Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-05-21
Wanderings Of a Butterfly.


of excitement ut 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 II modest
and retiring disposition, SO much so.
indeed, that we believe that II has not
succeeded in obtaining from Americans
any distinctive popular name. 1t is
only Il butterfly, or more probably
''bug," for by that ugly term are all
insects indiscrimnately designated in
the States. Entomologists, however.
have atoned for this, for they have
digniiied it with designation even
more imposing than that by which
science knows the king of beasts him
self-AnoSia picIippuS. The original
home of Anosa, as we have said. is the
American continent, where it has
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 AnosIa began lis
wanderngs. Unobservcd by the early
voyagers, it is now abundant and firmly
established in the Sandwich islands.
In the Marquesas islands, where 1t is
now the commonest butterfly, the first
specimens were observed by Il Roman
Catholic missionary about 1860. In
the Society islands and the Cook and
Harry groups Mr.. james j. Walker,
X. N, saw within the last few years
both the butterfly and its food pint.
.lSclcp{aS cHr0SSaCica, in plenty. The
insect has even reached the remote
little island of Oparo, far away tnthe
southwark. Throughout the samoan.
Friendly, and FIJI islands it has ben
found. and is especially abundans in
the latter group. 1t appears alsoto
have reached the north island of y W
Zealand, rs well as Norfolk island. I'm
New Caledonia, where it h.
been long established, it becaie
very abundant some yeas
ago, but is now comparatively scare,
owing, it would seem, to the dcstrlt
ton of nearly all the food plant by tt
larvr. we first hear of its occurrent
in Australia. in Queensland. in 1870;
now seems TO have spread Throughout
all the warmer parts of this great islam
and even to Hobart CTasmania), in lati
tude ~ degrees south. In the New
IlebrideS Solomon islands, New Guinea
and other islands in that part of tho
Pacific. it appears TO be now firmly es.
tablishcd and not rare. 1t has even
been found in Celcbcs and Java. Start
inc 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 Bermudas.
$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 1864. but
Mr. Walker can not ascertain that any |
have since been found there. 1t does |
not seem 20 have reached Madeira. |
though the plant it feeds on has found |
its way to that island.
The first record of the occurrence of
Anosia in Britain was in 1879. speci-
men having been taken ut Meath. in
South Wales. on sept. & of that year;
this brave pioneer has found fitting
niche in the insects Naihalla ut South
kensington. In September. 1877. a
specimen wa, captured ut la Ncndce,
the only record Mr. Walker can find of
its occurrence on the European CONT
ncnt. Another specimen was captured
in Kent in 1881 Meantime. however,
it must have multiplied rapidly, for at
least dozen were baggcd last year in
our southern counties, Cornwall cor
tributing quite half the number. 1t is
certainly an interesting and wcll-au-
thenticatcd instance OF Il 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 prchuman periods diSper-
sion must in some cases at least have
been much more rapid than some
naturalists seem prepared to admit
Lond0n Times.