Phy Ictic I \irallelism in Metanwrphic Species. 447 



Vanessa. There can be no doubt but that each 

 of these would have been long ago raised into a 

 genus if similarly marked species of Vanessa 

 occurred in other parts of the world, as is the case 

 with the other species of the genus. Thus, it is 

 well known that there is a whole series of species 

 resembling our K. Cardui, and another series re- 

 sembling our V. C.-album, the two series pos- 

 sessing the same respective types of marking ; 

 indeed on these grounds the sub-genera Pyrameis 

 and Grapta have been erected. 11 



I should not have considered it worth while to 

 have made these remarks if it had not been for the 

 fact that the caterpillars of V. lo and V. Antiopa 

 differ in small particulars from one another and 

 from the other species of the genus. These dif- 

 ferences relate to the number and position of the 

 spines, as can be seen from the following table : 



II [The genus Vanessa (in the wide sense) appears to be in 

 a remarkable condition of what may be called phyletic preserva- 

 tion. Thus, the group of species allied to V. C. -album passes by 

 almost insensible steps into the group of butterflies typified 

 by our " Tortoiseshells." The following is a list of some of 

 the intermediate species in their transitional order : /.-album, 

 V.-album, Faunus, Comma, Californica, Dryas, Polychloros, 

 Xanthomelas, Cashmirensis, Urtica, Milberti, &c. Similarly, 

 our Atalanta and Cardui are connected by a number of inter- 

 mediate forms, showing a complete transition from the one to 

 the other. The following is the order of the species so far as 

 I am acquainted with them : Atalanla, Dejeanii, Callirhrt, 

 Tammtamea, Myrinna, Huntera^ Terpsichore, Carye, Kershawii, 

 and Cardui. R.M.] 



