( xxxii ) 



distribution in the Moluccas. Along with it flies a form of 

 C. tagalica which closely resembles it, and in Batchian, which is 

 no doubt some way ofi, is a form of C. thetis, the $ of which 

 was named egena by Felder. 



It will be noted that the o o make an extremely close 

 approach to each other. The $ ? of C. tagalica and C. cele- 

 bensis are in any case not very different. The $ 2 of thetis 

 have large white patches, but in var. egena the white is evanes- 

 cent or absent, bringing it much closer to the others. The most 

 salient points in the convergence of the c^ o are in the first 

 place in regard to the upper surface. C. celebensis has the 

 copper colour towards the apex of the fore-wing broken up 

 by the dark veins; this I think occurs nowhere else in the 

 genus, except in the forms of thetis and of tagalica here involved. 

 Again C. thetis is especially characterised by having a pure 

 white under surface, very rarely with a little trace of the first 

 discal lines seen in most species of the genus, but in this var. 

 egena, the under surface is nearly as fully marked as in tagalica 

 and celebensis. 



PiERiNES FROM AVestern China. — Dr. F. A. DiXEY ex- 

 hibited specimens of Pierinae from Western China, with 

 drawings of their scent-scale, and remarked on them as 

 follows : — 



The Hope Collection has lately received, by the kindness 

 of M. Charles Oberthiir, several specimens illustrating the 

 interesting butterfly fauna of Central Asia. A few years 

 since, many of these forms were but little known in this country ; 

 now, however, that the Elwes specimens and the Leech and 

 Crowley bequests are available for examination in the National 

 Collection, they have probably been studied by most of those 

 who are interested in the Palaearctic butterflies. However, 

 I bring four of M. Oberthiir's examples here to-night, because 

 they help to illustrate one or two interesting points in Pierine 

 affinities. 



If we are to call all these four butterflies Pieris, we must 

 use the generic name in a very wide sense indeed, and with 

 a quite different content from that assigned to it by Mr. 

 A. G. Butler. But with the help of the scent-scales we need 

 have no difficulty in ascertaining for each of the four its place 



