PIERIN/E. 6 1 



observations of Colonel Yerbury and others, to be largely a seasonal 

 modification, the spring brood being the more deeply coloured.^ Mr. 

 Butler (P. Z. S. Loncl., iSS6, p. 374) has separated the darker brood 

 as Bdcnois auriginca. 



As regards the name of Lorclaca applied by the late Mr. F. Walker 

 to specimens from the African side of the Red Sea, no lepidopterist 

 can doubt that his description is strictly applicable to the ordinary $ 

 of the African Mcscntina. The same must be remarked concerning 

 Finacopteryx Syrinx of Wallengren, from Damaraland, which was 

 referred by its author in 1872 {K. Sv. Vctcnsk.-Ahad. Forhandl., p. 

 44) to P. Giclica, Godt., as a probable variety; but in 1875 (op), cit., 

 p. 90) to P. Severina, (Cram.), — the previous reference to Gidica being 

 ascribed " lajjso tyjjographico" 



I had lately (in October 1886) the opportunity of examining the 

 fine series, Asiatic and African, of this butterfly in the British Museum 

 collection, and noticed that the smallest specimens were from Damascus, 

 Huswah (Aden), and Somaliland ; a ^ from Madagascar was also 

 smaller than usual. ^ The forty examples were separated into six sets, 

 of which the second only was named Mesentina (three Indian speci- 

 mens), the third (ten Indian specimens) " ? Lordaca, Walk.," and the 

 fourth (eight Asiatic and five African specimens) Lordaca, Walk. 

 The sixth set (eight African) bore the name of Agrippina, Feld., but 

 the latter, as I have pointed out (p. 70 infra), is really a slight variation 

 of the ^ Severina, Cram. I could not discover any satisfactory char- 

 acters by which this instructive series could be regarded as forming 

 more than one species. 



The ^, as pointed out by Oberthiir {Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov., xv. 

 1880, p. 150), exhibits much variation in the development of the 

 curved black streak at the extremity of the discoidal cell of the fore- 

 wings, especially on the upper side, where the thin superior part of 

 the streak is often more or less evanescent, or even wanting altogether 

 in some examples. 



The $, besides the variation in ground-colour above described, 

 varies considerably in the development of the black markings generally ; 

 as regards the clouded neuration of the under side of the hind- wings, 

 the most strongly marked specimen I have seen is one taken at Delagoa 

 Bay by Mrs. Monteiro. 



Larva. — Pale-yellow, greenish on the back ; a broad, brownish, 

 lateral stripe from head to tail ; head pinkish ; a few short hairs near 

 head and along the sides. 



^ The Ceylon representative, Taprohana, Moore, seems to be constantly darker than the 

 Indian Mesentina. Even in the $ I have found no case in which the white spots of the 

 dark borders are not greatly reduced or partly obsolete on the upper side, and a similar 

 deficiency is observable in both sexes as regards the under side. The yellow of the under 

 side is also remarkably deep and rich, often inclining to orange, in both sexes. 



'-' A dwarf 9 , taken near Grahamstown, Cape Colony, by Mrs. Barber, is only an inch 

 and a half across the expanded wings. 



