336 Mr. H. J. Elvves on the 



188], p. 899, as probably a variety oi athalia, but which is 

 much more like a large dark hritomartis, and quite unlike 

 the Japanese and Corean form of athalia known as niphona, 

 Butl. 



After writing the above I submitted a number of these 

 specimens to Baron von Horuiuzaki, who has lately studied 

 the European forms of this group of Mclitrea in the Verb. 

 Zool. Bot. Gesch. Wien, and in Iris, xi, pp. 1 — 13. He 

 identifies them as follows: " The form named var. sultancnsis 

 is certainly much more nearly allied to minerva, Stgr., 

 and ought to be placed as a good species near phcehe, on 

 account of the black spots at the base of the hind-win^ 

 below which are never found in the atlialia-parthcnic gTOup.' * 

 I may say that I have from Grum-Grshimailo's collection 

 one of Staudinger's types of sultanensis ; they resemble 

 more closely what I have from the same collection as 

 asteroides, Stgr., from the Alexander Mountains, than those 

 I have received from Standi nger as minerva from the 

 mountains near Osch in Fergana. 



Of my specimens from the Altai he writes as follows : — 

 " They may be considered as aurelia, var. veronica), Dorfm., 

 from which they only differ by their small size ; they have 

 all the characters of veronicm, namely, white spots on the 

 underside of the hind- wings, anal spot bordered with 

 black, black bands very wide, brown marginal bands, etc.," 

 but these characters are not constant in my series. Of the 

 form from the high Tchuja Mountains he says, "also a 

 variety of aurelia analogous by the colours to aurinia, var. 

 merope, it deserves a name if there are many similar speci- 

 mens." I may say, that I have six males and one female 

 absolutely similar, which I can distinguish from all those 

 taken in the valleys. 



Of the specimens from Corea which M. Alph^raky calls 

 var. magna, he says, " I think this is the form described as 

 latifascia by Fixsen, but whether it belongs to partlienie 

 or aurelia is not yet sure, but a form very like it but 

 smaller has been described by Staudinger as mongolica." 

 I have a pair of this mongolica, and certainly would not 

 like to separate it from the Corean form, so that if we 

 adopt Fixsen's name, mongolica, Stgr., and magna, Alph., 

 will have to be treated as synonyms. The form from 

 Kamtschatka is certainly parthenie, var. orioitalis. Men., 

 and some of my Altai specimens are hardly distinguishable 

 from these. 



