69 



narrow border to apex of fore wings and a spot on upper angle of 

 hind pair dusky', which certainly leads one to expect an entirely dif- 

 ferent species to gnathcne; it was described from material from the 

 Bahama Islands and a single 5 from Sandford, Fla. The descrip- 

 tion agrees admirably with Boisduval's translation of the description 

 of mcssalina Fabr. (Sp. Gen. I, p. 679) and as both Kirby and Seitz 

 list this species from Jamaica we imagine that blakei will become a 

 synonym of messalina Fabr. ; not possessing the species however we 

 leave the decision to those who have access to material from the 

 Bahama Isles. 



DANAIDAE 



Danaus plexippus L. 



In view of Linne's original description in the tenth Edition of 

 his Systema Natura we do not see how it is possible to apply this 

 name to the American species in spite of the locality 'North America' 

 given by the author. 



The description reads : 



'P. D. alis integerrimis fulvis, venis nigris dilatatis, margine nigro 

 punctis albis.' 



This is all very excellent but unfortunately for those who con- 

 tend that the name applies to the N. American form Linne adds : 

 'Alae primores fascia alba ut in sequente, cui similis', the following 

 species being chryssipus. This does not apply at all to the N. Amer- 

 ican form but does to the Asiatic and would bear out Aurivillius' 

 statement that the only specimens in the Linnaean Collection were of 

 the latter form. 



Apparently the locality given and the references to Catesby and 

 Sloan are the only reasons for holding the name to the North Amer- 

 ican species; opposed to this we have the direct contradiction of the 

 diagnosis and it would seem to us that this is far too weighty a point 

 to be overridden; it is known that Linne frequently has given erron- 

 eous references and localities in connection with other species so we 

 see no reason for not supposing that such was the case in this instance. 

 The Fabrician name archippus would be the correct one to use for 

 the N. American species in our opinion : Fruhstorfer in Seitz Mac- 

 rolepidoptera also applies plexippus to the Asiatic Species and archip- 

 pus to the American one. 



