1S99.] GKOTE — SPECIALIZATIONS OF LEPIDOPTEROUS WING. 15 



In taking a fresh view of the evolution of the neuration, one is only 

 too liable to overlook minor characters, or again to lay undue stress 

 upon them. But, if I am correct in my major conclusions, if the 

 theory in the main adequately explains the facts, such faults may be 

 eliminated and forgiven. A well-founded division of the butter- 

 flies into two larger groups, of equal morphological value, must be 

 considered as a gain to taxonomy, while it eases the study of the 

 waste of butterflies to a hitherto unknown extent. I try to show, 

 not only that the Parnassi-Papilionidae belong together, but that 

 all the rest of the butterflies are correctly associated in a second 

 group. I have broken the Papilionides away, not only from their 

 supposed affinities with the Whites, but from their incongruous 

 placement with the Skippers also. In the former case I differ from 

 Mr. Renter, in the latter from Mr. Scudder. It seems to me that 

 light is thus thrown upon a subject on which much has been written 

 which must now appear purposeless, while the new course would 

 enable us to carry with greater certainty the apparatus of classifica- 

 tion along the road of phylogeny. 



Material. 



The authority for the generic names and types which I have here 

 consulted, is Mr. Scudder' s Historical Sketch of the Generic Names 

 Proposed for Butterflies^ Salem, 1875. ^ regret not to have been 

 able to procure information or material of several generic types 

 published since this date in the Papilionidae. For specific determi- 

 nations I am largely indebted to Dr. O. Staudinger and A. Bang- 

 Haas, Blasewitz, Dresden. As far as possible I have studied tne 

 neuration of the female sex, since here the question of secondary 

 sexual character is for the most part excluded. Where the male 

 alone has been examined the sex is indicated. Following Mr. 

 Scudder's work, I have omitted to cite the author to the generic 

 type. 



Classification of the Papilionides. 



The characters are taken from the position of the veins and their 

 condition. These characters are offered by the neurational move- 

 ment peculiar to the Papilionides, of which they constitute existing 

 stages, and are hence secondary and characters of specialization 

 only. They are here amplified from my original communication 



