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III. Description of a variety of Ornithoptera Brookiana 

 (female). By the Eev. Francis Augustus Walker, 

 D.D., F.L.S., &c. 



[Eead December 5th, 1888.] 



The variety of O. Brookiana (female) -which I here 

 endeavour to describe resembles in some particulars the 

 ordinary type of the male, and has also some resem- 

 blance to the ordinary type of the female. I have named 

 it Eleanor, and it is the only variety of this singularly 

 handsome and elegant species that I have ever seen. It 

 is the more valuable as even the ordinary type of the 

 female of the species is singularly rare and difficult of 

 acquisition, probably 99 out of every 100 specimens 

 forwarded to this country being males. 



Hewitson describes the male as being divided on the 

 anterior wing, below the middle, into seven hastate spots 

 pointing to the outer margin, which they nearly touch. 

 These seven hastate spots of metallic, or according to 

 Hewitson, golden green, — which might perhaps be more 

 appropriately designated triangular patches, — are repre- 

 sented in the variety Eleanor by five spots or patches, 

 the sixth, and especially the seventh, consisting of mere 

 streaks. In fact the seventh spot of the male is replaced 

 in this variety by a mere thread of green, only just 

 visible. It is noticeable also that the green patches 

 on the anterior wings are more distinctly divided by 

 a black line than in the male, corresponding in this 

 respect to the posterior wings of the male which 

 Hewitson describes as at the middle divided by the 

 nervures, which are black ; and this description of 

 division by black nervures is applicable alike to the 

 posterior wings of the typical male and female, as well 

 as to those of this variety. As regards the metallic- 

 green colour on both the anterior and posterior wings 

 of this specimen, it is brighter than in the ordinary 

 female, being nearly, but not quite, as vivid as in 

 the male. Indeed, the ordinary female can hardly be 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1889. PART I. (MARCH.) 



