40 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



popular " blues," we show relative poverty of colour, but 

 in number of species, considering our area, we compare 

 favourably. 



In Evans' list for India and Burma , with an area of 1 ,900,000 

 square miles, there are recorded 1,048 species and 423 sub- 

 species or races, against Ceylon 226 species and 3 sub-species 

 for 20,000 square miles. South India, eight or nine times our 

 area, shows only about one-third more species in its favour. 



In conclusion, I would point out that it would be a mistake 

 to think there is such uniformity amongst butterflies, that once 

 the requisite number of males and females have been pinned 

 into the cabinet and labelled, they are done with ; it is not so ; 

 in large numbers of species there are numerous varieties, 

 frequent aberrations, some of them of extraordmary character ; 

 then there are species with dimorphic and polymorphic females, 

 and numerous others which show considerable difference 

 between their wet and dry season forms. A good deal of work 

 has yet to be done in breeding larvae to solve the position of 

 some butterflies as to specific rank or variety ; altogether it 

 will be years before the Ceylon collector and student of Ceylon 

 butterflies can say " Finished," which, however, I must say 

 as regards these notes. 



