Birds and All Nature, Vol. 4, No. 2, August 1898: Illustrated by Color Photography — John Shaqi
Birds and All Nature, Vol. 4, No. 2, August 1898: Illustrated by Color PhotographyVarious
History
Birds and All Nature, Vol. 4, No. 2, August 1898: Illustrated by Color Photography
Various
Birds -- Periodicals; Natural history -- Periodicals
In the July number of BIRDS AND ALL NATURE we quoted from an
interesting article in the _Boston Transcript_ some information
concerning the commercial aspect of Butterflies. From this study of the
remarkable collection of the Denton Brothers of Wellesley, we print
another extract, which will indicate to our readers something of what
they may expect to see in future numbers of BIRDS, as it is our purpose
to present all of the remarkable specimens of these insects. Some
of our Subscribers tell us that they would rather have the pictures
than the specimens themselves. In an early number we shall present a
picture of the wonderful Butterfly Croesus. It is an inhabitant of
India, and even there is rarely seen and difficult to secure. It is of
deep dead black, with broad splotches on the wings, which are exactly
the color of new, untarnished gold, its name being given it for this
characteristic. But, as the _Transcript_ says, "perhaps the most
interesting thing in looking over the Dentons' collection is to have
them explain the wonderful ways in which they are protected from their
natural enemies, the birds. Perhaps the most remarkable instance of the
way in which this is done is the leaf butterfly, a native of India. The
upper side of this insect's wings has the characteristically brilliant
coloring of its country, but the under side is of a dull brown, the
significance of which is not seen until the insect alights and closes
its wings. When it is in this position it has exactly the appearance,
in shape and color, of a dead leaf, and this is so exact that even the
little dark spots caused by decaying fungi on the leaves are reproduced.
"What is most wonderful of all is that these spots vary, and in
different specimens have the appearance of different kinds of fungi,
the imitation being invariably a perfect one.
"This characteristic is to be seen in nearly all kinds of butterflies,
the under side of the wings of the most brilliantly colored species
being of a dull color which does not readily attract attention. Almost
the only variation to this is in certain species which ordinarily
carry their wings erect, and droop them when they alight. In these
the brilliant coloring is on the under side of the wing, and the dull
color on the upper side. Perhaps the most remarkable single case known
is that of a certain Indian moth, which is a heavy flyer, and found
in the woods. When this moth alights, it leaves only the tip of its
wings sticking out of the leaves, and this tip, in marking, color, and
attitude, has exactly the appearance of the head of a cobra. The same
general scheme may be observed in our native moths, and also in most
other heavy flyers, in the sharply defined round markings, one on each
wing. These have the appearance of an eye of some good-sized animal,
and keep many birds from making any closer investigation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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