( xlva } 
an advantageous model. Since that date he had lost no 
opportunity of inquiring of those who know the Melitaeas 
and these Hesperidae during life to give him an account of 
their experiences, and he now brought forward the following 
evidence. A very interesting account had been given to him 
by M. Avinoff, whose beautiful exhibit of Central Asiatic 
butterflies, earlier in the present year, would be remembered 
by the Fellows. The following letter from M. Avinoff was 
written in April 1913 :— 
“ Pyrgus antonia maxima I have caught myself in the 
Eastern Transalai Mountains, Bordoba, under the Kisil Art 
Pass, 11,000 ft. It was not very numerous there and was 
flying with Melitaea minerva and M. didyma, which were much 
more abundant. Both the Melitaea and the Pyrgus have the 
habit of resting for the night on tall plants, such as Artemisia 
or Carduus. I saw them myself sitting side by side, and can 
affirm that the pattern of the wings is very much alike. 
““ Exactly the same relationship is repeated in Tian-Chan. 
At any rate I have received, from Sary Djas, Central Tian 
Chan, P. sidae intermixed with M. asteroidea, although my 
collector in the locality sent me no special observations on 
the biology of the case. 
“In the South of Russia P. sidae is often found with M. 
didyma, but there the resemblance is not so well marked as 
in Tian-Chan.” 
In illustration of his observations M. Avinoff had sent 
the following specimens which were exhibited to the Society : 
From the Transalai Mountains in Russian Central Asia Melitaea 
manerva, Staud., M. didyma, Ochs., and H. antonia; from the 
Tian Chan Mountains (from the Russian slopes close to the 
frontier between Russian and Chinese Turkestan), M. manerva, 
M. asteroidea, Staud., and H. sidae. Together with these 
Prof. Poulton exhibited a series of specimens which had been 
partly purchased from Mr. Grose-Smith and in part kindly 
given to him by Mr. J. J. Joicey, F.E.S. These included 
six examples of M. minerva, three of M. didyma, two being 
of the var. ala, Staud., one M. arduinna, Esp., one M. astero- 
adea, {. solona, Alph., six H. antonia. Accompanying these 
was a single example of Brenthis hegemone, Staud., showing 
