The Bionomics of South African Insects. 471 



under-side of the Lycaenid presents a much closer approx- 

 imation to the Danaine than does the Acraea. In well- 

 marked individuals there are fourteen of these spots in the 

 Lyca?nid, nineteen in the Acrjea. In place of these, the 

 Danaine model possesses, in addition to the marginal 

 white-marked spots and a single spot at the extreme base 

 of the wing, only a row of three spots on the outer 

 boundary of the cell in the female, with an additional 

 white-centred black patch, marking the scent-pouch, in the 

 male. The three spots along the outer margin of the 

 cell are encircled with white, as are all the spots in the 

 Lycaenid ; while the veins of the under-side of the hind- 

 wing in both are more or less emphasized with white. In 

 these minor but distinct points the Lycsenid approximates 

 to the Danaine and not to the Acroea; and furthermore in 

 the fact that the black spots of the under-side of the hind- 

 wing are hardly visible on the upper-side of the Lyctenid, 

 while all except the basal ones are as distinct upon the 

 upper- as upon the under-side of the Acrsea. In the Danaine 

 they are very distinct although much smaller on the upper- 

 side, but as there are only three in the female and four in 

 the male, the Acraea is in this respect much further from 

 the other two than they are from each other, its distance 

 being still further increased by a few (4 — 6) large conspicu- 

 ous black spots on the ground-colour of the basal half of 

 both surfaces of the upper wing. It is noteworthy that 

 these points of divergence on the part of A. enccdon are 

 characters which it shares with a large number of related 

 species. All the points mentioned above can be Avell seen 

 in the six upper figures of Plate XIV, which should be 

 compared with the six corresponding figures on Plate XV, 

 showing the prevalent form of the Danaine model and 

 its Acraeine and Lycaenid mimics much further north in 

 British East Africa. 



In the dark shade of the brown ground-colour tlie 

 Acraea is much nearer to the Danaine as developed in S. 

 Africa than the Lycaenid, and upon tlie wing tb.e black 

 spots would probably make the Acrsea appear still darker. 

 The bright fulvous tint of M. marshalli is more of the 

 shade of the Oriental specimens of chrysippus. This rela- 

 tionship appears to exist between many of the other African 

 Miillerian and Batesian mimics of L. chrysippus and their 

 model, and suggests that the Oriental bright shade is 

 ancestral, although the Oriental intrusion is comparatively 



