W. J. Holland

“ The blood of insects is not, like that of vertebrates, red in color. It is almost colorless, or at most slightly stained with yellow. The circulation of the blood in the outer wall of the wing-tubes takes place most freely during the brief period in which the insect is expanding its wings after emergence from the chrysalis, concerning which we shall have more to say elsewhere. After the wings of the butterfly have become fully expanded, the circulation of the blood in the wings ceases almost entirely. ”

“ The nervous system of butterflies consists of a cord with ganglia, or nerve-knots, one for each segment of the body. As there are thirteen segments in the body of a butterfly, there are normally thirteen such ganglia, or nerve centres. The nervous cord lies in a position exactly opposite to that which is held by the spinal cord in vertebrates. It is situated on the ventral side of the body, and more ventrad than all the other internal organs. The ganglion in the head is the largest of all and forms a rudimentary brain, the greater portion of which consists of two relatively large optic nerves. ”

“ The student realizes that the head in general supports the principal organs of sense and the proboscis, or mouth.
The thorax carries the organs of locomotion, which consist of four wings and six feet. The thorax is made up of three segments, or rings, the foremost of which is called the prothorax, the next the mesothorax, and the hindmost the metathorax. The subdivisions of the thorax are not easily distinguishable by examining the body of a butterfly even under a microscope, because the bodies of butterflies are generally heavily clothed with hairs and scales. ”

“ The genus, which is quite large, reaches its greatest development in the tropics of the Old World, and there is only one species in the western hemisphere, which may have been introduced in the old days of the slave trade. Most of the species are mimics and the strange thing is that the mimicking form is generally the female, which has the color and markings of some one or other of the milkweed butterflies of the African and oriental tropics. The female of our species patterns after the markings of Danais chrysippus, a common milkweed butterfly of Africa. ”

“ The fluid silk, as it is ejected through the spinneret, immediately hardens on contact with the air and is deposited in the form of very fine threads or filaments which the caterpillar uses for various purposes, sometimes as lines with which to guide itself from place to place and enable it to retrace its steps to its favorite resting-place, sometimes to tie together the leaves in which it forms its nest, or to weave a sort of shelter in which it conceals itself, and finally to make the little buttons and the girdles by which, as we shall see later, the chrysalis is held in place. ”

“ In addition to the three species of Vanessa, which we have figured upon our plates, it should be mentioned that there is a very pretty species, known as Vanessa californica, which occurs upon the Pacific Coast. It somewhat closely resembles the European Vanessa urticæ. In southern California it is only found upon the mountains, but about Vancouver and elsewhere in British Columbia it occurs at sea-level. It is a pugnacious little thing, and fights at sight any other butterfly which comes near. The food-plant of the larva is Ceanothus thyrsiflorus. ”

“ Butterflies generally hold their wings erect when they are at rest, with their upper surfaces facing each other, and only the under surfaces displaying their colors to the eye. In the genus Ageronia the insect prefers, like some moths, to settle upon the bark of trees, with the wings spread flat, and the head pointing downward. Many of the Hesperiidæ, or “Skippers,” have the habit when they are at rest of holding the fore wings folded together, while the hind wings are expanded horizontally. ”

“ Butterflies are therefore often called diurnal lepidoptera, and moths are spoken of as nocturnal lepidoptera. There are, however, a few butterflies which fly at dusk, and there are many moths which are diurnal in their habits. Such moths are generally gay in color, and for the most part inhabit tropical countries, although we have a few such species in the United States. Ordinarily the best way to distinguish between butterflies and moths is by examining their antennæ, or “feelers,” as they are sometimes incorrectly called. ”

“ This is particularly true of the hawk-moths. A minute examination of the abdomen of a butterfly reveals in each segment except the last a little valve-like orifice on either side. These openings are known as spiracles (see Plate A, Fig. c) . Through these the insect breathes. Insects do not breathe through their mouths, like vertebrates, and their lungs, or [23] what correspond to the lungs of the higher animals, are not located in the thorax or chest, but in the abdomen. The last segment of the abdomen carries at its extremity the external organs of generation. ”

“ Union between the sexes among insects generally takes place but once, and is not recurrent. The female, having been impregnated, proceeds at once to lay her eggs upon the tender leaves or the bark of the plants upon which her progeny are to be nourished, and then promptly dies. The life of insects in the winged form is usually very brief. Inasmuch as there are great differences between the sexes in insects alike in size, form, color, and markings, it is well for the collector to carefully preserve specimens which may be captured in copulation. ”

“ The muscles of a man clothe his bones. In the arthropods, on the contrary, the hard parts clothe the muscles. Arthropods are therefore said to have exoskeletons, “outside skeletons.” The body, the legs, and other organs of an insect or a crab consist of a series of hollow tubes held together by flexible skin at the points of union, and controlled in their movements by muscles which pull from the inside. The meat of a lobster is inside of the shell, or exoskeleton, as everybody who has eaten a lobster knows. The arrangement is exactly the reverse of that which we find in the vertebrates. ”

