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BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS (BRITISH)
BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS (BRITISH)
OUT-DOOR WORLD LIBRARY. THE OUT-DOOR WORLD; or, Young Collector's Handbook. By W. Furneaux , F.R.G.S. With 18 Plates, 16 of which are coloured, and 549 Illustrations in the Text. Crown 8vo. 7 s. 6 d. BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS ( British ). By W. Furneaux , F.R.G.S. With 12 coloured Plates and 241 Illustrations in the Text. 10 s. 6 d. net. To be followed by BRITISH BIRDS. By W. H. Hudson , F.Z.S. With a Chapter on Structure and Classification by Frank E. Beddard , F.R.S. LIFE IN PONDS AND STREAMS. By
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PREFACE
PREFACE
The favourable reception with which the 'Out-door World' has been greeted has encouraged the publishers to issue a series of volumes dealing in fuller detail with the various branches of Natural History treated of in that work. Necessarily each subject was only briefly touched upon, but the study is of so enticing a character that 'appetite grows by feeding,' and the students of the 'Out-door World,' having tasted the sweetness of companionship with Nature, will not rest satisfied with the help
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CHAPTER I GENERAL CHARACTERS
CHAPTER I GENERAL CHARACTERS
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 ( lepis ) signifying a scale , and the other ( pteron ) denoting a wing ; and was applied by the great naturalist Linnæus to the scaly-winged insects popularly known as Butterflies and Moths. Every one of my readers has undoubtedly handled some of the interesting creatures of this group—having been led to do so either by
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CHAPTER II THE EGG
CHAPTER II THE EGG
I suppose you are all acquainted with the general structure of the hen's egg, having dissected several, in your own way, many a time. 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 of lime . If you put some pieces of it into an egg cup, and throw over them a little vinegar or any other liquid acid, you will see them gradually dissolve away, and small bubbles of carbonic
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CHAPTER III THE LARVA
CHAPTER III THE LARVA
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 justice to the abundant supply. It will either nibble away at the surface of the leaf, removing the soft cellular substance, so that the leaf exhibits a number of semi-transparent patches when held up to the light, or it will make straight for the edge, and, closing its horizontal jaws on either side, bite the leaf completely
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CHAPTER IV THE PUPA OR CHRYSALIS
CHAPTER IV THE PUPA OR CHRYSALIS
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 perfect insect is not to be liberated for some time to come, yet some of its parts are apparently fully formed. The newly exposed skin of the chrysalis is very soft and moist, but as it hardens it forms a membranous or horny covering that protects and holds firmly in place the trunk and the various limbs and appendages that
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CHAPTER V CLASSIFICATION OF THE LEPIDOPTERA
CHAPTER V CLASSIFICATION OF THE LEPIDOPTERA
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 applied in a fairly accurate manner, yet, strange to say, very few persons indeed have any definite knowledge of the differences that entomologists recognise between the two groups. Every entomologist has his circle of sympathetic and, perhaps, even admiring friends. Consequently, many a little package is sent round to his abod
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CHAPTER VI CATCHING BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
CHAPTER VI CATCHING BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
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 considering. Butterflies and moths are among the most beautiful and most interesting of living creatures. The study of their life history is enchanting, and the creatures themselves are of such a size as to be conveniently handled and preserved, and withal occupy so little space that anyone with only moderate accommodation may
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CHAPTER VII COLLECTING OVA, LARVÆ, AND PUPÆ
CHAPTER VII COLLECTING OVA, LARVÆ, AND PUPÆ
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 instructions in this part of the work. But it so happens that butterflies and moths are to be obtained by means other than those already described, and we shall therefore consider these previous to the study of the various processes connected with the setting and preserving of our specimens. Were we to confine our attention to the
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CHAPTER VIII REARING LEPIDOPTERA
CHAPTER VIII REARING LEPIDOPTERA
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—keep every specimen as far as possible under the same conditions as those in which you find it in nature. Applying this principle to ova, we store them in airy and light places, protected from the direct rays of the sun, and avoid handling and rough treatment of any kind. It is also advisable in most cases to maintain a s
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CHAPTER IX SETTING AND PRESERVING
CHAPTER IX SETTING AND PRESERVING
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 methods of preparing our dead specimens in such a way that they may form a useful collection for future study and reference. Our first attention shall be given to the apparatus necessary for this work. The most important requirement is the setting boards, of which several are necessary, the sizes varying according to the
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CHAPTER X PRESERVING OVA, LARVÆ AND PUPÆ
CHAPTER X PRESERVING OVA, LARVÆ AND PUPÆ
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 earlier stages and metamorphoses. This is decidedly a very great mistake. Although the lifeless form pinned in a cabinet may be a most beautiful object in itself, yet a study of this alone is uninteresting compared with that of the wonderful changes it has undergone since the time it was a very young larva. The different
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CHAPTER XI THE CABINET—ARRANGEMENT OF SPECIMENS
CHAPTER XI THE CABINET—ARRANGEMENT OF SPECIMENS
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, there are very many points of considerable importance to be considered before any final decision is made. Freedom from dust, the exclusion of pests, the convenience of the collector, the depth of his pocket, and the general appearance of the storehouse must be considered, and it is impossible, therefore, to describe a for
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CHAPTER XII THE SWALLOW-TAIL AND THE 'WHITES'
CHAPTER XII THE SWALLOW-TAIL AND THE 'WHITES'
