Case of Papilio Jlcrnpc. 141 



the Continent, says that 'entomologists, no less tlian natu- 

 ralists generally, appeared content Avith a child-like wonder 

 at this and kindred facts, and let them pass as things in- 

 scrutable,' until ]Mr. DarAvin gave us a ' rational explana- 

 tion of these phenomena.' I must say, and I hope that 

 I may do so without giving offence to any one, that I prefer 

 the childlike attitude of former naturalists to the childish 

 guesses of those of the Darwinian school." 



It is with reluctance that one contemplates the stretch- 

 ing of Mr. Plewitson's imagination to an extent "of which 

 he is incapable," or the inevitable shock which his " notions 

 of propriety" will receive, but the evidence now adduced 

 by Mr. Weale is such that the profbundest sceptic cannot 

 explain it away, and must allow that the dream had proved 

 to be a true vision. As far as the southern race is con- 

 cerned, it has now been proved indisputably, that the so- 

 called distinct species, Papilio Cmea, Stoll, P. Trupho- 

 nius, Westwood, and P. Hippocoon, Fabricius (austral 

 form), are the differing females of Papilio MeropCi 

 Cramer. 



I need not trouble the Society with any account of my 

 various endeavours, since 1868, to get the Merope-Cenea 

 case established beyond refutation. It is sufficient to say 

 that I kept the subject prominently before those of my 

 correspondents in South Africa who had opportunities of 

 observing the two butterflies in nature. Mr. Mansel 

 Weale, as mentioned in his paper, has latterly been very 

 favourably situated for the purpose, and merits the thanks 

 of entomologists for the thorough manner in which he has 

 availed himself of his advantages. From time to time he 

 has sent me most tantalizing notes of the very suspicious 

 proceedings of Merope and Cenea in that delightful wooded 

 glen Avhich is so conveniently situated " at the bottom of 

 his garden," and I gradually became convinced that his 

 clearing-up of the case would be only a question of time. 

 On the 3rd March last, he announced in a letter that he 

 had " six larvas of Cenea-Merope, all in good health, — one 

 just out of ^gg,,^^ and supplemented the welcome news on 

 the 20th, by the intimation that he had by that time no less 

 than twenty-two larv?e. A letter dated the 14th April in- 

 formed me that two specimens of Merope, and a peculiarly- 

 marked //^?/)^jocoo??, had resulted from the three larvae that 

 first puparised, while a brief postscript on the 15th com- 

 pleted the intelligence by declaring the emergence of a Cenea 

 from a fourth pupa. Accompanying this letter Avere two 



