable and recently discovered swallow-tailed butterfly.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., Milford-on-Sea.NEW GUINEA GOLDEN BUTTERFLY.A remarkable and recently discovered swallow-tailed butterfly.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., Milford-on-Sea.
NEW GUINEA GOLDEN BUTTERFLY.
A remarkable and recently discovered swallow-tailed butterfly.
The third family is represented in Britain by three very distinct sections of rather small butterflies, the largest of which scarcely measures more than an inch and a half across the wings. These are theHair-streaks(brown, with light lines on the under surface of the wings, and a short tail on the hind wings, except in theGreen Hair-streak, so named from the green under surface of the wings); the smallBlue Butterflies, which generally have brown females; and theCoppers, the only common species of which measures about an inch across the wings. The fore wings are bright coppery red, with dark brown spots and borders, and the hind wings are dark brown, with a coppery red border, spotted outside with black. The small copper butterfly and some of the blues are common in meadows and gardens.
Many of the members of the fourth family are of a white or yellow colour, among which are the destructiveWhite Cabbage-butterflies, three species of which are very common in England, where they may be seen in every garden throughout the summer. The photograph on page716represents one of these at rest. A prettier species is theOrange-tip, which is common in spring. The underside of the hind wings is mottled with green; and there is a bright orange spot before the tip of the fore wing, both above and below. Some of the South American butterflies of this family much resemble the Long-winged Butterflies of the same country.
AUSTRALIAN BUTTERFLIES.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., Milford-on-Sea.AUSTRALIAN BUTTERFLIES.Emerging from their pupæ.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., Milford-on-Sea.AUSTRALIAN BUTTERFLIES.Emerging from their pupæ.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., Milford-on-Sea.
AUSTRALIAN BUTTERFLIES.
Emerging from their pupæ.
The family of theSwallow-tailed Butterfliesincludes a considerable number of large and handsome species, but they are not numerous in Europe, and only one black-and-yellow species, measuring 3 inches across the wings, is found in England, where it is now almost confined to the fens of the south-eastern counties; its green caterpillar, with transverse black bands spotted with orange, feeds on carrot, fennel, and other similar plants. All the caterpillars of this family are remarkable for possessing a retractile fork on the neck; but the butterflies do not all possess the long appendage to the hind wings which has given some of them the name of Swallow-tails. Thus it is wanting in most of the greatBird-winged Butterfliesof the Eastern Islands, one of which, theCrœsus Butterfly, is represented in the Coloured Plate. The great difference between the sexes iswell worth noting. The female is considerably larger than the male, but in the coloured figure the former has been reduced, owing to the exigencies of space. Mr. A. R. Wallace writes as follows of the capture of the first specimen:—
BATH WHITE BUTTERFLY.Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.BATH WHITE BUTTERFLY.Always rare in England, though common on the Continent.
Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.BATH WHITE BUTTERFLY.Always rare in England, though common on the Continent.
Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.
BATH WHITE BUTTERFLY.
Always rare in England, though common on the Continent.
GREEN-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.Photo by B. H. Bentley][Sheffield.GREEN-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.The cabbage-butterfly referred to on page715.
Photo by B. H. Bentley][Sheffield.GREEN-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.The cabbage-butterfly referred to on page715.
Photo by B. H. Bentley][Sheffield.
GREEN-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.
The cabbage-butterfly referred to on page715.
"One day about the beginning of January, I found a beautiful shrub with large white leafy bracts and yellow flowers, a species of Mussænda, and saw one of these noble insects hovering over it, but it was too quick for me, and flew away. The next day I went again to the same shrub and succeeded in catching a female, and the day after a fine male. I found it to be as I had expected, a perfectly new and most magnificent species, and one of the most gorgeously coloured butterflies in the world. Fine specimens of the male are more than seven inches across the wings, which are velvety black and fiery orange, the latter colour replacing the green of the allied species. The beauty and brilliancy of this insect are indescribable, and none but a naturalist can understand the intense excitement I experienced when I at length captured it. On taking it out of my net and opening the glorious wings, my heart began to beat violently, the blood rushed to my head, and I felt much more like fainting than I have done when in apprehension of immediate death. I had a headache the rest of the day, so great was the excitement produced by what will appear to most people a very inadequate cause."
