2.56 THE LOAVER AMAZONS. Chap. VI. 



The case was furnished by certain kinds of handsome 

 butterflies belonging to the genus Heliconius,* a group 

 pecuhar to Tropical America, abounding in individuals 

 everywhere in the shades of its luxuriant forests, and pre- 

 senting clusters of varieties and closely allied species, as 

 well as many distinct, better marked forms. The closely 

 allied species and varieties are a great puzzle to classi- 

 fiers; in fact, the group is one of those wherein gi'eat 

 changes seem to be now going on. A conspicuous mem- 



Heliconius Melpomene. 



ber of the group is the H. Melpomene of Linnaeus. This 

 elegant form is found throughout Guiana, Venezuela, and 

 some parts of New Granada. It is very common at 

 Obydos, and reappears on the south side of the river in 

 the dry forests behind Santarem, at the mouth of the 

 Tapajos. In all other parts of the Amazons valley, east- 



* This genus has long been known under the name of Heliconia : a 

 most inconvenient term, as a botanical genus bears the same name. 

 An author has lately proposed to revert to the masculine termination 

 of the words as first employed by Linnseus (Felder, in the ' ' Wiener 

 Entomologische Monatschrift," March, 1862), and, as I think the cor- 

 rection a good oTiP, I adopt it. 



