KOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXVI. 1919. 



321 



A comparison of the West Indian islands is interesting, but the paucity 

 of the smaller islands is at once apparent. Much exploration, no doubt, remains 

 to be done yet, for if St. Lucia has three species of Papilio, surely Martinique, 

 Dominica, and Guadeloupe have as many? Again, if Cuba holds 13 species, 

 Haiti must surely have as many if not more. Porto Rico may contain more 

 than the four recorded species. It is jjossible that it may not now have as 

 many, for the island is very highly cultivated and is densely populated. Jamaica 

 has 6 species, and this is not likely to be increased, as the butterflies of the 

 island are pretty well known. We have given a column to the small island of 

 Grand Cayman because it produces a subspecies of its own of andraemon, but 

 this is the only species there unless polydamas in some form or other occurs, 

 which is most probable and likely. The fauna of Grenada entomologically is 

 little known, and it is higlily probable that in such a fertile and weU-wooded 

 island there is more than the one species — polydamas. Trinidad furnishes nine 

 species of Papilio, and its near neighbour, Tobago, is so little worked that it is 

 not certain whether a papilio occurs there at all. D. Longstaff does not record 

 any species in his paper in the Trans. Ent. Soc. 1908. But it is highly probable 

 that the widely spread polydamas occurs.' Starting with Florida (which is 

 much like the West Indies in climate), a comparative list gives the following 

 result : 



Species. 



Florida . 

 Bahamas 

 Cuba. 

 Haiti 

 Jamaica 

 Grand Cayman 

 Porto Rico 

 Antigua . 



Species. 

 1 

 1 

 1 

 3 

 1 

 1 

 1 

 9 



In the geographical table, following Trinidad comes Venezuela (North), but 

 the Orinoco column can equally be comjiared, for Trinidad has species that are 

 common to both regions. It is instructive to note that while the Orinoco region 

 has 23 species, the northern area with the mountainous region gives 30 species. 

 Trinidad in the south is like the Orinoco region, while in the north, owing to 

 the range of hills (the continuation of the " silla " range in Venezuela), it is 

 more like the North Venezuela fauna. Continuing the sweep of the coast-Une 

 from the Orinoco in turn, British, Dutch, and French Guiana are tabulated. 

 These three areas are remarkably uniform for the numbers of species. Both 

 Dutch and French Guiana have 27 species, while British has 26. The species, 

 however, are not identical. For while coelus belongs only to French, phosphorus 

 is only recorded from the British area ; but as it occurs in the Lower Amazon, it 

 may be expected to turn up in the intervening country. Lycidas is not yet 

 recorded from British or French, while it is to be found on the Lower Amazon 

 as well as in the Orinoco basin, besides Dutch Guiana. Aristeus is absent from 

 British, but found in Dutch and French. Callias is not found in British or 

 Dutch, but belongs to French Guiana and the Lower Amazon. Probably, when 



^ Since recorded. 