BLACK-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.BLACK-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.A much rarer species in England now than formerly.
Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.BLACK-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.A much rarer species in England now than formerly.
Photo by J. Edwards][Colesborne.
BLACK-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY.
A much rarer species in England now than formerly.
TheSkippers, the last family of butterflies, are comparatively stout-bodied insects, with the antennæ widely apart at the base, and sometimes forked at the tip. They are not numerous in Europe; the prettiest of the British species is perhaps thePearl-skipper, which measures rather more than an inch across its brown and tawny wings; the under surface of the hind wings is green, and marked with several clear white spots.
Moths.
Moths are much more numerous than butterflies, and there are about 2,000 different kinds found in the British Islands alone. Consequently we are able to notice only a few.
TheHawk-mothshave long, pointedwings, thick, tapering bodies, and the antennæ thickest in the middle. The pink, greenish-stripedElephant Hawk-moth(see page718) is a comparatively small species. The specimens measure about 2½ inches across the wings. Some species are much larger. TheDeath's-head Hawk-moth, whose caterpillar feeds on potato-leaves, is 5 or 6 inches in expanse; and some of the South American species measure as much as 9 inches. The caterpillars of the hawk-moths are generally green, often with oblique lines of a different colour on the sides. They are not hairy, though the skin is sometimes rough, and there is a fleshy appendage, called a "horn," on the back, just before the extremity of the body. The brown pupæ are found in cells in the ground.
ORANGE-TIP.Photo by E. C. Atkinson.ORANGE-TIP.Showing three different positions when wings are folded, and partly or entirely concealing upper wing.
Photo by E. C. Atkinson.ORANGE-TIP.Showing three different positions when wings are folded, and partly or entirely concealing upper wing.
Photo by E. C. Atkinson.
ORANGE-TIP.
Showing three different positions when wings are folded, and partly or entirely concealing upper wing.
TheChinese Mulberry-silkworm, which produces most of the silk of commerce, is a smooth, whitish caterpillar, about 2 inches long, with a horn. It is often reared in England on lettuce. The moth is a sluggish, stout-bodied insect. It is whitish, with two dusky stripes on the fore wings. The pupa is enclosed in an oval whitish or yellow cocoon of pure silk.
LARGE GRIZZLED SKIPPER BUTTERFLY.Photo by J. Edwards, Colesborne.LARGE GRIZZLED SKIPPER BUTTERFLY.Upper- and under-sides.
Photo by J. Edwards, Colesborne.LARGE GRIZZLED SKIPPER BUTTERFLY.Upper- and under-sides.
Photo by J. Edwards, Colesborne.
LARGE GRIZZLED SKIPPER BUTTERFLY.
Upper- and under-sides.
SWALLOW-TAILED BUTTERFLYPhoto by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.SWALLOW-TAILED BUTTERFLYThe only British species of this butterfly is almost confined to the fen districts of Norfolk.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.SWALLOW-TAILED BUTTERFLYThe only British species of this butterfly is almost confined to the fen districts of Norfolk.
Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.][Regent's Park.
SWALLOW-TAILED BUTTERFLY
The only British species of this butterfly is almost confined to the fen districts of Norfolk.
