+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | EXPLANATION OF PLATE XXXVIII | | | | 1. _Papilio zolicaon_, Boisduval, ♂. | | 2. _Papilio daunus_, Boisduval, ♂. | | 3. _Papilio pilumnus_, Boisduval, ♂. | | | | (The figures in this plate are reduced, being only two | | thirds of the natural size.) | | | | [Illustration PLATE XXXVIII.] | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ "This memorable shower of blood was produced by the _Vanessa urticæ_ or _V. polychloros_, most probably, since these species of butterflies are said to have been uncommonly plentiful at the time when, and in the particular district where, the phenomenon was observed." FRANK COWAN, _Curious History of Insects_. FOR A DESIGN OF A BUTTERFLY RESTING ON A SKULL "Creature of air and light, Emblem of that which may not fade or die, Wilt thou not speed thy flight, To chase the south wind through the glowing sky? What lures thee thus to stay, With Silence and Decay, Fix'd on the wreck of cold Mortality? "The thoughts once chamber'd there Have gather'd up their treasures, and are gone-- Will the dust tell us where They that have burst the prison-house are flown? Rise, nursling of the day, If thou wouldst trace their way-- Earth hath no voice to make the secret known. "Who seeks the vanish'd bird By the forsaken nest and broken shell?-- Far thence he sings unheard, Yet free and joyous in the woods to dwell. Thou of the sunshine born, Take the bright wings of morn! Thy hope calls heavenward from yon ruin'd cell." MRS. HEMAN. SUBFAMILY PAPILIONINÆ _Butterfly._--Generally large, and often with the hind wings adorned by tail-like projections. The most characteristic structural feature of the group is the absence of the internal vein of the hind wings. The submedian vein occupies the position usually held in other subfamilies by the internal.