﻿cardui 
  var. 
  JcersJiawii, 
  McCoy; 
  and 
  the 
  predominance 
  of 
  the 
  

   Australian 
  element 
  in 
  the 
  scanty 
  butterfly-fauna 
  of 
  this 
  little 
  

   island, 
  1000 
  miles 
  at 
  least 
  from 
  the 
  nearest 
  point 
  of 
  Australia 
  

   is 
  very 
  remarkable. 
  Christmas 
  Island, 
  which 
  consists 
  mainly 
  

   of 
  coralline 
  limestone 
  upheaved 
  to 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  

   1000 
  feet 
  in 
  its 
  highest 
  jjart, 
  possesses 
  nine 
  butterflies 
  in 
  spite 
  

   of 
  its 
  very 
  small 
  area. 
  Three 
  of 
  these, 
  besides 
  a 
  local 
  race 
  

   {deter 
  minata, 
  Butl.) 
  of 
  Melanitis 
  leda, 
  L., 
  are 
  very 
  distinct 
  

   and 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  island, 
  viz. 
  Ewploea 
  [Vadehra) 
  macleari, 
  

   Butl., 
  Terias 
  aniplexa, 
  Butl., 
  and 
  the 
  fine 
  Charaxes 
  andrewsi, 
  

   Butl. 
  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  form 
  of 
  Limnas 
  

   chrysippus 
  in 
  Christmas 
  Island 
  is 
  also 
  noteworthy, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  

   only 
  190 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  Java, 
  though 
  separated 
  by 
  very 
  deep 
  

   sea 
  from 
  this 
  island. 
  

  

  The 
  remaining 
  islands 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  Indian 
  Ocean, 
  Marion, 
  

   the 
  Crozets, 
  Kerguelen, 
  Heard, 
  St. 
  Paul, 
  and 
  Amsterdam, 
  all 
  

   lie 
  in 
  a 
  tract 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  too 
  stormy 
  and 
  inclement 
  for 
  any 
  

   butterfly 
  life 
  to 
  be 
  possible; 
  and 
  indeed 
  they 
  present 
  the 
  

   spectacle 
  of 
  a 
  Lepidopterous 
  fauna 
  reduced 
  to 
  its 
  lowest 
  terms. 
  

   Kerguelen, 
  despite 
  its 
  area 
  of 
  over 
  1400 
  square 
  miles, 
  in 
  a 
  

   latitude 
  nearly 
  corresponding 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  Paris, 
  has 
  only 
  

   two 
  practically 
  apterous 
  Tineids, 
  a 
  third 
  species, 
  also 
  apterous, 
  

   having 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Crozets; 
  while 
  from 
  St. 
  Paul 
  and 
  

   Amsterdam, 
  in 
  a 
  somewhat 
  lower 
  latitude, 
  two 
  other 
  moths 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  family, 
  both 
  fully 
  winged, 
  have 
  been 
  recorded. 
  

   One 
  of 
  these, 
  Blabophanes 
  ptilophaga, 
  Enderlein, 
  lives 
  in 
  the 
  

   nests 
  of 
  penguins 
  at 
  St. 
  Paul 
  and 
  feeds 
  in 
  the 
  larva 
  state 
  on 
  

   feathers 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  curious 
  coincidence, 
  to 
  say 
  the 
  least, 
  that 
  

   Darwin 
  noted 
  at 
  St. 
  Paul's 
  Rocks 
  in 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  " 
  a 
  small 
  

   brovv^n 
  moth, 
  belonging 
  to 
  a 
  genus 
  that 
  feeds 
  on 
  feathers," 
  

   as 
  the 
  sole 
  Lepidopterous 
  resident 
  of 
  that 
  tiny 
  islet 
  in 
  mid- 
  

   ocean. 
  

  

  For 
  our 
  present 
  purpose 
  New 
  Zealand 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  

   an 
  oceanic 
  island 
  on 
  a 
  grand 
  scale, 
  and 
  its 
  limited 
  butterfly- 
  

   fauna 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  in 
  the 
  whole 
  world. 
  Of 
  

   its 
  fourteen 
  resident 
  species, 
  nine 
  are 
  absolutely 
  peculiar, 
  

   and 
  of 
  these 
  the 
  most 
  conspicuous, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  

   plentiful, 
  is 
  the 
  beautiful 
  Pyrameis 
  gonerilla, 
  F., 
  which 
  recalls 
  

   our 
  P. 
  atalanta 
  in 
  its 
  appearance 
  and 
  its 
  familiar 
  habits. 
  Ther^ 
  

  

  