Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-11-22
BUTTERFLIES.
Some Curious Scientific Facts-Mimicry in
Nature.

nature
Rev. w. j. Holland, pastor of the
BelfeiIeld Presbyterian church, and one
of the most noted etymologists of the
country, has just returned from an ex-
tended trip. During the last month he
has received some very rare and valu-
able accessions to his already large col
lection of butterflies. The new speci-
mems come from China, Japan, Africa,
Switzerland, and parts of this country.
One of the most interesting is that sent
by Rev B. C. Henry. author of the
Gross and Dragon" formerly of
Sharpsburg, but now missionary in the
island of Hainau, China. Rev. Henry
was the first white man to collect insects
in that island for scientific purposes.
He has sent Rev. Mr.. Holland some $50
specimens of butterflies, representing
about 100 different species. The speci-
mems belon9 to what is known as the
Siam fauna and contain six species
hitherto unknown to science.
In showing the new specimens to
Commercial Gazette reporter recently,
Mr.. Holland said: ''These butterflies
exemplify in striking manner what is
known in science as mimicry. Let me
explain. Here is male butterfly" he
said, pointing to one of the finest look
ing specimens, "and by its side is the
female. This female differs greatly in
appearance from the male of her own
species, but is almost the counterpart of
the male of another species. Now that
male, to which the female is so similar
in appearance, belongs to q species that.
on account of peculiar excretions from
the body, enjoys immunity from the
rayages of birds. For some reason I'M
known to science, there are certain
species that are thus free from the attack
of birds. As the propagation of the
butterfly depends principally on the
female, nature has provided that in
those species not favored with immunity
from bird attacks the females should
resemble the form which enjoy this i'm
munity.
a have just received collection of
fifteen hundred specimens from the
west coast of tropical Africa, where Du
Chaillu started out to hunt gorillas. The
African butterflies present a great
variety of form and color. In the
Madagascar butterflies the male is con-
slant in the same species, but the
female shows as high as seven varieties
of form. This variety of form is no
doubt due to the principle of mimlcry
by which the female butterfly is pro-
tected."
''On this theory, then, the Arctic but
terflies ought to be white suggested
the reporter.
hI,t+n
white, continued Mr.. Holland, but not
because that is the color of the snow.
In Greenland the butterflies are the in
sects of the summer as well as here.
Some of our butterflies are almost the
color of the vegetables on which they
perch and hence can scarcely be distin-
guished from their surroundings.
1T is curious fact about the Green
land butterfly that the same species
which here natures in forty days re.
quires in that climate over two years.
There is one species of butterfly that is
great cosmopolite. 1t is found in China
and in Pennsylvania. | refer to the
thistle butterfly. 1t has followed the
thistle-down all over the world. The
intelligence of butterflies is shown in
tuCli NOnbClAuA uiculOIJ y IuGI Will NY
about for hours and then return to the
identical leaf from which they started
and go to bed. The largest butterflies,
the orthoptera, measure as high as
eleven inches across the wings from tip
to tip
"How large a collection have you
now?n was asked.
81 never keep any account of the
number Of specimens, as that alone does
not make a collection valuable think
have the most complete collection of
this country. OF the $50 specimens in
America north of the Rio Grande /
have an abundant representation. But
my collection is not complete, nor will
it be until | have about 10000 speci-
mems. That will be in the days of my
great great grandson perhaps"
Plenty of Fuel.
The Berlin Annalen FIR GeWerbe md
=. Il.