The Butterfly Book Part 57

_Early Stages._--We know as yet but little of these.

The insect occurs in Arizona and northward to Colorado.

(17) =Papilio asterias=, Fabricius, Plate XL, Fig. 1, ?; Plate II, Figs.

17, 24, 27, _larva_; Plate VI, Figs. 13, 18, 19, _chrysalis_ (The Common Eastern Swallowtail).

_b.u.t.terfly._--The male is well represented in the plate. The female lacks the bright-yellow band of postmedian spots on the primaries, or they are but faintly indicated. The species is subject to considerable variation in size and the intensity of the markings. A very remarkable aberration in which the yellow spots cover almost the entire outer half of the wings has been found on several occasions, and was named _Papilio calverleyi_ by Grote. The female of this form from the type in the author's collection is represented in Plate XLI, Fig. 6. Expanse, 2.75-3.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--The caterpillar feeds on the _Umbelliferae_, and is common on parsley and parsnips in gardens. In the South I have found that it had a special liking for fennel, and a few plants in the kitchen-garden always yielded me in my boyhood an abundant supply of the larvae.

+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | EXPLANATION OF PLATE XLI | | | | 1. _Papilio machaon_, Linnaeus, var. | | _aliaska_, Scudder, ?. | | 2. _Papilio nitra_, Edwards, ?. | | 3. _Papilio indra_, Reakirt, ?. | | 4. _Papilio polydamas_, Linnaeus, ?. | | 5. _Papilio troilus_, Linnaeus, ?. | | 6. _Papilio asterias_, Cramer, var. | | _calverleyi_, Grote, ?. | | | | [Ill.u.s.tration PLATE XLI.] | +--------------------------------------------------------------+

_P. asterias_ ranges all over the Atlantic States and the valley of the Mississippi.

(18) =Papilio troilus=, Linnaeus, Plate XLI, Fig. 5, ?; Plate II, Figs.

18, 19, 22, _larva_; Plate VI, Figs. 5-7, _chrysalis_ (The Spice-bush Swallowtail).

_b.u.t.terfly._--The upper side of the male is accurately depicted in the plate. The female has less bluish-green on the upper side of the hind wings. Expanse, 3.75-4.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--The caterpillar lives upon the leaves of the common spicewood and sa.s.safras, and draws the edges of a leaf together, thus forming a nest in which it lies hidden.

The insect is found throughout the Atlantic States and in the Mississippi Valley.

(19) =Papilio palamedes=, Drury, Plate XLII, Fig. 1, ? (Palamedes).

_b.u.t.terfly._--The upper side of the wings is very accurately depicted in the figure just cited. On the under side the predominant tint is bright yellow. Expanse, 3.50-4.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--These are described by Scudder in the third volume of his work on "The b.u.t.terflies of New England." The caterpillar feeds on _Magnolia glauca_, and on plants belonging to the order _Lauraceae_.

The insect ranges from southern Virginia, near the coast, to the extreme southern end of Florida, and westward to southern Missouri and eastern Texas.

(20) =Papilio philenor=, Linnaeus, Plate XLII, Fig. 2, ?; Plate II, Figs.

13, 20, 21, _larva_; Plate VI, Figs. 14, 17, 20, _chrysalis_ (The Pipe-vine Swallowtail).

_b.u.t.terfly._--The figures in the plates obviate the necessity for describing this familiar but most beautiful insect, the glossy blue-green of which flashes all summer long in the sunlight about the verandas over which the _Aristolochia_ spreads the shade of its great cordate leaves. Expanse, 3.75-4.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--The caterpillar feeds upon the leaves of _Aristolochia sipho_ (the Dutchman's-pipe) and _Aristolochia serpentaria_, which abound in the forest lands of the Appalachian region.

_Philenor_ is always abundant during the summer months in the Middle Atlantic States, and ranges from Ma.s.sachusetts to Arizona, into southern California and southward into Mexico. It is double-brooded in western Pennsylvania, and the writer has found females ovipositing as late as October. The caterpillars are familiar objects about houses on which the _Aristolochia_ is grown as an ornamental vine.

(21) =Papilio polydamas=, Linnaeus, Plate XLI, Fig. 4, ? (Polydamas).

_b.u.t.terfly._--Easily distinguished by the absence of tails on the hind margin of the secondaries. The b.u.t.terfly recalls the preceding species by the color of the wings on the upper side. On the under side the fore wings are marked as on the upper side; the hind wings have a marginal row of large red spots. Expanse, 3.00-3.50 inches.

_Early Stages._--The caterpillar is dark brown, and in many points resembles that of _P. philenor_ in outline, but the segments are spotted with ocellate yellow and red spots. It feeds on various species of _Aristolochia_. The chrysalis resembles that of _P. philenor_.

