( xlviii ) 



And in the tailed forms secondary meanings appear to have 

 developed in genera such as Argiolaus, Oxylides, etc., in which 

 these appendages are too large and conspicuous to resemble 

 antennae. Mr. S. A. Neave had informed Prof. Ponlton that 

 the African Lycaenid in which lie had been most struck by 

 the eccentric movements was Oxylides faunus, Drury, f. albata, 

 Auriv.— one of the species in which the appearance of a " false 

 head " seems to have been to a large extent lost in the pro- 

 motion of excessive conspicuousness in the same region of 

 the hind-wing. It was interesting to note that the underside 

 pattern was such as to direct attention to the exaggerated 

 tails and eye-spots of Oxylides and many of its allies, no less 

 than to the far more perfect " false head " of other species. 



It would be of extreme interest to observe whether the 

 eccentric movements were ever made by the Lipteninae, or 

 indeed by any Lycaenid outside the Lycaeninae (in the broad 

 sense, as employed by Aurivillius) and Theclinae (also in the 

 broad sense and including all kinds of " hair streaks "). Prof. 

 Poulton was inclined to believe that such movements are not 

 made outside these two groups and that other Lycaenids were 

 originally tailless. Mr. G. T. Bethune-Baker had kindly 

 drawn his attention to the fact that, although the Lipteninae 

 were always without tails, the end of vein 3 was distinctly 

 notched in Epitola miranda, Staud. Mr. Bethune-Baker 

 differed from Prof. Aurivillius in separating from the Lycae- 

 ninae the great, mainly Holarctic group of untailed species 

 as a separate subfamily, the Plebeinae, allied to the tailed 

 Lampidinae (boeticus group) also separated from the Lycaeninae 

 The prevalence of eccentric movements of the hind-wings in 

 the Plebeinae was probably associated with the former presence 

 of tails, as maintained above. 



A mode of protection analogous to the " false head " of the 

 Lycaenidae had been observed by Prof. Poulton in an example 

 of a S. American Struthious bird, a species of Rhea, in the 

 Zoological Gardens at Perth, W. Australia (July 1914). When 

 the bird was running away it seemed to be directing its gaze 

 backwards at an enemy. The effect was produced by the 

 appearance of an eye-ball-like convexity devoid of feathers 

 over the ear. He had wished but had been unable to examine 



