EHOPALOCEKA. 19 



thoroughly examined by Messrs. Doubleday and Westwood in their 

 Genera of Diurnal Lcpidoptera^, present features worth considering in 

 comparing the structure of the different groups. The claws themselves 

 (u7igues) seem to be simple throughout the various Families, except in 

 the Sub-Family Pierince, in many genera of the Satyrince, and in a 

 single species of Papilioninoe^ where they are more or less deeply bifid. 

 But the appendages to the claws, termed pulvillus and paronychia, are 

 more or less developed in all groups, except in some of the sub- 

 family Danaina^, in the Acrwince, and in the Papilionince ; and they 

 appear to attain their greatest development in the Sub-Family Nym- 

 •phalinm. 



Taking into consideration all the details of structure above 

 mentioned, and having regard to the earlier stages as well as to the 

 adult or perfect state, an approximately natural arrangement of butter- 

 flies is arrived at ; but, as is the case throughout Nature, the linear or 

 serial classification, which for convenience has to be employed, can only 

 very inadequately represent the aflanities which exist. 



In consequence, originally, of Linn^'s beginning his genus Papilio 

 (equivalent to the whole group of Butterflies) with his so-named 

 Equites, and of these being naturally retained as the representatives of 

 the restricted Papilioncs, when that great genus was broken up into 

 several others, it remained for many years the practice to place the 

 Family Papilionidce at the head of the Sub-Order Bhopalocera, and 

 to put between them and the Hesperidcs all the remaining groups. 

 Though Herrich-Schaeffer in 1843 {Syst. Bearh. dcr Schmett. von 

 Europa^ i. p. 16) amended this by commencing the series with the 

 Nymphalides, continuing with the Libytlieides and Erycinides, and 

 placing the Picridcs, Lyccenides, and finally the Eqiiitides, next above 

 the Eespcrides (which he separated altogether from the other Butter- 

 flies) ; yet, mainly I think from the influence of Boisduval's system, 

 published in 1836, which placed the Suspensi (== entire Family 

 Nymphalidce) between the Succincti {= Families Papilionidoi and 

 Lyccenidm and most Erycinidce) and the P/woluti {=Hesperidm), the 

 more natural classification was not adopted by entomologists generally. 

 The magnificent Genera of Diurnal Lepidoptera of Doubleday and West- 

 wood (1846-52) perpetuated the old arrangement, which was adopted 

 by all English lepidopterists, and followed by myself in Bhopalocera 

 Africoe Australis (1862-66). The adoption of late years of the 

 more natural system is mainly due to the able advocacy of it by Mr. 

 H. W. Bates, whose memoirs dealing with the matter appeared in the 

 Journal of Entomology (1861 and 1864) and in the Transactions of 



1 One of the genus Leptocireus. Doubleday {Gen. Diurn. Lcp., i. p. 23) records this 

 exception, at the same time mentioning that in the only other known species of the genus 

 the claws are simple ! Blanchard, with evident reference to this case, abandons {Metani. etc. 

 des Insectes, 1868, p. 160) the idea that the structure of the claws can be employed with 

 any advantage in distinguishing genera or groups ; but this appears to me to be too sweeping 

 a decision. 



