1896.1 15 



eye for the picturesque and suitable, and often, after walking for 

 miles through Bush without having the eye gladdened by sight of bird 

 or insect, I have come suddenly upon some sunny sheltered slope, 

 where amongst a perfect forest of ferns and creepers the cotton weed 

 reared its clusters of graceful white blossoms, and Plexi2)ptis sailed to 

 and fro as if the whole place belonged to him. One morning when 

 taking my early stroll in the old garden, I noticed one of this species 

 of a remarkably pale colour, the markings were of the usual type, but 

 the rich orange-tawny was replaced by pale greenish-yellow. It had 

 quite recently emerged when I first observed it, the wings hanging 

 down limp, and not having with me a box large enough to take it home 

 alive, and knowing from experience that it was almost certain to haunt 

 the spot for some time, I refrained from capturing it until the wings 

 should be perfectly expanded. Meantime I watched it with intense 

 interest, as being the first of the species I had ever seen which differed 

 to any notable degree from the usual type. A few of the ordinary 

 form were flying about, and frequently alighting on the sweet williams, 

 where the pale greenish-yellow one sat sunning himself with out- 

 stretched wings. The contrast w'as most striking, and but for the 

 well-known markings it might almost have passed for another species. 

 When it took flight and flew from one flower bed to another, it was 

 equally remarkable on the wing, the pale greenish tint telling strongly. 

 After watching it for a considerable time, I netted and killed it, and 

 gazed on my prize with much pleasure. The markings of the under- 

 side, except in being a little paler, did not differ from the ordinary 

 form, but whether looked at in sunshine or shade the pale delicate 

 colour of the upper side was quite unlike any one of the species I had 

 ever seen. With more care than is usually bestowed on Danais 

 Plexippus, I packed it in folds of paper, and on the spot carefully 

 noted date and locality. About a year later, when in England, and 

 looking over my Australian butterflies with my friend Mr. Charles Gr. 

 Barrett, I specially commended to his notice this pale variety, and it 

 was with great interest that we waited for the relaxing of the insect, 

 and when this carefully dated D. Plexippus unfolded its wings there 

 was not a trace of the pale greenish tint to be seen, but instead, the 

 usual rich golden-tawny, only a little deeper and richer than usual. 

 Out of scores of this butterfly that I have reared from the larvae, not 

 one ever showed a tint resembling this one at the time of capture, and 

 among the thousands I have seen in a natural state none ever varied 

 in a notable degree from the ordinary form. 



Worthing : October, 1894. 



