T A B . XIX.
P A P I L I O T I T Y R U S.
G R E A T S IL V E R -S P O T T Ë D S K IP P E R B U T T E R F L Y .
R O B IN I A P S É U B 0-A C J C IA . ■ L INN. VAR.
■ RED-FLOWERED FALSE ACACIA.
P i P. alls fubcaudatis fufcisi anticis utrinque fafcia fiava; pofticis fubtus flriga argcntcàt
Hefperia Tityrus. Fair. Entom. emend. V. 4. 331,
T h is Caterpillar was taken feeding on th e wild loeuft tree th e latter end o f Augtift.
I t Ipins th e leaves together to feciire itfe lf from birds, &c. like th e reft o f this tribe.
On th e 5 th o f September it fpun up in th e leaves, and became a cbryfalis two days
after. T h e butterfly was produced the lo th o f April following. I t is alfo a native
o f Virginia, b u t n o t v ery common.
Although we never heard of the common Robinia Pfeudo-Àcacià varying from its ufiial white
colour to red, we cannot poffibly fuppofe the drawing of Mr. Abbot to reprefent any other
fpecies,. as in every other refpeCt it flrikingly and minutely agrees with that.
The genus of Robinia was named after à French botanift, of whom the following anecdotës
may not be unacceptable to the Englilh reader. The pâflage is tranflated from Mélanges
â'Hifloire et de Littérature, par M. de Vigneul-Marville. ed. 4. Paris. 1725, Pol. J. 255, the
real author of which work was a chartreux monk, Don Bonaventure d’Argonne, the Zoilus
Of De la Bruyere.
“ Joannes Robiniis, keeper of the royal botanic garden (at Paris), erat eumichus. He was
“ the moft curious botanift of his time. His portrait, engraved at the expence of his friends,
“ may be found with a collection of flowers and plants which he had cultivated, accompanied
“ with this diftich,
" Omnes herbas novi.
“ Quot tulit hefperidum, rraundi quot ferdlis hortus,
“ Herbarum fpecies novit hie unus eas.
“ He was the firft who raifed the Acacia in France, and he firft gave a vogue to tuberofes,
“ which before his time were known only in Provence. There never w as'a man more fond
“ of flowers. Whatever fubjedt was mentioned to him, he always turned it towards his fa-
“ vourite purfuit; which made M. Patin fay, he would occafion an alteration of the proverb,
“ it reminds Robin of his flutes, into it reminds Robin of his flowers. The fame M. Patin called
“ him Eumichus Hefperidum ; but a jealous eunuch, fo jealous o f his flowers, that he had
“ rather deftroy their bulbs, than communicate any to his friends. A certain phyfician, en-
“ raged at this illiberality, addrefled a very cruel fatire in Latin to M. Robin, with the fol-
“ lowing title:
“ Joanni Robino totius propaginis inimico nato."
L