Butterflies and Moths (British)

1. SCALES FROM THE WINGS OF BUTTERFLIES 1 2. PORTION OF THE WING OF A BUTTERFLY FROM WHICH SOME OF THE SCALES HAVE BEEN REMOVED 2 3. BODY OF A BUTTERFLY--UNDER SIDE 3 4. SECTION...

The word _Lepidoptera_, which you see at the head of this page, is the name of the order of insects to which this volume is to be devoted. It is formed from two Greek words, one...

Its outer covering, which you speak of as the 'shell,' you have observed is hard and brittle. It is composed of a _calcareous_ or limy substance, known chemically as _carbonate...

In almost every case the young caterpillar, on quitting the 'shell' of the egg, finds itself standing on and surrounded by its natural food, and immediately commences to do just...

As soon as the last moult of the caterpillar is over, the chrysalis that had already been developing under the cover of the old skin is exposed to full view; and although the pe...

The _Lepidoptera_ are divided into two very unequal groups, to which we have so frequently alluded as 'Butterflies' and 'Moths.' And, although these two terms are popularly appl...

It is not at all surprising that entomology should prove such a fascinating study to the young, and more especially that portion which deals with the department we are now consi...

We have already observed that insects should, as a rule, be set as soon as possible after their capture; and it would therefore seem that this is the proper place for instructio...

In the management of insects in all stages the strictest attention must always be paid to one general rule on which the success of the work almost entirely depends; and that is-...

Up to the present we have been dealing only with living forms--learning how to catch and rear the Lepidoptera that fall to our lot; but now we have to become acquainted with the...

Many young entomologists give their attention almost solely to the perfect forms of insects, often collecting and studying a very large number of species without regard to their...

The selection of a cabinet or other storehouse for the rapidly increasing specimens of insect forms is often a matter of no small difficulty to a youthful entomologist. Indeed,...

We have now treated in detail of the changes through which butterflies and moths have to pass, and have studied the methods by which we may obtain and preserve the insects in th...

Our first family (_Papilionidae_) contains only one British species--the beautiful Swallow-tail (_Papilio Machaon_), distinguished at once from all other British butterflies by...

We now come to a rather large family, which contains some of our largest and most brilliant butterflies. Some of them display the most gaudy colours, and others exhibit patches...

This family contains eleven British species, often spoken of collectively as the 'Browns,' since in most of them the prevailing tints are various shades of brown. They are decid...

This is a large family, including as it does no less than nineteen of the British species. These are all of small size, and are characterised by their short and jerky flights. T...

The family _Erycinidae_ has only one British representative, commonly known as the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary, but although this butterfly certainly resembles the Fritillaries...

We have already observed the chief features by which we are able to distinguish between butterflies and moths (page 56), so we shall devote the present division to a description...

This tribe is an important one, inasmuch as it contains those few moths whose silk is of present or anticipated commercial value. Many of the British members, even, make silken...

We have already noticed that several of our moths fly by day; that some come out of their hiding places at dusk, and settle down again to rest before the deepest shadows of nigh...

We have already referred (page 28) to caterpillars that walk by a series of strides, alternately looping and extending their long and slender bodies. It is this peculiar charact...

The butterflies, and all the moths contained in the groups of the last four chapters, are commonly spoken of as constituting the _Macro-lepidoptera_; but in addition to these th...