Insecta. 283 



which reports have already been made and are referred to in this work. In 

 the Introduction (pp. 1 — 4) the writer deals with the faunas of the Seychelles 

 and Aldabra separately. (I) The Seychelles consist almost entirely of granitic rocks, 

 with a maximum elevation of 3000 feet; their lower slopes are highly cultivated, 

 but at greater elevations patches of the highly peculiar endemic forest remain. 

 They are considered to be the worn-down remains of a much larger land, Avhich 

 between Carboniferous and Tertiary times formed a land-connection between 

 India and Madagascar. At the present time, there is to the East and North of 

 the Seychelles a chain of coral-islands between them and India: to the South- 

 West are the coral-islands of the Amirantes. The South-East Trade Winds blow 

 from May — September, but cross a very large tract of sea; for this reason they 

 are perhaps less powerful distributing agents than the much lighter North-West 

 winds (October — April). Ocean-currents probably do not much assist the dis- 

 tribution of the larger forms of Lepidoptera. Among the groups considered in 

 this paper, 143 species have been found in the Seychelles, 30 of which are peculiar. 

 The majority of the peculiar species are very distinct and well-separated from 

 their allies; many of them belong to continental groups which do not often 

 cross large areas of sea. The non-peculiar species are mostly widely-distributed, 

 with a slight preponderance of African forms. In addition to these groups, 111 spp. 

 of Tortricina and Tineina (incl. 90 peculiar spp.), and 9 spp. of Pterophoridae 

 and Orneodidae (incl. 3 peculiar spp.), have been found in the Seychelles. 



(II) The atoll of Aldabra, and the neighbouring coral-islands, have been 

 shown to have risen from the sea, and never to have been connected with any 

 land. The fauna therefore consists entirely of immigrants which have crossed the 

 sea. Aldabra is covered with a wild Vegetation derived from Madagascar. In the 

 groups here considered, Aldabra has 66 spp. of which 7 are peculiar, while the 

 remainder are Madagascar or African forms. 



The remainder of the paper is a systematic account, including descriptions 

 of the new species, which are illustrated in the coloured plate. 



H. Scott (Cambridge). 



927) Porritt, G. T., Melanism in Abraxas grossulariata. In: Ent. Mo. Mag., 

 Bd. XXIII, Heft 9, S 214--215, 1912. 



The writer bred large numbers of this moth from larvae and pupae found in the 

 N. of England near Huddersfield. Among the imagines were 3 specimens of an entirely 

 black form, which he names var. nigra. All the wings are dark blue-biack above and 

 lieneath, the usual black markings showing through in a more intense black: head, 

 thorax and abdomen are intense black. The only trace of colour consists of a very few 

 dark orange scales at the extreme base of the hind-wings. The writer regards var. nigra 

 as an extreme form of var. nigrosxiarsata (a number of which were also bred). All 3 

 specimens of var. nigra were J. H. Scott (Cambridgre). 



928) Eltringham, H., A Monograph of the African species of the Genus 

 Acraca, Fab., with a Supplement on those of the Oriental Region. 

 In: Trans. Ent. Soc. London, Heft 1, S. 1—374, Taf. I— XVI, 1912. 



In the Introduction (pp. 1 — 19) some account is given of earlier work on 

 this genus. Certain genera into which it has been divided are not really distinct 

 and cannot stand; but Pkwema is distinct, as is also the S. American Äciinote, 

 and the curious Pardopsis. The genus Acraca is then defined. The form of the 

 male genital armature is of the greatest importance in Classification: it "varies 

 from a state of extreme complexity to one of primitive simplicity, but in the 

 majority of species exhibits little individual Variation" (p. 6). The female usually 

 possesses a chitinous plate on the T*^*^ sternite, surrounding the external orifice 



