The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-05-13
Wanderings of a Butterfly.

/
British entomologists are in fntter
of excitement at present They have
caught an insect in the very act of geo.
graphically distributing itself. The
insect is butterfly, and we need hard
ly say that the enterprising creature
and its ancestors have been reared in
America, their origin being lost in the
mists of prehistoric antiquity. In its
native home it seems to be of modest
and retiring disposition, SO much SO.
indeed, that we believe that it has not
succeeded in obtaining from Americans
any distinctive popular name. 1t is
only butterfly, or more probably
"bug," for by that ugly term are all
insects unfortunately designated in
the States. Entomologists, however,
have atoned for this, for they have
dignified it with designation even
more imposing than that by which
science knows the king of beasts him
self-Anosia pleaippus. The original
home of Anosia, as we have said, is the
American continent, where it has a
wide range, extending from the Hud-
sons bay territory to the Amazon
region and Bolivia.
1t is apparently only about thirty or
forty years since Anosla began its
wanderings. Unobserved by the early
voyagers, it is now abundant and firmly
established in the Sandwich islands.
In the Marquesas islands, where it is
now the eommonest butterfly, the first
specimens were observed by Roman
Catholic missionary about 1860 In
the Society islands and the Cook and
Harry groups Mr.. James j. Walker,
r. n, saw within the last few years
both the butterfly and its food plant,
Ascleptas carassacica, in plenty. The.
insect has even reached the remote
little island OF Oparo, far away to the
southwark. Throughout the Samoan,
Friendly, and Fiji islands it has been
found, and is especially abundant in
the latter group. 1t appears also to
| have reached the north island of New
Zealand, as we'll as Norfolk island. In
New Caledonia, where it has
| been long established, it became
very abundant some years
ago, but is now comparatively scarce.
owing, it would seem, to the destruc-
ton of nearly all the food plant by the
larva. We first hear OF its occurrence
in Australia, in Queensland. in 1870; it
now seems to have spread throughout
all the warmer parts of this great island
and even to Hobart (Tasmania), in lati-
| tude AZ degrees south. In the New
Hebrides, Solomon islands, New Guinea.
and other islands in that part of the
Pacific. it appears to be now firmly es-
tablished and not rare. 1t has even
been found in Celebes and Java. Start
| ing from the east side of the American
continent again, Anosia has found its
way to the West Indies, where it is
found in company with some curious
local forms of the genus; and it has
long been established in the Rermudas,
$50 miles from the coast of the United
States. Two examples in the fine col
lection of Messrs. Salvin and Goodwin
were taken in the Azores in 1861, but
MIR. Walker can not ascertain that any
have since been found there. 1t does
not seem to have reached Madeira,
though the plant it feeds on has found
its way 10 that island.
The first record of the occurrence of
Anosia in Britain was in 1879. speci-
men having been taken at Meath, in
South Wales, on Sept 6 of that year;
this brave pioneer has found a fitting
niche in the insects Valhalla at South
kensington. In September, 1877, q
specimen was captured at La Venice.
the only record Mr.. Walker can find of
its occurrence on the European conti-
nent. Another specimen was captured
in Kent in 1881. Meantime, however.
it must have multiplied rapidly, for at
least dozen were bagged last year in
our southern counties. Cornwall con-
tributing quite half the number. 1t is
certainly an interesting and well-au-
thenticated instance of process which
plays so important part in natural
science-the geographical distribution
of animals. In this process man and
his inventions have been powerful
factor since he began to spread himself
over the face of the earth. But the
case of Anosia seems to indicate that
even in the prehuman periods disper-
sion must in some eases at least have
been much more rapid than some
naturslists seem prepared to admit.
London Times.