( 43G ) 



(-') to find affirmative evidence for certain conclusions of a general nature relating 

 to the origin of siiccies {Artbihhing). 



As the study of the Papilios was a means to a certain end, it might justly be 

 claimed tliat mistakes in the descriptive and classificatory parts of Elmer's works, or 

 the errors re facts, are of importance only if they have a bearing upon the general infer- 

 ences. For that reason we will let pass as unimportant the omission of a number of 

 interesting varieties {P. cdehion ab. mariesi, P. antiphates pompilius ah. ncbulosus, 

 P. antiphatcs antiphates, P. nomiiis swinkoei, P. paron, P. machaon asiaticus 

 ab. ladakensis, etc.), though in a special paper devoted to the classification and 

 particularly to the variation of a small number of species one would expect to find 

 mentioned at least all the varieties which have been known to science for a longer 

 time. Nor will 1 lay any stress upon the introduction of new names for forms which 

 have already names — the N.W. Indian machaon is described as a new subspecies 

 puruljabensis, though it has already two names, asiaticus and ladalicmis ; nor upon 

 erroneous denominations — 'Evm^r's P .mackaonasiaticai&Tti&lXY P.machaonsikkimensiis. 

 And I will also consider it of no great moment that the habitat (1) of P. uristeus 

 licnnocrates is given as " Philippinen (Manilla)," while the insect is known to have 

 a mucli wider distribution, (2) of aristeus is said to be " Jlolukken (Batjan)," though 

 the insect was first described from Amboina and has long been known from the 

 Southern and Northern Moluccas, (3) of P. xuthus is recorded as being " Ostasien " 

 and that of '^xuthus var. xutkul/fs" as being " Ostsibirien," while in fact the one is 

 the summer, the other the spring form of a species that in 1895 was already known to 

 occur in Japan, Amurlaud, and China: and I will only cursorily mention that neither 

 P. curynii'Jon is confined to California, nor datmus to Mexico, Texas, and Kansas, 

 both having a much wider range, and that it is a geographical enigma, if it is said 

 that P. antiphates ranges from the " North Indian Islands " into Asia, considering 

 that this PapUio is found from Ceylon, Sikkim, Southern China, Burma, Malacca, 

 the Andaman Islands, to Flores, the Philippines, and the Northern Moluccas. Such 

 small matters, though in themselves of no great weight, are nevertheless of 

 significance, inasmuch as they show that the literature on the insects dealt with was 

 not extensively studied. I know it is a heavy task toiling through the mass of 

 literature relating to Papilios, and I am quite ready to excuse such slips as those 

 mentioned here. But if some one of my readers would seek information about the 

 Pajiilios treated upon in Artbilduny, I must recommend him tlie books and treatises 

 of entomologists, whore he will meet with the record of many important facts wjiich 

 are not to be found in Arthild imy . For instance, he will learn the fact, well known in 

 entomology, that Palaearctic forms of Lepidoptera occur in the trojiics generally at 

 high elevations ; and as he must conclude that this is probably also the case with 

 P. machaon in India, he will consequently have some doubt about the correctness of the 

 locality of Eimer's Allahabad machaon. Literature will further toll him tliat a sjiecies 

 varies geographically, and he will hence expect that, iimachaon really occurs in the hot 

 valley of the Ganges, this machaon were very different from the mountain form of 

 N.W. India ; and as there is no such difference, the student of the literature will 

 rightly conclude that the said Allaliabad specimen is nut from there. Lepidopterists 

 know very well that Japan has not that large machaon form hippocrates only, alone 

 known to Eiraer, but that there is a spring brood of this large summer brood which is 

 much more similar to the European machaon than the latter; the student of the litera- 

 ture will not miss the very cons]>icuou8 and very peculiar phenomenon that the dillcr- 

 euces in the development of black of the upperside between the summer and spring 



