( 492 ) 



In ortlcr to ei)al)le tliose of onr readers who have no access to the literature m 

 question to arrive at an independent opinion, we give the following facts : — 



1. We have in tlie Tring Museum four editions of Merian's Met. Iits. Surinam ; 

 other copies of the work have also been compared. Now, the black design of the 

 up])er tignre of Plate XLVII. is the same in all copies, the stigma being jilainly 

 inviDKi) as in the vine-feeder, not in the Jtissieua-^L'e'Xex. But the colouring is 

 utterly diti'ei'cnt, as follows : — 



a. Latin edition of 1705 ; library at Giittingen : — 



Distal and abdominal margins of hindwing red. 



b. Dutch edition of 1705, in the Tring Museum : — 



Distal margins of fore- and hindwing red ; abdominal margin of 

 hindwing green. 



c. Edition of 1719 :— 



Right and left forewing different in pattern ; distal and abdominal 

 margins of hindwing red. 

 J. Latin and Frencli edition of 1720, in the Tring Museum : — 



AVings nearly entirely crimson, a narrow green band on forewing; distal 

 and abdominal margins of hindwing green, with the red colour 

 of tlie disc extending to distal margin jiosteriorly on the left wing. 

 The figure in the copy contained in the lilirary at Gtittingen is only 

 partly coloured ; the disc of the hindwing is green. 

 e. Dutch edition of 1830, in the Tring Museum : — 



Distal and abdominal margins of hindwing red as in the .7«.s-.v/(V/^<-feeder ; 

 stigma of forewing so thickly smeared over with brown that tlie 

 white dividing line is not visible except by close inspection. 



2. Linne's descriptions of the wings are as follows : — 

 /'. In Si/st. Nat. ed. x. : — 



" alis cinercis fusco-rariis : posticis marijini' tcnuiorc snngiiineis.'''' 

 y. Ill Mus. Liid. Ulr. : — 



" alae posticae supra cinereae. Fascia nigricans versHx maryinem 

 posticum. Macula nigra in disco. Mnrgn anterior aV»is, interior 

 Macula .^anguinca." 

 h. In Sijxt. Nat. ed. xii. : — 



'■'■ alis cinervis fusco variis : po.'iticis marginc intcriore sdnguiia'is."' 

 It will be noticed that : — 



«.' Murgo tenuior is the same as margo interior (see a and c ; Fabricins also 

 employs sometimes tenuior for interior). 



h . Linne sjieaks of margo posticus, margo anterior, and marqo interior in Mus. 

 Lud. Ulr. 



Comparing other descriptions of Linne we find that his margo posticus is the 

 distal margin (see descrij)tion of Carolina), the margo anterior the costal margin, 

 and the margo interior the abdominal margin. This margo interior alone is 

 described as red in vitis (see/—//). Sapienti sat. 



cJ?. Forewing, zippe?-si(le : a subbasal band from costal to inner margin 

 crossing vein M just proximally of M' ; stigma round, divided by the pale cross-vein 

 D' ; jiale discal hand curved costad ; distal marginal border with a grey or white 



line at jiroximiil edge ; all these characters shown in Merian's figure. Hindwing: 



a black discal line from upper distal angle of square patch costad ; a black, con- 

 tinnous, sulimarginal biind, prcoedc^l by a more or less comjiletely separate line. 



