( 492 ) 



In order to enable those of onr rciulers who have no .access to the literature in 

 qnestion to arrive at an indejjendent ojiinion, we give the following facts : — 



1. AVe have in the Tring Museum four editions of Merian's Met. liia. Surinam ; 

 otlicr copies of the work liave also been compared. Now, the black design of the 

 upper figure of Plate XLVll. is the same in all copies, the stigma being plainly 

 DiviDKD as in tiie vine-feeder, not in the J«.s.s7V?M-feeder. But the colouring is 

 ntterly diiferent, as follows : — 



a. Latin edition of 1705 ; library at GOttingen : — 



Distal and abdominal margins of hindwing red. 



b. Dutch edition of 17U5, in the Tring Museum : — 



Distal margins of fore- and hindwing red ; abdominal margin of 

 hindwing green. 



c. Edition of 1719 :— 



Higlit and left forewing diiferent in jtattern ; distal and abdominal 

 margins of hindwing red. 

 (I. Latin and French edition of 172(i, in Mie Tring Museum : — • 



A\'ings nearly entirely crimson, a narrow green band on forewing; distal 

 and abdominal margins of iiindwing green, with the red colour 

 of the disc extending to distal margin posteriorly on the left wing. 

 Tiie figure in the copy contained in the library at GiJttingen is only 

 jiartly coloured ; the disc of the hindwing is green. 

 e. Dutch edition of 183U, in the Tring Museum : — 



Distal and abdominal margins of hindwing red as in the ./^.s-.s/cz/r^-fceder ; 

 stigma of forewing so thickly smeared over with brown that the 

 wliite dividing line is not visible except by close inspection. 



2. Linne's descriptions of the wings are as follows : — 

 /'. In S;/st. Nat. ed. x. : — 



^^ all's cinereis fusco-variis : posticis marqine tcnuiore sanquineis^^ 

 (/. In Mas. Liid. Ulr. :— 



" alae posticae supra cinereae. Fascia nigricans versus margiiirm 

 posticum. ifacula nigra in disco. Margo anterior alhus, interior 

 Macida sanguinea.''' 

 Ii. In Sifst. Nat. ed. xii. : — 



"ftfe cincreis Jusco vuriis : posticis margine interiore s/r/iguineis.'" 

 It will be noticed that : — 



a.' Margo tenuior is the same as marqo interior (see a and c ; Fabricius also 

 employs sometimes tenuior for interior). 



h . Linne speaks of marqo posticus, marqo anterior, and marqo interior in Mus. 

 Lud. Ulr. 



Comparing other descri[)tions of Linne we find that his margo posticus is tlie 

 distal margin (see descrijjtion of Carolina), the margo anterior the costal margin, 

 and the margo interior the abdominal margin. This m<(rgo interior alone is 

 described as red in titis (see /—//). Sapienti sat. 



c? ? . Forewing, upperside : a subbasal band from costal to inner margin 

 crossing vein M just proximally of M' ; stigma round, divided by the pale cross-vein 

 D' ; pale discal band curved costad ; distal margiind border with a grey or white 



line at j)roximal edge ; all these characters sliown in Merian's figure. Hindwing : 



a black discal line from upper distal angle of square patch costad ; a black, con- 

 tinuous, submarginal band, preoeded by a more or less completely ^separate line. 



