Few would dispute the beauty of a butterfly. These fragile little creatures take flight on wings colored from the rainbow, delighting observers young and old.

Provided for your delight are a small number of the world's butterflies and moths, taken from Dru Drury's three-volume monograph entitled Illustrations of Exotic Entomology. This 1837 work, held in the Research Library's rare book collection, contains "...upwards of six hundred and fifty figures and descriptions of foreign insects, interspersed with remarks and reflections on their nature and properties." Each illustration was originally hand colored with great care and attention to detail.

The butterflies and moths pictured here, as well as their scientific names, appear as they do in the second volume of Drury's work. Taxonomic classifications sometimes change with the passing of time as research leads to a better understanding of the relationships between different species, thus the species names given here by Drury may no longer be valid.