8- Mr. H. Eltringham's Monograph of the 



the prevention of the amorous attentions of subsequent 

 males after once the female has been paired. In this 

 view Marshall concurs (/. c), pointing out that if courtship 

 always takes place in the forcible manner he has observed, 

 some such provision would appear to be a necessity. In 

 another note on the subject* Marshall records that such 

 protection is not, however, absolute, since he has taken 

 three female Acraeas in which the sac has been dupli- 

 cated, though in these cases both sacs were more or less 

 distorted in shape indicating that the second pairing must 

 have taken place immediately after the first and whilst 

 the first secretion was still in a viscous condition. This 

 being so, as the author points out, the exceptions need 

 not invalidate the theory that the secretion, when hardened, 

 would offer a sufficient obstruction to the use of the com- 

 plicated male claspers. I am further inclined to believe 

 that the sphragis may act in another way. As a result of 

 a recent observation Mr. W. A. Lamborn has recorded f that 

 a female Planema alcinoe was observed to have four males, 

 all clinging to it at the same time, some even holding on 

 to its wings and endeavouring to attach their claspers 

 to its body. Now such behaviour appears to argue the 

 emission by the female of some powerful sexually exciting 

 scent, and if such be the case, the sphragis may well serve 

 to inhibit the emission of this odour and thus free the 

 female from further attentions. 



From the investigations of Elwes on^Farnassms we may, 

 I think, conclude that this "seal" is formed by a secretion 

 from the male, and this view is confirmed by an interesting 

 note by Dr. Fritz Miiller j who has studied the matter in 

 the genus Actinote. Speaking of the appendage the quo- 

 tation is as follows : " The female of Acraca {Actinote) 

 thalia has this appendage. It is shaped something like 

 a hollow tile, and is fastened by one end, close behind the 

 female orifice, then directed forward, usually at a very 

 acute angle with the body, rarely standing out at right 

 angles. Ever since I first bred this species from the larvae 

 many years ago, I have known that the female does not 

 emerge from the pupa bearing this appendage but that 

 as in Parnassius it is a sign of completed copulation. It 



* See Entomologist, p. 73, 1901. 

 t Proc. Ent. Soc, p. xcv, 1911. 



X Carus, Zoo]. Anzeiger, p. 415, 1893. (I am indebted to Professor 

 Poiilton for kindly calling my attention to tins reference.) 



