]^02 [October, 



The Kutti Taugti Valley is in N.E. Kumaon, in the centre of the 

 Himalayan range, at a great elevation, in the neighbourhood of the 

 eternal snows, with sparse vegetation and a dry bracing climate, and 

 zoologically within the Palaearctic region. 



Silhet is a sub-tropical plain, lying about 600 miles further east 

 and to the south, and bounded on the north and south-east with low 

 hills, on which snow never falls, but on which the heaviest rainfall in 

 the world descends ; it is little raised above the level of the sea, the 

 vegetation is luxuriant and dense, the climate oppressively hot, and 

 the fauna that of the Indo-Malayan region. And to argue that be- 

 cause a butterfly belonging to a Palaearctic genus is found in the 

 central Him.alayan Alps, there is a probability of its also being found 

 in Silhet, is scarcely scientific. 



There is nothing new in the fact that the butterfly which Mr. 

 Butler calls A. ScyUa is found in the mountains of N.E. Kumaon ; 

 it occurs at suitable elevations throughout the Himalayas, certainly 

 from Kashmir to Sikkim, possibly further ; but there is no authentic 

 record, so far as I am aware, of any species of the genus being found 

 beyond the limits of the Himalayan range, and, as a matter of fact, a 

 zoologist acquainted with the geography of the Indian region would 

 as soon expect to find a giraffe on a Scotch moor as to find an Aulocey^a 

 in Silhet ; it might occur, but it is not likely. 



The question whether A. Scylla is or is not distinct from A. hrah- 

 minus is a matter of opinion, and must remain so until the life-history 

 of the insect is fully known ; Major Marshall and I formed one 

 opinion on the spot, after careful study of large numbers of the per- 

 fect insects, and of their habits and haunts ; Mr. Butler has formed 

 his thousands of miles away, with a scanty supply of specimens, and 

 misled by a label, the untrustworthiness of which he must have per- 

 ceived if he had had any acquaintance with the region he was dealing 

 with, and the verdict between the two I must leave to the readers of 

 this Magazine. 



Mr. Butler says that " few things can be more detrimental to the 

 study of any branch of science than guessing ;" but querying will do 

 little harm if confined to matters of opinion, and not allowed to de- 

 generate into dogmatism ; far worse than guessing are attempts to 

 meet honest queries by sneers, and if, as Mr. Butler asserts, A. Scylla 

 is a good and constant local form, he will earn the gratitude of all 

 entomologists in this country at any rate, if he will define the locality 

 to which it is confined. 



As regards the name given by Colonel Lang, I need only remark 



