While I Ate, Three Men, Two Women, And Four
Children Watched Every Motion, And Never Took Eyes Off Me Until I
Had Finished.
On our way back in the heat of the day, I had the good fortune to
capture three specimens of a fine Ornithoptera, the largest, the
most perfect, and the most beautiful of butterflies.
I trembled
with excitement as I took the first out of my net and found it to
be in perfect condition. The ground colour of this superb insect
was a rich shining bronzy black, the lower wings delicately
grained with white, and bordered by a row of large spots of the
most brilliant satiny yellow. The body was marked with shaded
spots of white, yellow, and fiery orange, while the head and
thorax were intense black. On the under-side the lower wings were
satiny white, with the marginal spots half black and half yellow.
I gazed upon my prize with extreme interest, as I at first
thought it was quite a new species. It proved however to be a
variety of Ornithoptera remus, one of the rarest and most
remarkable species of this highly esteemed group. I also obtained
several other new and pretty butterflies. When we arrived at our
lodging-house, being particularly anxious about my insect
treasures, I suspended the box from a bamboo on which I could
detect no sign of ants, and then began skinning some of my birds.
During my work I often glanced at my precious box to see that no
intruders had arrived, until after a longer spell of work than
usual I looked again, and saw to my horror that a column of small
red ants were descending the string and entering the box.
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