eason of his robe of royal purple, the lofty throne he assumes,
and the boldness and elevation of his flight.

A glimpse of this august personage on the wing is enough to fire the
collector with enthusiastic ambition {114} for his capture; sometimes a
matter of the easiest accomplishment, sometimes just as hopelessly
impossible, according to his majesty's humour of the moment.

Cowardice is not one of his attributes, and if he has formed a preference
for any especial spot, he will risk loss of liberty and life rather than
forsake it.

The old mode of capturing this prize was by a ring net fixed at the end of
a pole some twenty or thirty feet long, and so sweeping him off as he sat
on his leafy throne, or in one of his evolutions when he quitted his seat
for a turn in the air.

This method still is practised, and succeeds occasionally, but the weapon
is an unwieldy one, both in use, and for carriage to the place of action;
and science has now placed in our power another plan, by means of which I
believe that by far the greater number of recent captures have been made.

The plan alluded to, is to take advantage of the creature's royal taste for
game--for in that light I take his predilection for decomposing animal
matter, now a matter of notoriety; and so potent is the attraction of the
_haut-gout_ for the royal palate, that if any animal, or part of one, not
too recently slaughtered, be suspended near the known haunts of the insect,
ten to one but its savour will bring him down to earth to taste the
luxurious morsel, and so engrossed does he become when thus engaged, that
he may be swept off by the net without difficulty. In the space of two or
three days large numbers of Emperors have been caught by means {115} of
this novel and singular trap, and the seemingly coarse and unbutterfly-like
taste that leads them to it.

The wings of the male only have that splendid glow of changing purple that
gives him his name and honours, the empress having in its place a sober
garb of brown; she, however, considerably exceeds her lord in dimensions
and expanse of wing. From her stay-at-home habits, sitting all day in her
oak-leaf bower, she is comparatively seldom seen or captured. I believe
collectors generally take about ten males to one female.

On the under side the colouring of both sexes is similar, and affords a
striking contrast to the dark upper surface, having the white markings
arranged as on the upper side, but rathe