How to Know the Butterflies

The Cornell classic that taught America to name what it saw: every eastern butterfly described from life, with its caterpillar, its food-plants, its habits — and how to pronounce its Latin.

◆ A Cabinet of Curiosities ◆

The Setting Board

What a 1904 field guide knew about butterflies that most people still don’t.

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General Account of Butterflies

9 butterflies

The Classification of Butterflies

12 butterflies

The Swallow-Tails

10 butterflies

The Pierids

26 butterflies

The Nymphs

50 butterflies

The Meadow-Browns

17 butterflies

The Milkweed Butterflies

8 butterflies

The Gossamer-Winged Butterflies

41 butterflies

The Skippers

1 butterfly

The Common Skippers

71 butterflies

Highlights

The Gray Emperor (Chlorippe celtis Chlo-rip'pe)

Chlorippe celtis (Chlo-rip'pe cel'tis) PLATE XXIX, FIG. 1, 3 In this and the following species the apex of the front wings and…

II. the Structure of Butterflies

The body of a butterfly consists of three regions, which are known as the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The head is the…

The Yellows

The yellows are easily recognized by their bright yellow colors, although in some species whitish forms occur. They abound almost…

The Roadside Skipper (Amblyscirtes vialis)

Amblyscirtes vialis (Am-bly-scir'tes vi-a'lis) PLATE XXXIX, FIG. I, 2 The upper surface of the wings is dark blackish brown; the…

The Nymphs (Family Nymphalid Nym-phal'i-d)

Family Nymphalidæ (Nym-phal'i-dæ) The family Nymphalidæ, or Nymphs, includes chiefly but terflies of medium or large size; but a…

The Cloudless Sulphur (Callidryas eubule)

Callidryas eubule (Cal-lid'ry-as eu-bu'le) PLATE XVI, FIG. 3, 4 This large butterfly expands two and one-half inches. The wings…

The Pronouncing Table

Every scientific name in the book with the Comstocks' own phonetic respelling — so you can say Pontia protodice out loud without fear.

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