1878.] BUTTERFLIES FROM NEW GUINEA. 647 



Athyma LACTARIA. 



Athyma lactaria, Butl. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 3, xvii. p. 98. 



Mainland of New Guinea. 



Agrees with the specimens in the British Museum. 



DlADEMA NERINA. 



Papilio nerina, Fab. Syst. Ent. p. 509; Donov. Ins. N. Holl. 

 t. 27. f. 1. 



D'Entrecasteaux Islands. 



A female specimen, agreeing with others from Australia. 



DlADEMA ALIMENA. 



Papilio alimena, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 780. 

 D'Entrecasteaux Islands. 

 Agrees with Amboina specimens. 



Family Papilionid.*. 

 Subfamily Pierin^e. 

 Terias hecabe. 



Papilio hecabe, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 763. 

 Mainland of New Guinea. 



Subfamily Papilionin^e. 



ORN1THOPTERA POSEIDON. 



Papilio poseidon, Doubl. Ann. & Mag. N. H. xix. p. 173 ; Wall. 

 Trans. L. S. xxv. p. 35. 



Possession Bay and D'Entrecasteaux Islands. 



Dr. Comrie obtained a number of specimens of Ornithoptera 

 (mostly females) in these two localities. Unfortunately most of 

 them are in broken condition ; but enough remains to show an in- 

 teresting range of variation in the females — enough, indeed, still 

 further to discredit the many species of the O.-priamus group that 

 have been attempted to be set up at various times. 



Some of the females from Possession Bay have the primaries 

 spotless brown ; others show a trace of the light-coloured spot near 

 the end of the cell. The specimens from D'Entrecasteaux Islands 

 are strongly marked, indeed as much so as female examples of 

 0. arruana. 



Unfortunately, Dr. Comrie's collection contains only one male 

 (from Possession Bay) in a condition to compare with examples from 

 other localities. This seems to agree closely with typical specimens 

 of 0. arruana, the apical angle of the secondaries being perhaps 

 rather less acute ; but the difference is very slight. Comparing this 

 with Montrouzier's description of his 0. boisduvalii, from Woodlark 

 Island (no great distance from Dr. Comrie's locality), we find it 

 agree in every respect. 



So far, then, as we can see, these specimens tend to confirm the 



