﻿Habits 
  of 
  a 
  Bee-parasite, 
  Melittohia 
  Acasta. 
  253 
  

  

  as 
  I 
  have 
  ascertained, 
  consuming 
  any 
  nourishment, 
  incessantly 
  

   occupied 
  in 
  following 
  out 
  the 
  purposes 
  assigned 
  to 
  them 
  : 
  and 
  

   what 
  have 
  they 
  subsisted 
  upon 
  ? 
  Unless 
  the 
  ))erfect 
  insects, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  the 
  larvae, 
  derive 
  nourishment 
  from 
  the 
  fluids 
  of 
  the 
  bee-larva, 
  

   it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  they 
  really 
  require 
  none 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  

   whole 
  period 
  of 
  their 
  existence, 
  without 
  food, 
  in 
  the 
  dark 
  cells 
  of 
  

   the 
  bee, 
  they 
  unceasingly 
  pursue 
  their 
  attacks 
  upon 
  their 
  victims 
  ; 
  

   and, 
  as 
  will 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  be 
  discovered, 
  being 
  themselves 
  kept 
  

   in 
  check 
  by 
  other 
  parasites 
  equally 
  fatal 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  XXIX. 
  On 
  the 
  Habits 
  of 
  the 
  Butterflies 
  of 
  the 
  Amazon 
  

   Valley. 
  By 
  Alfred 
  R. 
  Wallace, 
  Esq. 
  

  

  [Read 
  7th 
  November 
  and 
  5th 
  December, 
  1853.] 
  

  

  As 
  THE 
  portion 
  of 
  South 
  America, 
  watered 
  by 
  the 
  river 
  Amazon, 
  

   has 
  recently 
  contributed 
  so 
  many 
  new 
  and 
  beautiful 
  species 
  of 
  

   butterflies 
  to 
  our 
  Cabinets, 
  it 
  is 
  thought 
  that 
  a 
  few 
  remarks 
  on 
  

   the 
  habits 
  of 
  such 
  of 
  them 
  as 
  fell 
  under 
  the 
  writer's 
  notice 
  during 
  

   a 
  residence 
  of 
  four 
  years 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  unacceptable 
  

   to 
  the 
  Entomological 
  Society. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  well, 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  preface, 
  to 
  give 
  some 
  brief 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  in 
  question. 
  

  

  South 
  America, 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  may 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  consisting 
  

   of 
  three 
  elevated 
  regions, 
  connected 
  by 
  intervening 
  low 
  lands 
  and 
  

   valleys. 
  Along 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  it 
  stretches 
  out 
  from 
  one 
  ex- 
  

   tremity 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  the 
  mighty 
  Andes, 
  though 
  not 
  the 
  loftiest, 
  yet 
  

   undoubtedly 
  the 
  most 
  extensive 
  unbroken 
  mountain 
  range 
  on 
  the 
  

   earth. 
  Various 
  spurs 
  and 
  branches 
  are 
  attached 
  to 
  this 
  chain, 
  but 
  

   they 
  never 
  extend 
  far 
  across 
  the 
  continent 
  in 
  an 
  eastern 
  direction. 
  

   Towards 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  rise 
  the 
  mountains 
  and 
  table 
  lands 
  of 
  Brazil 
  

   and 
  Guiana, 
  two 
  large 
  isolated 
  masses, 
  everywhere 
  separated 
  by 
  

   a 
  wide 
  interval 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  Andes. 
  In 
  the 
  

   space 
  between 
  these 
  the 
  Amazon 
  rolls 
  its 
  mighty 
  flood 
  through 
  a 
  

   vast 
  alluvial 
  valley, 
  which 
  is 
  everywhere 
  clothed 
  with 
  dense 
  

   forests 
  of 
  lofty 
  timber 
  trees. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  this 
  valley 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  

   very 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  tropics, 
  and 
  enjoys 
  a 
  climate 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  high 
  

   and 
  uniform 
  temperature 
  is 
  combined 
  with 
  a 
  superabundance 
  of 
  

   moisture. 
  

  

  These 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  conditions 
  most 
  favourable 
  to 
  the 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  and 
  increase 
  of 
  Lepidopterous 
  insects, 
  and 
  we 
  accordingly 
  

  

  