94 Dr. F. A. Dixey on the plrjlogenetic 



y (especially /3) tend to become small and to disappear ; 

 £ is mostly present (small or absent in P. callirrhoe, fig. 

 10) ; ^ as a rule is absent, except as we have seen in P. 

 atalanta $ . In those that approach P. cardui, i.e., 

 the assemblage of species distinguished by Scudder* 

 as " Neopyrameis," (iky are tolerably conspicuous, e 

 nearly always absent, but t, may be very large and dis- 

 tinct, as in most specimens of P. kuntera. P. gonerilla, 

 from New Zealand (fig. 11), has a—e constantly and 

 plainly present, their appearance being, however, modified 

 by an invasion of blue, the meaning of which we shall 

 see later. 



A careful examination of the whole family Vanessidce 

 and allied groups shows that this series D, a — ^ has a 

 very extensive range ; though in passing away from the 

 insectsjust specially referred to it in most instances soon 

 begins to lose its distinctive and conspicuous character. 



At first, however, the series is plain and recognisable 

 enough. V. io (fig. 12) shows the whole set complete 

 from a to ^ ; a is here coloured pale yellow, and is 

 modified in shajDe in order to form the outer part of the 

 pale zone of the eye-mark ; ^ though preserving its rela- 

 tive size is elongated conformably with the outline of the 

 same mark, and all the spots from ^S to ^t are invaded by 

 a pale blue colour, the meaning of which, like the some- 

 what similar feature in P. gonerilla, will be considered 

 later. 



In Araschnia levana we have the same series; a, ^and 

 ^ being the most constant members, while y & £ are 

 small or absent. In the dark form known as A. prorsa, 

 however, all are usually present (figs. 13, 14). 



Other well-marked cases of the complete or partial 

 presence of the series are afforded by Eurenia zahulina 

 [a and 3"), E. kefersteinii {a, d; e, sometimes y, underside 

 a — ^), E. dione {a, [y\,\ 5; C). In this latter case the 

 spots a — e on both upper and underside are silvery, 

 while ^ is vertically elongated and transparent. The 

 assertion that the window-slit in the centre of the fore 

 wing in E. dione represents the minute white spot in 

 the red band of the female P. atalanta may sound far- 

 fetched and unlikely to be true, but to any one who will 



* Op. cit., vol. i., p. 434. 

 f Sometimes absent. 