This lovely insect represents in the United States a great group of b.u.t.terflies closely allied to it, which are natives of the tropics of the New World. It occurs in southern Florida and Texas, and thence ranges southward over Cuba, Mexico, and Central America.

THE CATERPILLAR AND THE ANT

"A pensy Ant, right trig and clean, Came ae day whidding o'er the green, Where, to advance her pride, she saw A Caterpillar, moving slaw.

'Good ev'n t' ye, Mistress Ant,' said he; 'How's a' at hame? I'm blyth to s' ye.'

The saucy Ant view'd him wi' scorn, Nor wad civilities return; But gecking up her head, quoth she, 'Poor animal! I pity thee; Wha scarce can claim to be a creature, But some experiment o' Nature, Whase silly shape displeased her eye, And thus unfinish'd was flung bye.

For me, I'm made wi' better grace, Wi' active limbs and lively face; And cleverly can move wi' ease Frae place to place where'er I please;

Can foot a minuet or jig, And snoov't like ony whirly-gig; Which gars my jo aft grip my hand, Till his heart pitty-pattys, and-- But laigh my qualities I bring, To stand up clashing wi' a thing, A creeping thing the like o' thee.

Not worthy o' a farewell t' ye.'

The airy Ant syne turned awa, And left him wi' a proud gaffa.

The Caterpillar was struck dumb, And never answered her a mum: The humble reptile fand some pain, Thus to be banter'd wi' disdain.

But tent neist time the Ant came by, The worm was grown a b.u.t.terfly; Transparent were his wings and fair, Which bare him flight'ring through the air.

Upon a flower he stapt his flight, And thinking on his former slight, Thus to the Ant himself addrest: 'Pray, Madam, will ye please to rest?

And notice what I now advise: Inferiors ne'er too much despise, For fortune may gie sic a turn, To raise aboon ye what ye scorn: For instance, now I spread my wing In air, while you're a creeping thing.'"

ALLAN RAMSAY.

+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | EXPLANATION OF PLATE XLII | | | | 1. _Papilio palamedes_, Drury, ?. | | 2. _Papilio philenor_, Linnaeus, ?. | | 3. _Papilio cresphontes_, Cramer, ?. | | 4. _Papilio thoas, Linnaeus_, ?. | | | | [Ill.u.s.tration PLATE XLII.] | +--------------------------------------------------------------+

[Ill.u.s.tration]

FAMILY V

HESPERIIDae (THE SKIPPERS)

"Bedouins of the pathless air."--H.H.

_b.u.t.terfly._--The b.u.t.terflies belonging to this family are generally quite small, with stout bodies, the thorax strongly developed in order to accommodate the muscles of flight. They are exceedingly rapid in their movements. Both s.e.xes possess six feet adapted to walking, and the tibiae of the hind feet, with few exceptions, have spurs. The lower radial vein of the hind wing in many of the genera is lacking, or is merely indicated by a fold in the wing. There is great variety in the form as well as in the coloration of the wings.

_Egg._--The eggs, so far as we are acquainted with them, may be said to be, almost without exception, more or less hemispherical, with the flat section of the hemisphere serving as the base. They are sometimes smooth, but not infrequently ornamented with raised longitudinal ridges and cross-lines, the ornamentation in some cases being very beautiful and curious.

_Caterpillar._--The caterpillars are cylindrical, smooth, tapering forward and backward from the middle, and generally possess large globular heads. They commonly undergo transformation into chrysalids which have an a.n.a.l hook, or cremaster, in a loose coc.o.o.n woven of a few strands of silk.

This family, the study of which presents more difficulties than are presented by any other family of b.u.t.terflies, is not very well developed in the Palaearctic Region, but finds its most enormous development in the Nearctic and Neotropical Regions. It is also very strongly developed in the Indo-Malayan and Ethiopian Regions. There are, at the present time, in the neighborhood of two thousand species belonging to this family which have been named and described.

+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | EXPLANATION OF PLATE XLIII | | | | 1. _Papilio turnus_, Linnaeus, ?. | | 2. _Papilio turnus_, Linnaeus, dimorphic | | ?, _glaucus_, Linnaeus. | | 3. _Colias eriphyle_, Edwards, = | | _Colias hageni_, Edwards, ?, _under side_. | | 4. _Pyrameis atalanta_, Linnaeus, ?. | | 5. _Epargyreus t.i.tyrus_, Fabricius, ?. | | | | (The figures in this plate are reduced, being only | | three fourths of the natural size.) | | | | [Ill.u.s.tration PLATE XLIII.] | +--------------------------------------------------------------+

SUBFAMILY PYRRHOPYGINae

"Seeing only what is fair, Sipping only what is sweet."

EMERSON.