New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-09
CHASING BUTTERFLIES.
WITH VALUABLE SCIENTIFIC AND ARTISTIC
RESULTS
VISIT TO GREAT coLLEcTIoN-soME NOTABLE
SPECIMENS HOW THE INSECTS ARE Sc.


SPECIMENS HOW THE INSECTS ARE Sc.
CURED, MOUNTED AND PRESERVED.
rYnoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.
Norwich Conn, Aug S.-Ihis is the season of the
GEAR when the gay and festive butterfly hutters aim
essly about with the learned entomologist tagging
closely and gleefuly behind One can the two in
their mad chase at all times of the day and often long
into the night. Every section of this world knows
them. The number of Swans who devote much OF
their time to collecting butterflies and moths would
form a great army. New England is probably better
represented than any Other section of this country
pne of the bestknown lepidoptcrists in New England
and an authority for every thing chronological IS
A. W. Pearson OF this city. His house Is a vcritabie
curfo han. 1t is filed with cabinets containing
mounted specimens, while the walls abound WIN
pictures Of bright and varesaed insects done IN water
,alors BoolS too lie rromiscuously about, and the
place has perfect charm for visitors, who are numer
ous They are all given a hearty welcome by the
good natured. vivacious host who, by the way, Stf
ngly resembles in appearance the famous tragcdian
Edwin Booth. and introduced TO collection rep
resenting twenty three years of unnmittant TOLL which
but few can hope 10 equal in beauty or size. Thele
are specimens from all paris Of the world specimens
rare and costly Not a few have mantle of romance
or history thrown around them. while all have
natural charm which IS net entirely lost to the novice
TO whom OBSTACLES unknown. The SUBJECT Dc
comes much more interesting. however, when one
row afief row OF tneIo anu lcIi' Una" ''
represent thousands of dollars. Every MON ana Out
,erfy has commercial value ranging from cents 10
300 This IN itself IS sufficient to warrant Afternoon
The Thaliura Rhpheus readily attracts the eye,
II is blackbarre and striped with blue, green anu
gold. But that is not its most interesting I'@'uiV'
it stands. as the monument Of the life of man. 1ne9e
flies are valuable, selling for 81 each' IheS
were formerly scarce at S15 apiece. About ten
years ago the chronological market was Hooded py
a collector who went into the wilds OF Mandeasc"
and shipped hundreds of them 10 London Inc Wi'o
fell steadily from SI5 10 81 % Then the coHeclor
was burned TO death in that farof land ana inc
supply again diminished, the price began 10 rise ana
IS still on the upward incline. The only way 10 gel
ono now is for number of collectors 10 form pool
and dispatch foreign agent into the pefll0hs "HueI
ness In the swalIow-tail' collection, so ter"eo
on account of the shape of their tails there are pea
full specimens from Java Costa Rca COLOMBIA mus
Nalacca Madagascar SaXOny and Germany Iho
Papillo Arctlrus is the finest in this class II j.
valued at 81 and measures. with wings spfe%'' ro'h
two and a half 20 six inches. The ofm'"opoi"
pompeus is another fine one i'll two rich coors-pacA
and yellow One OF the finest and rarest hies IN
collection. a fly which is only caught IN me Nes
Indies and which sells readily at 80. Is Inc "I'll-
tboptera Brookiana, discovered by wallace rms j.
IN Mr. PearsOnS collection and shows up b'au'i'uiN
The Dead Leaf butterflies of india. Whch cI'S'
their wings hang tree bOugh By TIER hi'ld,"ie
tails and resemble leaves, find their deceptive aOniF
NJ rreat advantage when collector stumbieS SnndehN
,,non them by metamorphOsng themselves as i were
into leaves and in that way giving their u'iin'''o
the slip. The Morpho Cypris of south America
found i'm the famous emerald mining dls'ilc' Vi Wv"
frapada The natives have a legend tnat Tue SUNS
Of these butterflies death pass into me S'0cS al"
mako their rich and vivid color In the Agyhh'ndS
family the Saraswati of Northern lndia j. pe0u'"'
FIX. 1t is very small. On the outer margin Oh "'e
under side of the wing there is a Inquire "hch IT.
,e,nbIee a munlmed Egyptian animal, while on The
,ffo cafe
has Characteristic, too. which Is entirely Us OWL
While they are Of copper color or brown aooVe'
spotted and striped with black they are beahilnhE
marked with silver beneath This IS the Only n.y.
except the CraptaS which has any silver STREAMING "
all The rare variety of th, family is the AStorodh
The great lantern fly of Surnam is the most 1oruao'
looking animal in the lot. 1t is fly mat i,ers,"
not skilled in tho science would give wide ber'n'
II carries an Illuminated beak two-thllds the IenE'n
of IFS body and is virtually flying lamp Ih'
knowledge OF this popularized by Nine Sybille de
Marians book. "Metamorphoses drs Insecies de sur
man, The fIelicona. Ithomia Acres and lN'ohea'
arc all tropical flies and very brilliant
The Fenessica Tarquinius has the honor OF being
he only carnlvorous-or rather insrccating- butter
Az in the world and the only useful one to the aGrl
rutlrists The larval life OF this fly has been Known
hut a few,ycars II is a dulcOlored little Amer
ran and as il lowered hawthorne and black
alders the foliage Of rIoSc plants was believed 10
he its food But in 1856, Miss Emily L. Morton,
pf Windsor. y. y succeeding in establishing beyond
dIsuute that the caterpillar of this butterfly subsed
ON the plant lice Of the alder.
OF the American flies, the Graptas are by far the
,rottiest One takes its name of Comma. on account
of a perfect silver comma under the wing another
one Interrogation. and still another semiCoon MI
Pearson has the Grapta Comma I'm all its stages-la'-
vac suspended and chr salidS from day Old to ma
iiur4ty Another peculiarly marked butterfly is tho
Dogs Head which is principally found in Georgia
stS wings the perfect picture or
sor's head can be readily discemed. The Chonobas
semidea. fly found only upon the White Mountains
M a very high attitude, finishes this scientifically
remarkable list of butterfly oddities. i IS supposed
no represent an Arctic fly 1t stays in the grass, Dl
IS occasionally seen to jump short distance. IT
only flies when startled. however, it is AFRAID Of
being blown from its habitat
His collection of moths. too is large. rare ana
handsome TO the average reader butterfly and
a moth are one. Entomoogists. however. make a
distinction The distinguishing marks between them
are the horns. The butterfly has knobbcd horns
horns with a lump the cnd-while those Of the
moth are threadllke of various forms IN raising
moths IT is customary for entomolOgists 10 hatch
them direct from the egg in their own houses, and
Inc best specimens are col in this way Many
however. are caught on the wing. When the electric
tights were first put into operation in this city, the
collectors reaped rich harvess. the moths being at
fracted and blinded by the light. Myriads of the
Attacus Luna species struck the town several years
ago, and eyrated around the old liberty pole On
Franklin Square. where electric lights were hung
Hundreds of them killed and The street was
found c&speted with them In the morning But fine
specimens rarely seen around the lights now.
entomologists claiming that the moths, which they
credit with much reasoning power, have learned BY
experience keep away
Tile Samia Cynthia Is japanese six worm 1t
rpins large and has been cultivated some by
American collectors. 1bore have also been efforts
made TO cultivate its silk. but the cocoon, although
tough and large, cannot be easily unwOund. Two
pairs OF the SANTA CeaDothl show the difference in
size and color between naturally and ar;fcay raised