EQUES. 291 



[LV. & LVI. c.] This unnamed genus includes the remarkable 

 group of Papilio me rope, Cramer. They are large Butterflies, 

 measuring from 3^ to nearly 5 inches across the wings, and 

 are confined to Africa and Madagascar. In the males the 

 upper side is pale sulphur-yellow, the fore-wings with the costa 

 narrowly and the hind-margin more broadly black, with a pale 

 yellow spot near the tip; on the hind-wings there are some 

 black spots towards the hind-margin, and three large black 

 spots, one near the end of the costa, one above the anal angle, 

 and one beyond the cell ; sometimes these are united into a 

 continuous border. The under side of the hind-wings is of a 

 rather shining yellowish-grey. The fore-wings are rather short 

 and broad, the costa being strongly arched, and the hind- 

 margin not very oblique, and slightly concave ; the hind-wings 

 are almost rectangular at the outer angle, where there is a long, 

 slightly spatulate tail. The females, however, have rounded and 

 scalloped hind-wings, without a tail, and are black, with white, 

 buff, red, or orange markings, corresponding with those of various 

 species of Danaina of the genera Limnas and Amauris^ which 

 abound in the same localities. This is one of the most inter- 

 esting cases known of the phenomenon called " mimicry," 

 more especially as the Madagascar representative of the group 

 (Papilio meriones, Felder), which is distinguished by having 

 a broad black band on the costa, and also one or two East 

 African forms, have black and pale yellow tailed females almost 

 identical with the males in shape, colour, and pattern. 



Respecting the habits of the West African Papilio merope, 

 Surgeon-Captain Clements writes ("On a Collection of 

 Sierra Leone Lepidoptera," by W. Schaus, F.Z.S., and W. 

 G. Clements, Surgeon-Captain A.M.S., p. 6): " Of the females 

 of P. merope I obtained but one variety. This is indistinguish- 

 able on the wing from Amauris niavius ; the male keeps with- 

 in the shady parts of the forest, and has a bold, lofty, and sailing 



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