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II. On the PieridaB of the Indian and Australian Regions. 

 By Alfred R. Wallace, F.Z.S., &c. 



[Read 18th February, 1807.] 

 The Pieridce form a rather extensive group of diurnal Lepidop- 

 tcra abundantly distributed over the whole world, and typically 

 represented in our own country by the " cabbage," the *' orange 

 tip," the " brimstone" and the " wood white" butterflies. The 

 white or yellow colour that characterizes these familiar insects is 

 that which recurs most frequently throughout this group in every 

 country ; but in the tropics other forms appear by their side de- 

 corated with a variety of colours, and assuming to some extent 

 the forms and markings of the more brilhant families of but- 

 terflies. It is to be observed, however, that in most cases the 

 ground colour of the insect is either white, yellow or black, and 

 even in those exceptional cases in which the wings are entirely 

 red or bluish-grey, the female of the same species, or of one closely 

 allied to it, presents us with the usual simple colours. The rich 

 rufous-brown, which so constantly reappears throughout the great 

 family of the Nymphalidts, is not to be met with in a single instance 

 in the whole range of the present family. The metallic blue of 

 Morpho awd of the Lyccemdoe, and the rich green of various shades 

 which occurs in most otiier groups of butterflies, are also entirely 

 absent. Althourjh the markinijs are often very beautiful and 

 very varied, well formed ocellated spots (almost universal in the 

 Satyridce and very frequent in the Nymphalidcs) never once 

 occur ; the only approach to them being the small discoidal ocelli 

 in some species. The form of the wings is generally rounded, 

 rarely angular, and the hind wings are never adorned with spa- 

 tulate, linear or filiform processes, such as occur frequently in most 

 other groups of butterflies. The nearest approach to a tail in the 

 whole family is found in the genus Gonepteryx, and is never much 

 more developed than in our own brimstone butterfly. 



It appears, then, that quite independently of structural characters, 

 the Pieridce possess specialities of colour, of marking, and of 

 form of winH, which in their combination mark them out as a 

 natural and somewhat isolated group ; and strikingly illustrate the 

 stability of type that sometimes obtains in what we usually deem 

 unimportant and very variable characters. At the same time it 

 is to be noted that in the important structural character of the 

 neuration of the wings, few families exhibit so many modifications. 

 This character serves chiefly to break up the group into three- 



VOL. IV. THIRD SERIES, PART III. — NOVEMBER, 1867. Y 



