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in ANIMAL LIFE IN THE TROPICAL FORESTS 273but they are also very plentiful in old settlements in whichfruit-trees and shrubbery offer suitable haunts. In the vicinityof such old towns asMalacca and Amboyna in the East, andof Para and Rio de Janeiro in the West, they are especiallyabundant, and comprise some of the handsomest and mostremarkable species in the whole group. Their aspect isaltogether different from that presented by the butterflies ofEurope and of most temperate countries. A considerableproportion of the species are very large, six to eight inchesacross the wings being not uncommon among the Papilionidseand Morphidse, while several species are even larger. Thisgreat expanse of wings is accompanied by a slow flight ; and,as they usually keep near the ground and often rest, sometimeswith closed and sometimes with expanded wings, thesenoble insects really look larger and are much more conspicuousobjects than the majority of our native birds. Thefirst sight of the great blue Morphos flapping slowly along inthe forest roads near Para, of the large white-and-black semitransparentIdeas floating airily about in the woods nearMalacca, and of the golden -green Ornithopteras sailing onbird -like wing over the flowering shrubs which adorn thebeach of the K6 and Aru islands, can never be forgotten byany one with a feeling of admiration for the new and beautifulin nature. Next to the size, the infinitely varied and dazzlinghues of these insects most attract the observer. Instead ofthe sober browns, the plain yellows, and the occasional patchesof red, or blue, or orange that adorn our European species,we meet with the most intense metallic blues, the purestsatiny greens, the most gorgeous crimsons, not in small spotsbut in large masses, relieved by a black border or background.In others we have contrasted bands of blue and orange, or ofcrimson and green, or of silky yellow relieved by velvetyblack. In not a few the wings are powdered over with scalesand spangles of metallic green, deepening occasionally intoblue or golden or deep red spots. Others again have spotsand markings as of molten silver or gold, while several havechangeable hues, like shot^silk or richly-coloured opal. Theform of the wings, again, often attracts attention. Tailedhind-wings occur in almost all the families, but vary much incharacter. In some the tails are broadly spoon- shaped, inT