122 Dr. F. A. Dixey on tlie phylogenetic 



The earliest representatives of the group or subfamily 

 VanessincE would seem before long to have separated 

 into three divergent tribes, each pursuing a distinct 

 path. In the first of these, that leading towards the 

 genus Pyrameis, the decorative features of A. niplie are 

 mostly preserved, and indeed, enhanced. The vivid 

 contrast between the white portions of C and D and the 

 surviving dark ground colour of the tip of the wing is 

 rendered still more striking by the deepening of the 

 ground colour to a dark brown or black, and the con- 

 sequent blending of the spots belonging to the costal 

 portion of III., III.' and IV. into a uniform dark area, 

 on which the white constituents of D, now formed into 

 definite spots, tell out with much effect (P. carclui, &c.). 

 The newer and lighter ground colour is now sharply 

 marked off from the older and darker, instead of gradually 

 passing into it, and is, moreover, itself brightened up, 

 especially in the anterior portion of the fore wing, into a 

 fresh salmon colour, which inthemost highly specialised 

 members of the genus is further transformed into a 

 brilliant scarlet (P. atalanta and gonerilla). The relics 

 of bluish ground colour round the margin of the wings 

 as in ^. niphe are awakened into greater brilliancy and 

 used in combination with the spots of series IV. to form 

 an extremely handsome border to the wing. This 

 feature, though from its presence in all three of our 

 diverging subgroups we must suppose it to have belonged 

 to the " Protovanessa," or common ancestor of the 

 three, is in Pyrameis, as we have seen, already on the 

 wane, remaining chiefly in the neighbourhood of the 

 anal angle of the hind wing, and in some species contri- 

 buting a blue infusion to the spots of series D. On the 

 under side it persists, though in reduced splendour. It 

 would seem also probable that the "Protovanessa" was 

 furnished with blue centres to the spots of series III., 

 persisting in P. gonerilla, P. kersliawi, P. terpsichore, 

 P. carye, and (sometimes) P. carclui. The correspondence 

 described in detail on p. 117 between the remaining 

 marks of Pyrameis and those of A. levana tends to the 

 conclusion that P. carye is perhaps the Ihjrameis that 

 comes nearest to the "Protovanessa," and from this 

 species as a central point it is easy to trace in one 

 direction P. terpsichore, P. hnntera, and P. myrinna ; 

 and in the other direction, P. kershawi, P. carclui, P. 



