On Lepidoptera Bhopalocera from Brazil. 305 



XXXVI I. — The Collections of William John Burchell } D. C.L., 

 in the Hope Department, Oxford University Museum. 



IV. On the Lepidoptera Rhopalocera collected by W. J. 

 Burchell in Brazil, 1825-1830. By Cora B. "Sanders, 

 of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. 



[Plate VI.] 



In the course of the identification and arrangement of the 

 large collection of butterflies in the Hope Department the 

 Burchell specimens fell into their places in the various groups. 

 Every fragment has been retained, even when the series of 

 individuals was a very long one, because of the historic 

 interest which attaches to the carefully preserved data. The 

 identification and arrangement are the careful work of 

 Mr. W. Holland, and in cases of special difficulty I have taken 

 the specimens to London for comparison with those in the 

 Godman-Salvin Collection and the British Museum. In 

 making out many of the most puzzling species of that difficult 

 subfamily the Ithomiinse the late Mr. Osbert Salvin, F.R.S., 

 very kindly gave me the invaluable help of his intimate 

 knowledge and long experience. Dr. F. D. Godman, F.R.S., 

 has similarly come to my aid with the most difficult of the 

 Satyrinse, and has also promised to name the whole of the 

 Burchell specimens in the group upon which he is so distin- 

 guished an authority — the Hesperiidae. Kind help has also 

 been afforded by Mr. F. A. Heron, of the British Museum. 

 When the arrangement of the Rhopalocera was sufficiently 

 advanced I suggested to Miss Sanders that it would be of much 

 inteiest to prepare an account of the Burchell specimens, incor- 

 porating all the dataand observationsrecorded on thespecimens 

 and in the note-books. As I have explained above, Miss 

 Sanders is not responsible for the identification of the species, 

 although she has taken specimens to London to compare them 

 afresh when it appeared possible that there might be some 

 slight difference between them and the individuals captured 

 in more recent years. For such possible differences Miss 

 Sanders has kept the keenest outlook, aided in the search by 

 Mr. Holland and myself; and it will be seen that the quest 

 has not been altogether fruitless. The explanation of any 

 recognizable differences, as due to a genuine change of form 

 in three quarters of a century or to alteration in the distribu- 

 tion of forms, will be considered in each case as it arises. It 

 may be said, however, that the evidence of some change is 

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