﻿22 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  Notes 
  on 
  Japanese 
  Butterflies. 
  

  

  By 
  Hy. 
  J. 
  Turner, 
  F.E.S.— 
  /?crt(l 
  September, 
  12th, 
  1918. 
  

  

  The 
  Japanese 
  Islands 
  occupy 
  a 
  very 
  similar 
  position 
  on 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  Eurasian 
  continent 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  

   Islands 
  on 
  the 
  western, 
  except 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  about 
  sixteen 
  degrees 
  

   further 
  south, 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  greater 
  extension 
  in 
  latitude, 
  enjoy 
  a 
  

   more 
  varied 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  more 
  temperate 
  climate. 
  Their 
  outline 
  is 
  

   also 
  more 
  irregular 
  and 
  their 
  mountains 
  loftier, 
  the 
  volcanic 
  peak 
  

   of 
  Fusiyama 
  being 
  over 
  14,000 
  feet 
  high. 
  Their 
  soil 
  is 
  very 
  fertile 
  

   and 
  their 
  vegetation 
  in 
  the 
  highest 
  degree 
  varied. 
  Like 
  our 
  own 
  

   islands 
  they 
  lie 
  on 
  a 
  marine 
  bank 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  continent 
  less 
  

   than 
  a 
  hundred 
  fathoms 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  although 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  intervening 
  space 
  is 
  very 
  deep, 
  suggesting 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  con- 
  

   nection 
  is 
  of 
  more 
  remote 
  date. 
  A 
  southern 
  warm 
  current 
  flowing 
  

   a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  ameliorates 
  their 
  climate 
  

   much 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  as 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  does 
  ours, 
  and 
  enables 
  

   them 
  to 
  support 
  a 
  more 
  tropical 
  vegetation 
  and 
  more 
  varied 
  forms 
  

   of 
  life. 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  might 
  expect 
  from 
  the 
  above 
  remarks, 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  animal 
  

   life 
  found 
  in 
  Japan 
  show 
  a 
  close 
  resemblance 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   jacent 
  mainland, 
  the 
  Amur 
  district, 
  Corea, 
  Manchuria, 
  and 
  N. 
  

   China. 
  The 
  fauna 
  presents 
  strong 
  indications 
  of 
  there 
  having 
  

   been 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  lines 
  of 
  migration 
  at 
  different 
  epochs. 
  The 
  

   majority 
  of 
  its 
  animals 
  are 
  related 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  temperate 
  or 
  cold 
  

   regions 
  of 
  the 
  continent, 
  either 
  identical 
  or 
  allied 
  species. 
  A 
  

   minority 
  have 
  a 
  tropical 
  character, 
  either 
  identical 
  with 
  or 
  allies 
  of 
  

   species 
  in 
  China, 
  Formosa, 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  Malay. 
  A 
  few 
  again 
  

   occur 
  in 
  North 
  China 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  North 
  India 
  (a 
  temperate 
  belt 
  on 
  

   the 
  Himalayan 
  slopes) 
  to 
  Kashmir 
  and 
  Chitral. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  

   slight 
  American 
  element, 
  no 
  doubt 
  a 
  relic 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  when 
  a 
  

   land 
  communication 
  existed 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  continents 
  across 
  what 
  

   are 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  shallow 
  seas 
  of 
  Japan, 
  Okutsh 
  and 
  Kamschatka. 
  

  

  We, 
  who 
  have 
  been 
  studying 
  Lepidoptera 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  are 
  

   well 
  aware 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  local 
  variation 
  in 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  number 
  of 
  species, 
  and 
  we 
  may 
  be 
  sure 
  that 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  

   for 
  the 
  constant 
  intermingling 
  and 
  intercrossing 
  of 
  the 
  individuals 
  

   inhabiting 
  adjacent 
  localities, 
  this 
  tendency 
  to 
  local 
  variation 
  in 
  

   adaptation 
  to 
  slightly 
  different 
  conditions, 
  would 
  soon 
  form 
  distinct 
  

   races. 
  But 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  any 
  group 
  of 
  

   species 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  portions, 
  such 
  as 
  occurs 
  with 
  the 
  

  

  