Entomological Society. 9081 
“race,” denoting by the latter term a form which kept distinct from the parent stock 
and propagated itself independently: such a form was not a “ variety” by reason of its 
constancy and the absence of intermediate links, and could not be considered a 
“species” by reason of the comparative unimpertance of the characters in which it 
differed from the type-form. The subject of Mr. Wallace’s remarks had been treated 
by him at length in a paper recently read before the Linnean Society: he fu¥ther 
illustrated the phenomenon of polymorphism by the following hypothetical case :— 
Imagine the discovery of an island inhabited by white men, and black (negro), red 
(Indian), and yellow (Chinese) women, and in which the union of these variously- 
coloured parents produces children which always resemble one or other of the four 
above-mentioned forms, no intermediate forms ever occurring; the boys are always 
white, whilst the girls are black, red or yellow, but without any necessary connexion 
with the colour of the mother, so that a black girl may be the offspring of a white 
father and of either a black, red or yellow mother. Such a phenomenon would 
certainly be an extraordinary one, but it was exactly parallel to what took place with 
the exhibited species of Papilio. 
Gen. Sir John Hearsey remarked that so long ago as 1831 he had captured Papilio 
Pammon and P. Polytes in copula, had killed the pair in situ, and so sent them to 
Prof. Westwood; in which position they were to be seen at Oxford to this day. 
Mr. Waterhouse enquired whether there was any evidence of the fertility of the 
abnormal females, since on theoretical grounds it might almost be expected that they 
would be unproductive. 
Mr. Wallace replied that he believed one of the abnormal females then exhibited 
could be seen to be full of eggs, 
Prof. Westwood exhibited a butterfly recently received at the Oxford Museum 
from M. Snellen van Vollenhoven ; the specimen was from Ceram, and it appeared to 
him to differ from Papilio Peranthus only in its large size and to some extent in its 
colouring; he found no structural difference whatever, and he begged to exhibit it as 
P. Peranthus, var.; it seemed to him to be precisely one of Mr. Wallace’s “local 
forms,” but Mr, Wallace informed him that he should describe it as a new species. 
Mr. A. R. Wallace said that if structural difference was necessary to constitute a 
species, two-thirds, or probably nine-tenths, of the existing species must be abolished ; 
the difference between a local form and a species was one of degree only, and in his 
opinion the butterfly exhibited possessed characters sufficient to entitle it to specific 
rank. 
Prof. Westwood read a description of a gigantic Heteropteryx, the type of which 
was preserved in spirits in the Oxford Museum; it was named H. Hopei. Also a 
description of a new species of leaf-insect, one of the distinguishing characters of - 
which was that the abdomen had no rounded lobes; this was described under the 
name of Phyllium Feejeeanum. 
Mr. S. Stevens exhibited a box of insects recently received from Mr. Diggles, of 
Moreton Bay, Queensland; they consisted principally of Lepidoptera, with a few 
Orthoptera, admirably preserved. 
Mr. Sharp exhibited a single specimen of a beetle new to this country, the Stenus 
Kiesenwetteri, which he had captured at Wimbledon. The species appeared to be a 
Tare one, but had occurred in Spain and in Bavaria. 
Capt. Cox sent for exhibition some photographs of insects, the execution of which 
excited the admiration of all ; they were very nearly, but rather under, the natural size. 
VOL. XXII. 2F 