“ Then the insect with the cremaster, as it is called, a little spikelet at the very tip of the chrysalis, which is armed with small hooks, proceeds to feel about until these hooks become entangled in the silk of the button which has been provided on the under surface of the twig, the stone, or the fence rail, where the transformation is occurring. As soon as the chrysalis is securely hooked into the button of silk it lets go of the little section of the skin by which it has been supported and rapidly assumes the shape in which it will remain [36] until the time of its emergence as a butterfly. ”

“ The lepidoptera are divided into two Suborders: the Rhopalocera, or Butterflies, and the Heterocera, or Moths. Both are characterized by having scaly wings, hence the name, which is derived from the Greek words λεπὶς (lepis) meaning scale, and πτερὸν (pteron) meaning wing. Lepidoptera are “scale-winged insects.” Any one who has ever handled a butterfly or moth, must have noticed upon his fingers a dust-like substance, rubbed off from the wings of the captured insect. ”

“ Fore wings square at the apex, slightly excavated about the middle, the cell being closed by a stout lower discocellular vein, more or less continuous with the third median nervule. Hind wing strongly produced at the end of the third [118] median nervule, rounded at the outer angle, with two short tooth-like projections before the anal angle.
There are less than a dozen species of the genus, most of which are South American, but there are two in Africa and one in Madagascar. Only one occurs within the United States, and is confined to the extreme south. ”

“ The method of placing between towels should never be used in the case of very small and delicate species and those which are blue or green in color. Great care must be exercised not to allow the insects to become soaked or unduly wet. This ruins them. They should, however, be damp enough to allow the wings and other organs to be freely moved. When the insects have been relaxed they may be pinned and expanded on setting boards like freshly caught specimens. ”

“ There is no great difference between the sexes. In the Northern States it is single-brooded, in the South it is double-brooded. Expanse of wing 1.75-2.00 inches.
The caterpillar feeds on grasses. The insect ranges from Maine to the Gulf, and westward to the Rocky Mountains.
(2) Debis creola Skinner, Plate LX, ♂ (The Creole) .
Easily distinguished from the foregoing by the elongated patches of dark raised scales upon the fore wings. Expanse 2.25 inches. The specimen figured is a paratype received from the author of the species.
Ranges from Florida to Mexico along the Gulf. ”

“ Many moths weave from silk compact structures known as cocoons, in which the chrysalis is lodged. Butterflies do not weave true cocoons.
The time spent by the insect in the egg is generally short. The time passed in the larval state may be short or long. When butterflies hibernate, or pass the winter, as caterpillars, the time spent in this state is long, and especially in the case of those species which inhabit arctic regions. ”

“ The caterpillar, on the other hand, is armed with a pair of cutting mandibles, with which it shears off tiny strips of the leaves upon which it feeds. It holds the edge of the leaf in place with the three pairs of true legs, while it supports its body upon the pro-legs during the act of eating. ”

“ Certain species and families of our wild birds are classed as game and can, at certain seasons, be legally hunted for sport or for food. A great number of books have been written for sportsmen and by sportsmen, most of them containing but a very few black and white illustrations of some of the species mentioned. ”

“ Setting blocks are most advantageously employed in mounting small species, especially the Hesperiidæ, the wings of which are apt to be refractory. When the insect has been pinned upon the setting board or setting block, the next step is to set the wings in the position which they are to maintain when the specimen is thoroughly dry. ”

“ The lower discocellular vein in the fore wing is straight and not angled, as in the two last-named genera. Eggs, which are laid in clusters upon sunflowers ( Helianthus) , like those of Phyciodes in general appearance; the caterpillars and chrysalids like those of Melitæa. There are many species of the group found in the American tropics, and among them are many curious mimetic insects, which resemble miniature Heliconians and Ithomiids. Three species occur in our southland, one of which we figure. ”

“ In every well-arranged collection of butterflies certain drawers or boxes should be set apart for the reception of the insects belonging to these families, and they should be placed under their proper genera, according to their species. Nothing is more beautiful or interesting to those who have a love of nature than a collection of butterflies thus classified and displayed. ”

“ It ranges from New England and Ontario southward and westward over the whole country as far as Arizona and northern Mexico.
Family ERYCINIDÆ
(The Metal-marks) .
This is a great family of small or rather less than medium-sized butterflies, which is found in both the eastern and western hemispheres, but is mostly confined to the American tropics, where there are known to be about a thousand species, some of them remarkably beautiful in their colors and markings. The males have the fore legs aborted as in the case of the Nymphalidæ, while the females have six legs for walking. ”

“ Setting needles may be easily made by simply sticking ordinary needles into wooden matches from which the tips have been removed; steel insect pins will serve as well. In drawing the wings into position, care should be taken to plant the setting needle or pin behind the strong nervure on the costal margin of the wing; otherwise the wings are liable to be torn and disfigured. ”

“ Genus ANOSIA Hübner
Butterfly, large or medium-sized; fore wings triangular, produced; hind wings rounded, the inner margins clasping the abdomen when at rest; apex, outer margins, and veins, dark; male with sex-mark on first median nervule of hind wing. Egg ovate conical, ribbed perpendicularly and horizontally. Larva cylindrical, with long, dark, fleshy filaments before and behind; body usually pale in color, ringed with dark bands. Chrysalis pendant, stout, cylindrical, abdomen rapidly tapering, and ending in long cremaster; pale, with metallic spots. ”