Miscellaneous. 425 



Migrations of Danais Archippus. 



To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 



Altona, October 15, 1873. 



Gentlemen, — In the June and August numbers of the 'Annals' are 

 two letters from Professor P. M'Coy regarding the sudden appearance 

 of Danais Archippus in Australia. I beg to state that I have just 

 published, in the fourth part of the ' Journal des Museum GodefFroy ' 

 (Hamburg, L. Friederichsen & Co.), all the facts known to me on the 

 wandering of this American butterfly over the islands of the Pacific 

 Ocean, and the continent of Australia, to Gorontalo on North Celebes, 

 where Dr. A. B. Meyer captured four specimens of Danais Archippus 

 — three of which are at the Berlin Museum, and one in my collection. 



Georg Semper. 



On the Change of Form of the Lachrymal Pit during Groivth in the 

 Skulls of the Bush-boles (Cephalophus) and Muntjacs (Cervulus). 

 By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S. 



The lachrymal pit is largo, rounded, deep, and well developed in 

 the adult bush-boks; and the characters afforded by these parts 

 have generally been considered important for the separation of 

 the genera and species of the bush-boks and other antelopes ; but 

 care should be taken to compare skulls (at least of the species 

 of bush-boks) of nearly the same age. The lachrymal pit of Cepha- 

 lophus rufilatus, C. badius, and C. coronatus is large and deep in 

 the adult skull ; but in the younger skulls it is smaller and shal- 

 lower, being least marked of all in the young specimens. It is 

 very slightly marked in the skull of C. Whitjieldii and C. bicolor, 

 which are only known from very young specimens, and of which we 

 do not know the adult ; but the skull will very probably be like that 

 of the adult of other bush-boks. 



I think we may conclude, from these facts, that the tear-pit in this 

 genus is small and shallow in the young, and increases in size, form, 

 and depth as the animal approaches the adult age. The variation 

 is so great that it is only safe to compare the skulls of different 

 species of the same or nearly the same age. 



The size of the intermaxillary bone appears to be generally a 

 good character, and not influenced by age ; but sometimes it varies 

 in extent in different specimens of the same species. In three 

 specimens of Cephalophus Ogilbyi, for example, the intermaxillary 

 bone does not reach the edge of the nasal ; but in one specimen 

 the intermaxillary bone is very large, and is margined above by 

 the nasal (Hand-list of Ruminants, t. xxxiii. f. 2). The size of the 

 orbit seems to be pretty permanent in the skulls of the different 

 species. 



I have not had the opportunity of observing this change in the 

 skulls of the other genera of antelopes and the allied animals. 

 Perhaps it is not so great as in this group. 



