54 



studied so thoroughly and had done so much to illuminate. It 

 was most fortunate that before this remote and isolated fauna 

 had been greatly injured by the interference of man, Dr. Perkins 

 had made its study and investigation the chief object of his 

 life. As regards the interpretation of the colour groups of the 

 Hawaiian wasps, he felt that if a naturalist with Dr. Perkins's 

 insight and experience could suggest nothing but Mtillerian 

 mimicry as the motive cause, it was extremely improbable that 

 the effects were due to any other undetected force or set of forces 

 on that limited area. Therefore, however dissatisfied Dr. Perkins 

 might be with the only cause that was not beset with innumer- 

 able difficulties, for his part he firmly believed that the colour 

 groups had been produced by Müllerian mimicry. 



The Rev, K. St. A. Rogers then read a paper entitled : 



Mimicry in the Two Sexes of the E. African Lyc^nid 

 Altena picata E. M. Sharpe. 



The butterflies Alœna picata and A. rollci are really the female 

 and male of the same species, and mimic a Neptis and an Acrœa 

 respectively. Description of habits (cf. Vol. II., p. 220). 



Discussion. 



H. Skinner called attention to the fact that in the S.W. 

 part of the United States butterflies flew in the rain, but in the 

 eastern part of the country they disappeared as if by magic 

 when the sun was obscured. 



G. B. LoNGSTAFF asked whether the butterfly settled with 

 head downwards or upwards. He agreed that the flight of a 

 Neptis was so characteristic that the most general resemblance 

 might deceive its enemies. He emphasised the importance 

 of the number of hours of dayhght in which butterflies were not 

 on the move, but possibly their enemies were. 



The meeting then rose. 



