Page:Jardine Naturalist's Library Foreign Butterflies.djvu/112

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102

PAPILIO PARIS.


PLATE III. Fig. 2.


Linn. Fabr. Drury's Ins. Pl. xii. fig. 1; Cramer, Pl. 103, A, B; Boisd. Spec. gen. p. 208.


P. Ulysses, Perianthus, Bianor, Polyctor (Boisd.), Blumer (Boisd.), Crino, Palinurus, Paris, and Arjuna, form a very natural group of butterflies, distributed over the eastern parts of the continent of Asia, and the islands of the Indian Archipelago. The great breadth of the wings and tail, combined with the general darkness of their colours, give them a somewhat heavy appearance, but this is often in some degree relieved by great richness of decoration. They are occasionally ornamented with patches of very brilliant azure-blue, and nearly all of them are sprinkled with shining points of golden-green, making the surface appear as if powdered with gold-dust. The species figured as an example is a native of China, and is often received in collections from that country, although it does not appear to be very common. In many cabinets a closely allied species stands for this, which is so similar that the two may easily be confounded. The species alluded to is Pap. Arjuna, a native of Java, accurately described by Dr. Horsfield; but although now regarded as