(Sexxy 3) 
the area of another group would tend towards a rapid modifi- 
cation of the old appearance. 
The suggestion that parallel variation assisted in the for- 
mation of these resemblances was strongly opposed by the 
fact that the superficial characters were alone affected, and 
that the closeness of resemblance bore no relation to degree 
of affinity. For instance, the resemblance between a 
Melina and a Heliconius was frequently much closer than 
that between the former and a Mechanitis, or the latter and 
an Eueides, in the same groups. Although the interesting 
facts brought forward by Mr. Blandford with regard to Heli- 
conius thelviope and H. vesta, ete., would, taken alone, seem 
to support his suggestion of parallel variation, yet when they 
were considered as part of the whole phenomena of Miillerian 
warning colours, as exhibited and as at present known and 
understood, in the Neotropical Rhopalocera, one was led to 
believe that one set of principles had been at work, and that 
natural selection, which, he contended, offered the only hopeful 
solution in the vast majority of cases was the true explanation 
of the others also. 
Further strong support for this conclusion and further 
difficulty in the way of any other interpretation as yet offered 
was to be found in the similar behaviour of the groups which 
in other tropical countries represented the Danaine, Nectro- 
pine, and Heliconiine of S. America. Thus unmistakable 
indications of Miillerian association were to be found among 
the Acreine of Africa and among the Danaine and Eupleine 
of the Oriental Region. It was impossible to contend that 
these representative groups possessed the monopoly of parallel 
variation, or of change under direct influence of the environ- 
ment. 
The Prestpent: In treating of the Millerian associations of 
species closely resembling each other—many of which were so 
well illustrated by the admirably arranged series of Tropical- 
American Lepidoptera exhibited by Mr. Blandford—there 
was always, in his opinion, great risk, in the case of species 
of the same genus or even of nearly allied genera, of mis- 
taking for mimicry the similarity really due to close affinity in 
blood, It also occurred to him that in these Miullerian com- 
