126 Dr. F. A. Dixey on 



red in ornytion by the condition in inferna. No doubt 

 much remains to be discovered about the distribution of 

 these forms in New Guinea, which is a very large country. 

 But as far as is known at present, the disappearance of the 

 red line of D. ornytion in the western part of its area cannot 

 be connected with the presence of D. inferna or " irma," 

 for the latter form appears not to occur in the western half 

 of the island. On the other hand, it would seem to be not 

 impossible that the dark coloration of inferna as compared 

 with the other members of the aruna group may have been 

 influenced by ornytion; for the only region outside the 

 range of the latter where inferna occurs appears to be the 

 northern extremity of the Cape York peninsula. 



It is doubtful whether any geographical relation can be 

 traced in the case of the red spots of Huphina abnormis. 

 The submarginal series of the hind-wing occurs in greater 

 or less development in specimens from Eastern New 

 Guinea, the first at least of the series being apparently 

 always present. The type, which is entirely destitute of 

 the hind-wing series, is said by Wallace to have come 

 from " N.W. Papua " ; but the present data are obviously 

 insufficient for forming any conclusion on this head. Nor, 

 again, can it be said that Mynes doryca, which is generally 

 distributed throughout New Guinea, shows any difference 

 in the development of its red spots in correspondence with 

 locality. 



The facts that can be affirmed with certainty are that 

 these foui' forms, viz. Delias ornytion, D. irma, Huphina 

 abnormis and Mynes doryca, all resemble each other, and 

 depart from most of their congeners, in the possession of a 

 dark, almost black under-surface to the hind-wing, on which 

 occurs a series of red markings in a greater or less state 

 of development ; that in two of them (Manes and Huphina) 

 the red series is divided between fore- and hind-wing, but 

 presents the same general appearance as in the two Delias 

 in which it is to be seen on the hind-wing alone; and that 

 in one of the four (D. irma) the under-surface of the fore- 

 as well as of the hind-wing is dark, so that in the other 

 three the attitude of complete rest (fore-wings depressed 

 between hind-wings) must be adopted in order to produce 

 resemblance to the first. Whether these facts are open 

 to an interpretation on the basis of the theory of mimicry 

 is ;i question which will be answered in different senses 

 by different authorities; but to those w r ho admit the 



