112 Dr. F. A. Dixey on the phylogenetlG 



ground colour, but still can in most specimens be easily 

 distinguished by a careful examination. In V. urticce and 

 V. 'poh/chloros they are absent from both surfaces, so also 

 almost entirely from the under surface of V. io, where, 

 however, in some specimens, vestiges of III. 10 and 11 

 can be traced. In the genus Grapta, the spots of this 

 series on the upper surface, as a rule, are fused ; and the 

 series appears as an irregular brown band, darker than 

 the general ground colour, but paler than the spots 

 of another series (II.) which at present remains unde- 

 scribed. On the under surface in this genus, the spots 

 are often discrete and pretty easily recognisable ; this is 

 notably the case in G. c-alhum* 



In the genus Argynnis we find, as we should expect, 

 the spots of this part of the series constantly present and 

 very distinct, especially on the upper surface (fig. 31). 

 Beneath, they may be conspicuous as in A. adippc and 

 A. lathonia, where they are picked out with silver, 

 present but somewhat faintly distinguished as in A. 

 2xiphia, or modified into mere patches of green shading 

 to the silver spots, as in A. aglaia. The series in 

 A. lathonia is reinforced by the presence of III. 9 and 

 III. 15, which in most species are wanting ; and the 

 under side of this insect gives perhaps the most complete 

 view of the whole series that can be found in the genus. 

 In A. diana the spots are present but small, in the male 

 almost evanescent, and in both sexes absent from the 

 under surface. 



Two points of interest remain to be noticed before the 

 present series is dismissed. The first is the relative 

 size of the spots III. 10 — 14. 



In the genus Argynnis, III. 12 is almost always smaller 

 than the rest, it may even disappear altogether, as often 

 in A. adijipe $ . In the genus Pyrameis, III. 11 and 14 

 show a strong tendency to exceed the average size. This 

 is well seen on the under side of P. atalanta (less 

 clearly in P. callirrhoe and P. gonerilla), and on both 

 surfaces of P. cardui. In P. huntera the enlarge- 

 ment of these two members of the series becomes a 

 very conspicuous feature of the pattern, the under side 

 in this species often presenting III. 11 and 14 in the 



■■'■ In O. e-aureum, III. is very well defined in the bind wing, 

 where the spots composing it are blue-centred (see p. 114). 



