The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-05-17
Some Fine Writing Suggested by
- a Visit to an Entomology
Museum.
NATURES MAGNIFICENCE

size at his residence, where be divides his
time between tsxidermy, copcbology and
entomology. During a recent trip to
Florida he has added copsiderbly
to his natural history collection,
especially in the departments of but
terhies. moths and beetles. TIE collection
is much too large to describe with any
pretentioDs to detail, after a orief hour
spent in the museum, but the cases OF but
terfiies presented a spectacle of sucn nm
common beauty, that one is tempted to
dwell upon the impression produced by a
buried examination OF them. They have
been obtained in almost all parts of the
world-irom England and Great Britain,
Africa and India, Australia and Southern
America, and alt portions of the United
States. Under a strong light. the splendid
wings of these beautiful insects fairly daz-
zle the eye with brillisncy of color. They
have been arranged by Mr.. Dury partly
according TO their respective countries, aud
partly according to species. from the pale-
winged English cabbage fly to the gor-
eeous Indian insect whose wings are mot
tied with silky grey and black
LIKE THE BOSOM OF BIRD.
Surely there is nothing among the mani
fold marvels of natures subtle magic so
indescribaDly lovely as those winged in
sects which bear upon their tiny pinions
the kaleidoscope hues OF the flowers on
which they feed. There is no possible
shade of exquisite color, no blending OF
brilliant tints, no conceivable form of
gsuZy pinion that may mot be studied In
the fairy winged butterflies and moths
which inhabit the warmer belts oil climate.
The aerial grace and eltin beauty of these
tiny creatures are frequently enhanced by
something strangely suggestive of artistic
design in shape and psttern-just as the
mysterious chemistry of nature which
forms the octagonal crystal or creates
| frosty dreams of woods upon a window
pane, incites one TO futile fancies about
humming-bird's rainbow-hued plum
age, once used to form the
state robes of Aztec kings il
more than rivsled by the gorgeous
coloring Of the impal pable feathers of the
butterfly. But this coloriDg is seldom de-
| void OF surprising regularity OF sttern,-
and the wing that bears 1t is often cut ~
natures cunning hand into the most
| greceiul shapes that an artist could dream
| of. Arsbesque design is often apparent 10
the wing of native butterflies; but more
| especially, perhaps, In those OF the Orient.
| Their under wings are frequently scol-
| lopsd out in the form of a Moorish horse
shoe arch. Their microscopic psumsge is
often marked with the loveliest marbliDg
lnuas AHhOIc. IOIphJIE lhplS-loIuli, I@zNN-
tian marble, red granite, veined white
| stone, and streaked pebble are all won
drously initiated on q.
THE WINGS oF,1HEsE TINY BEINGS;
| and the green flash of the emerald, the
crimson light OF the ruby, the violet CLEAN
OF the smsthys5, are rivaled in the bril-
liancy OF their elfish feathers. one huge
Brazilian butterfly, which especially
| evoked our admiration, had great wings
| oflustrous sZure, W hich deepened to a rich
| purple or paled to clear sky-blue as the
| light refrscted from them in various direc-
| lions. Another seemed to have had its
pinions cut from scarlet satin; another
boasted blending of blue with yellow,
| forming such shining green as one views
sometimes Ia summer sunsets. One had
wings of sstiny black, regularly veined
with brilliant yellow stresks, between
| which were spots of yellow in fantastic
| form, like the letters of some magical Lax
gusge. Combinations of gold, with CLEAN
| OF green; OF blue, with silvery veins; OF
scarlet, with ermine white; of ebony
| black, with flaming yellow; of onyx COL
| Ter, with purple-edged dots of brown of
blood red, with bone Whitehall these were
| repeated over and over again, in a myriad
different patterns, ppDn the insects wings.
The colors were never fiat nor dead tt ey
scinsillsted shone, flashed. 0ae curious
! butterfly, with wings slasbed ard scalloped
like a medieval doub.et, bad a blue eye
| painted at the corner OF eitn6v under wing
The eyes were almost perfect in design !;
the blue iris had limpld clesrness; the
pupil was naturally traversed by deli
| cste CLEAN of light. 1t was psinting-Na-
| ture psintjng with brush of sunbeams,
| and the colors of ruby sunsets. Most OF
the delicate insects suggested beautiful
- hxs-
| honeyed hearts of myriad blossoms, the
| brillisncy of rosy clouds and infinitely
| azure skies, the fiower-born fragrance that
might be called te ..-. ~
THE GHOST OF FLOWERS,
which turks in the rustling folds of fair
lsdy's robes. But sometimes, too, they
| suggested fancies of q far less pleasant
kind, especially the giant moths, with
gross bodies and heavy wings. There was
the desth's-head moth, that grim insect,
dreaded ty the English peasant, just IS the
praying mantis was feared by the sailors
who first sailed the Spanish main. Its
wings have the richness of costly funeral
trappings; its back bears plainly painted,
in the yellowish color OF moldering bone,
the hideous oa,lines OF an eyeless ana
gliding skull. To turn from this grotesque
insect to the spiritually delicate butter
flies OF China and japan was something of
a relief. These were remarkable for the
peculiarly of their colorings; many were
blue or yellow-the fsvorite snd sacred COL
ors OF China. One, Japanese butterfly, bore
upon its wings In scarlet aud pale blue,
mingled with touches of white, an exact
counterpart OF q favoriEe sky-design on
Japanese fans. Is il no longer doubled
that the nature of race is nodded by the
| nature of the climate OF their land; that
their arts aud customs are strongly iu-
fuenced by the conditions o; their atrnos-
| phere; that their tastes are developed in
accordance with the peculisTities OF their
natural surroundings. And may it not be
that the same influence which taught the
Chinamsn to paint his sacred dragon yell
low; that taught the japanese tan painter
to paint impossible skies; thst caused the
Oriental to bring the Sarac0nic arch TO its