TheEmperor-moths, of which there is only one species in England, likewise spin large cocoons, sometimes used for commercial purposes. The caterpillars are generally more or less spiny or tufted. Some of the moths have long tails on the hind wings, like swallow-tailed butterflies, and there are several species in South Europe, South Africa, the East Indies, and North America of a beautiful sea-green colour. It will be noticed that the specimens represented on page 718 have the tails a little broken, which is a very common accident with swallow-tailed butterflies and moths. We may also notice the roundor crescent-shaped spots in the middle of the wings of some of the moths represented on this page and the next. These are very characteristic of the emperor-moths, and there is often a transparent spot in the centre of the concentric markings. Two other North American species of this family are shown in the photographs on page719, rather under natural size. The second of these, theCecropia Moth, is represented with its cocoon. This moth has occasionally been captured in England, having been introduced either accidentally or by design. A year or two ago a specimen was brought to the Natural History Museum at South Kensington which had been caught in the street close by. During the summer many foreign butterflies and moths may be seen alive in the Insect-house at the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, and several of the photographs given in these pages were taken from specimens living there in the summer of 1901. The largest of the emperor-moths is the greatAtlas Mothof North India, the largest of all known butterflies or moths, which occasionally measures almost a foot across its reddish-tawny wings.
ELEPHANT HAWK MOTHSPhoto by Highley.ELEPHANT HAWK MOTHSShowing position when at rest.
Photo by Highley.ELEPHANT HAWK MOTHSShowing position when at rest.
Photo by Highley.
ELEPHANT HAWK MOTHS
Showing position when at rest.
LUNA MOTHS.Photo by Highley.LUNA MOTHS.A green North American moth with tail, allied to the English Emperor-moth.
Photo by Highley.LUNA MOTHS.A green North American moth with tail, allied to the English Emperor-moth.
Photo by Highley.
LUNA MOTHS.
A green North American moth with tail, allied to the English Emperor-moth.
TheImperial Moth, a handsome North American moth belonging to a family allied to the emperor-moths, is represented below.
POLYPHEMUS MOTH.Photo by L. H. Joutel, New York.POLYPHEMUS MOTH.A handsome North American Emperor-moth.
Photo by L. H. Joutel, New York.POLYPHEMUS MOTH.A handsome North American Emperor-moth.
Photo by L. H. Joutel, New York.
POLYPHEMUS MOTH.
A handsome North American Emperor-moth.
CECROPIA MOTH.Photo by Highley.CECROPIA MOTH.The largest of the North American Emperor-moths.
Photo by Highley.CECROPIA MOTH.The largest of the North American Emperor-moths.
Photo by Highley.
CECROPIA MOTH.
The largest of the North American Emperor-moths.
IMPERIAL MOTH.Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.IMPERIAL MOTH.Yellow with purplish-brown dots and blotches. Native of North America.
Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.IMPERIAL MOTH.Yellow with purplish-brown dots and blotches. Native of North America.
Photo by L. H. Joutel][New York.
IMPERIAL MOTH.
Yellow with purplish-brown dots and blotches. Native of North America.
TheEggarsform another allied family, also with tufted caterpillars, but with the central eye of the wings absent, or reduced to a small black spot. A set of remarkable photographs, representing the eggs, caterpillars, cocoons and sections of cocoons, and the moths of a large and handsome species—theCypress-mothof Smyrna—appears on pages 720 and721. We have received the following account of their habits from Mr. Mavroyeni, to whom we are indebted for the photographs: "In the month of July they start weaving their cocoons, in which they remain for seventeen days. A couple of weeks after the moths have emerged from their cocoons and laid their eggs, the eggs hatch, and the young caterpillars run up the tree, and feed from the end of August, during autumn, winter, and spring." We believe that the cocoons of this species are prepared for use as silk in Greece.
Among other kinds, we may notice the bright-colouredTiger-moths, with their black and cream-coloured fore wings and red-and-black hind wings, which frequent gardens, and are reared from reddish-brown caterpillars with long hair. These are stout-bodied moths; and there are other moths, with brown fore wings and whitish hind wings, which fly to candles, or buzz over flowers in the evening. These are calledOwl-moths; but there are larger and handsomer membersof the same family, calledYellow Underwings, measuring nearly 2 inches across the wings, and likely to be flushed in strawberry-beds or hay-fields. They have brown fore wings, and bright yellow hind wings, with a black border. TheRed-underwing Mothis about 3 inches in expanse, and has greyish-brown fore wings, and red hind wings, with a black central band; it is often seen flying about willow-trees in the afternoon, or resting on tree-trunks, when the bright-coloured hind wings are quite concealed.