The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-26
HUNTING THE BUTTERFLY.
Is Done with Powder and Shot I'm
Northern Australia.
From the Youths Companion.

northern Australia.
From the Youths Companion.
In the forests of Northern Australia
lives a butterfly which is always hunt
ed with powder and shot. This is a
brilliant-hued creature. highly valued
by collectors. 1t is very shy, and how
ers about the upper branches of the
trees. seldom approaching within TWEEN
~ feet of the ground.
For a long time the only specimens
in collections We're the frayed and be-
draggled individuals which. because of
injuries to their wings, had dropped
below their zone of flight.
A travelling American naturalist
went to Australia determined to get
some perfect specimens of this rare
insect. For several days he strove
with long nets and short nets to entrap
some of the beautiful creatures of the
upper air. He raised ladders ami
climbed trees at the peril of life and
limb, but the wary butterflies kept be-
yond range of his swooping net. Yam
kee ingenuity was not to be beaten so
easily, however The entomologist hit
uron the brilliant idea of a decoy.
Loading his gun with the smallest
shot he had, he brought down one of
the high-hyers. 1t was badly battered,
but he patched and furnished il up to
an appearance of espectability. and
spread 1t on bush top in a conspic
uouS spot ten feet above the ground,
arranging the wings with as close 4
resemblance to life as possible
curiosity is besetting failing of
butterflies. Presently two of them no.
uced their departed comrade, and be-
gan to circle lower and lower above the
hush. Others Joined the investigation,
and finally the patient collector was
able to capture one of them by a swift
movement. This sent the others soar
ing away in alarm, but in a few mo-
ments they were back again, and be-
fore the day was over the naturalist's
ingenuity was rewarded by the capture
OF halt dozen perfect specimens,
which afterward became the property
OF various scientific museums Since
then this has beer the recognized
method of taking that species of insect.
somewhat similar was the capture OF
some rare South American butterflies
several years ago. An entomologist
travelling on the Orinoco failed after
many attempts to take a single speci-
men of a swallowtail butterfly which
haunted the upper foliage of the forest.
one day his party came across a band
or half-savage natives, armed with
blow-guns. bows and spears. one of
whom offered to supply the collector
with number of the desired insects at
a price.
An offer of twenty-five cents speci-
men represented opulence to the native.
who returned on the following evening
with six of the butterf1es-all perfect
or nearly so. How the Indian could
catch the shy and delicate insect, which
he himself with all the implements of
the chase could not capture, was a
problem to the traveller
Not until he was about to leave
would the native explain. His method
was very simple, he said, and pointed
70 his 'blow-gun, a weapon with which
these people are marvelously accurate
and deadly marksmen. even killing big
game with darts blown from them
lie had marked down" his butterfly.
waited for II to alight, and then shot
pellet to the leaf upon which IT was
posing. The impact was sufficient TO
stun the prey and bring it to the
wings.