10 Mr. H. J. Elwes' additional notes 



Such an opinion as this would he excusable if given 

 by one who had no opportunity of knowing the facts 

 bearing on the question given by Mr. W. H. Edwards in 

 ' Butterflies of North America,' when writing of the 

 seasonal forms of C. ChrysotJieme {Keewaydin), but, after 

 such an ample proof of the identity of much more 

 distinct forms of a nearly allied species under very 

 similar climatic conditions, it seemed to me impossible 

 to agree with it. I therefore wrote to Mr. Edmonds for 

 further information, which I got in the letter quoted 

 below, and which confirm me in my belief that Mr. 

 Butler's views are entirely erroneous. 



With regard to C. Cunmnghamii, the case is even 

 worse, as I had already (Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1880, 

 p. 142) remarked on the specimens which he describes 

 under that name, that they appeared to be a form 

 of Vautieri. In his description no allusion is made to 

 this, and not a single character is given by which the 

 insect may be distinguished from C. Vautieri. He does 

 indeed compare it with C. rutilans, which is but a 

 synonym of Vautieri ; but this could only confuse those 

 who have not the opportunity of seeing how trifling and 

 ridiculous are the characters by which he attemps to 

 split up the Chilian Colias, making four out of one, just 

 as he did in the case of the Japan Colias, and in the 

 case of C. Hyale from Afghanistan. 



If every species is so treated the nomenclature of 

 Lepidoptera will become a maze of synonyms, and I can 

 therefore only say that in my opinion no doubtful species 

 described in future by Mr. Butler should be noticed unless 

 it is accompanied by a good coloured figure or a descrip- 

 tion comparing it with a well-known and undoubted 

 species. 



On a second examination of the types of C. Cunninghami, 

 I see no reason to doubt that they are a form of Vautieri 

 modified slightly by the colder climate of the Straits of 

 Magellan ; when it shall be shown that this variety is 

 constant, and capable of definition in all cases, it will be 

 time to give it a specific name. At present this is not 

 the case. 



Note. — To the above I must add some extracts from a 

 letter afterwards received from Mr. Edmonds respecting 

 C.niinuscula. He says — "It occurs sparingly and locally in 

 the neighbourhood of Valparaiso in August and September, 