Our first family ( Papilionidæ ) contains only one British species—the beautiful Swallow-tail ( Papilio Machaon ), distinguished at once from all other British butterflies by its superior size and the 'tails' projecting from the hind margin of the hind wings. This beautiful insect is figured on Plate I , where its bold black markings on a yellow ground are so conspicuous as to render a written description superfluous. Attention may be called, however, to the yellow scales that dot the dark bands
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CHAPTER XIII THE FRITILLARIES, VANESSAS, AND THE PURPLE EMPEROR
CHAPTER XIII THE FRITILLARIES, VANESSAS, AND THE PURPLE EMPEROR
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 of a beautiful metallic lustre. If you were to see all the members of this family side by side, they might strike you as being so varied in their appearance that you would wonder why they are all placed in one family group. But, were you to see, in addition to the perfect insects, all their larvæ and chrysalides, the reas
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CHAPTER XIV THE BROWNS AND HEATHS
CHAPTER XIV THE BROWNS AND HEATHS
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 decidedly dingy in comparison with the beautiful butterflies we have been previously observing; but to this statement we must allow one marked exception, for the family includes the beautiful Marbled White, which stands out prominently among its fellows for brilliancy and boldness of colour. The caterpillars of the 'Satyrs' ha
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CHAPTER XV THE HAIRSTREAKS, COPPERS AND BLUES
CHAPTER XV THE HAIRSTREAKS, COPPERS AND BLUES
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. They seldom rise much above the ground, and are consequently very easily caught. The caterpillars of this family have all short and rather thick bodies, shaped very much like that of the wood louse—flattened beneath and very convex above. The chrysalides are generally attached by the 'tail,' and further secured by a silken
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CHAPTER XVI THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY AND THE SKIPPERS
CHAPTER XVI THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY AND THE SKIPPERS
The family Erycinidæ has only one British representative, commonly known as the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary, but although this butterfly certainly resembles the Fritillaries in general appearance (see figs. 9 and 10 of Plate VII ), its habits and life history present many points of difference from these. The upper side is chequered with black and tawny brown, the fringe is white and barred with dark brown, and a row of tawny spots with black centres border the hind margins. The under side has tw
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CHAPTER XVII SPHINGES
CHAPTER XVII SPHINGES
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 of the characteristics and life histories of some of the latter insects. The number of British butterflies is so limited that space could be found for a brief description of every species, but with moths the case is very different. There are about two thousand known British species of this division of the Lepidoptera,
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CHAPTER XVIII BOMBYCES
CHAPTER XVIII BOMBYCES
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 cocoons of moderate compactness, but none of them yield a quantity and quality of silk to justify any attempt to utilise it in the arts. There are more than a hundred British species in this group, and these represent no less than seventeen families, which exhibit a great variety in their general appearance and habits. Th
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CHAPTER XIX THE NOCTUÆ
CHAPTER XIX THE NOCTUÆ
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 night fall; and that others prefer the darkest hours of the night. The tribe of moths we are next to consider includes the greater number (about three hundred) of our truly nocturnal species, hence the name that heads this chapter. They are generally of a somewhat dingy appearance, the prevailing colours being dull shades of
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CHAPTER XX GEOMETRÆ
CHAPTER XX GEOMETRÆ
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 characteristic of the larvæ of the present division that suggested the name Geometræ —a term that signifies 'earth-measurers,' for they appear to measure the ground over which they travel in terms of their own length. We have also dealt with the peculiarities of structure in the case of these caterpillars—peculiarities which ada
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CHAPTER XXI THE MICRO-LEPIDOPTERA
CHAPTER XXI THE MICRO-LEPIDOPTERA
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 there are many hundreds of small British moths that represent what is known as the Micro-lepidoptera . It is not usual for young entomologists to have much to do with the 'Micros' until they have had a little practical experience with the larger species; in fact, a good number of them never seem to extend their knowledge bey
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APPENDIX I
APPENDIX I
I have previously called the reader's attention to our classified list of butterflies and moths, and have hinted at one or two of the objects for which it is inserted. It contains the scientific and popular names of all the British Butterflies, Sphinges , Bombyces , Noctuæ , and Geometræ , arranged in their various families and genera; and in cases where two specific names are commonly applied to the same insect, both are given. Its chief uses to the young entomologist are to show the relation w
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APPENDIX II THE LEPIDOPTERIST'S CALENDAR
APPENDIX II THE LEPIDOPTERIST'S CALENDAR
The success of the country rambles of an expert lepidopterist depends greatly on his knowledge of the times at which the various butterflies and moths generally appear, and of the localities which they are known to frequent. The experiences he has gained in the past enable him to calculate on the probabilities of the future, and he chooses both time and locality according to his requirements. As he makes his way to the hunting ground he counts over the chances of meeting with a certain insect th
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COLOURED PLATES
COLOURED PLATES
Plate I ( Frontispiece ) Plate II Plate III Plate IV Plate V Plate VI Plate VII Plate VIII Plate IX Plate X Plate XI Plate XII Danielsson & Co., del. ad. Nat. et Chromolith. Danielsson & Co., del. ad. Nat. et Chromolith. Danielsson & Co., del. ad. Nat. et Chromolith. Danielsson & Co., del. ad. Nat. et Chromolith. Danielsson & Co., del. ad. Nat. et Chromolith. Danielsson & Co., del. ad. Nat. et Chromolith. Danielsson & Co., del. ad. Nat. et
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