Casf of Papilio Me rope. 149 



figures on the plate qTioted Avill show most clearly that 

 they represent .the rresteru $ , the distinctive characters 

 Avhicli I have mentioned al)ove being prominently given, 

 especially the strongly marked inter-nervular rays of the 

 underside of the wings, and the colour and narrowness of 

 the discal band on the underside of the hindwings.* A com- 

 parison of these figures with Cramer's subsequent ones (pi. 

 378, fF. D, E ), and with specimens of the insect from Western 

 Africa, will convince the lepidojiterist that the figures on 

 both plates represent examples of the same western race of 

 the butterfly, although in the later plate the special charac- 

 ters are more decided than in the earlier one. I consequently 

 consider that the western race must be held as the typical 

 Merope, and that Fabricius's later name of Brutus given 

 to the same race must be sunk. The southern race will 

 accordingly have to be distinguished by the oldest name 

 given to any one of its forms; and this happens to be that 

 of Stoll's (date 1791) applied to what is certainly the pre- 

 dominant 2 form in the south, viz. Cenea. The adop- 

 tion of the name of the ^. for that of the species, in rectifi- 

 cation of erroneous nomenclature, when there is wide 

 disparity between the sexes, is perhaps not altogether de- 

 sirable, but there is precedent for it in the case of Diadema 

 Misippus and some other species, and it is certainly pre- 

 ferable to giving an entirely new name. 



As regards ^Ir. Butler's minute sub-division of the 

 southern race by allotting certain variations of the $ to 

 Cenea (type), Cenea, var., and Trophonius respectively, 

 I do not see that it can be borne out by Avhat we know of 

 the distribution of the several forms. The $s>, not only 

 from the same district, or from the same locality, but even 

 from the same wood, vary indefinitely as to their black 

 markings within certain limits. An instance of this is 

 given by the seven examples above mentioned, reared by 

 Mr. Weale from larvas of one season found in the same 

 spot. I possess five examples, taken by Mrs. Barber, Mr. 

 F. Barber, jun., and myself, in the same little copse at 

 Highlands, near Grahamstown, Avhich present great varia- 

 tion in the discal upjjerside band of the hindwings,f and a 



* It is singular that the apical spot on upperside of forewings should be 

 divided into two in Cramer's figure A. I have never seen a specimen so 

 marked. 



t The most imperfect condition of this band that I am aw^are of is ex- 

 hibited by a specimen which I captured at Knysna, Cape Colony, in which 

 the three patches re]n-esenting the band are reduced to widely-separated, 

 irregular, attenuated spots, smaller (especially that at anal angle) than in 

 the Western race. 



