ORDINARY MEETING.* 
H. Capman Jones, Esq., M.A., in the Chair. 
The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed, and the 
following Election was announced :— 
Associate :—G. W. Lonsdale Barraclough, Esq., London. 
The following Paper was then read by the Author :— 
THE BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS OF AFRICA.* By 
W.F. Krrsy, F.H.S., Assistant in the Zoological Depart- 
ment, British Museum. 
FRICA, the southern continent of the Old World, is quite 
as interesting, in many respects, as regards its natural 
history, as the northern continent of Asia-Europe. The 
northern continent cannot be divided, except artificially ; 
and, speaking roughly, we may regard it as possessing three 
distinct Faunas, though they mingle on the boundaries. There 
is the Northern Fauna, extending from the west to Japan, 
and including the Arctic and Alpine species; there is the 
Steppe Fauna, or Western Fauna, extending from Central 
Asia to the western shores of the Mediterranean; and the 
Tropical Fauna, including South-eastern Asia, from India to 
Japan. 
Africa has two distinctive Faunas of its own; on the 
Kastern and Western coasts ; and the various Faunas of Asia- 
Europe likewise impinge upon it on the north and north-east. 
The islands to the east, especially Madagascar, have a dis- 
tinctive Fauna of their own, allied to that of Hast Africa, but 
with more decided Hast Indian affinities. 
It is generally recognised that Northern Africa belongs to 
what is called the Palearctic Region,—1.e., its productions 
have little or no resemblance to those of Africa south of the 
Sahara, but are related to those characteristic of the Northern 
and Steppe Faunas of Asia-Hurope, and more especially to 
the latter. This is evidently due to the former geographical 
conformation of the Old World. There is not much doubt 
* June 3, 1889. 
