African Species of the Genus Acraea. 153- 



There is in the general coUectiou of the Berlin Museum 

 a remarkable form of A. acrita bearing the label " Uganda." 

 The ground-colour is very brilliant. Beyond the cell in 

 f.-w. there is a very small spot in area 6, below this a large 

 spot in 5, and beneath that, but nearer margin a dot, more 

 distinctly visible on the underside. The h.-w. has a very 

 broad black border, narrow at the apex but immediately 

 expanding to about 4 mm. and at nervule 3 to some 6 mm. 

 wide. The border on underside is of the usual pattern. 

 The specimen is labelled guillcmci, but has nothing to 

 do with that species. The process of the terminal 

 abdominal plate is short, a little longer than in the 

 pudorina form. No conclusion can be drawn from a 

 single, apparently aberrant specimen of this kind, bear- 

 ing a vague locality label. 1 have seen no other example 

 of any form of acrita purporting to have been taken in 

 Uganda. 



Reference to the drawings of the ^ armatures of forms 

 of acrita shown on Plate X will suggest that marked 

 differences of structure are to be found in these organs. 

 Differences do certainly exist, but from a series of prepara- 

 tions carefully examined I cannot find satisfactory constant 

 differences. The peculiar short blunt hooks vary in thick- 

 ness and in the shape of their extremities, and the size and 

 contour of the massive penis sheath is also inconstant. 

 Moreover with a structure of such complication it is a 

 matter of the greatest difficulty to make accurate compari- 

 son of the dimensions of the various parts. Such difficulty 

 would not be insuperable given an imlimited number of 

 specimens from every locality. Each part, uncus, claspers, 

 sheath, etc., could then be carefully measured and tabulated. 

 The magnificent material generously placed at my disposal 

 by the Hon, W. Rothschild almost Avarranted such an 

 investigation, but numerous though the specimens are, 

 there appear to be some localities still insut!icieutly repre- 

 sented, so that for the present the problem of the true 

 relationships of the forms of acrita must await a future 

 solution. The species does not appear to be rare, so that 

 we may look forward to having the assistance of much 

 needed breeding experiments in the near future. 



54. Acraea cbaeribula. PI. IX, ff. 17, 18. PI. XVI, f. 8. 



Acraea chaeribtda, Oberthiir, Etud. d'Ent. 17, p. 19, pi. 2, f. 16 

 (1893); Aurivillius (acH<« var.), Rhop. Aeth., p. 96 (1898);. 



