330 JOURNu-iL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXII. 



albina, leis and ivardi. Captain W. H. Evans has just published a 

 " List of Indian Butterflies" in this Journal (March 31st and July 

 30th, 1912), in which he reduces these to two : albina and melania 

 (^ Zeis), lumping ^jiattZma, wardi and galathea under the latter. 

 He may be correct in keeping albina (= clarada, neumbo) as a good 

 species. Leis and tvardi are probably the same insect, for the bred 

 series of Kanarese Gatopliaga as also a considerable number of 

 caught males and females are distinctly all referable to one or 

 other of these two forms as described in Colonel Bingham's book, 

 though the Kanarese form does not always agree in every detail 

 with either. Galathea and 'paulina, the one from the Andamans 

 and Nicobars, the other from Ceylon, may w^ell be local races of the 

 same melania-leis . There is one somewhat suspicious fact connect- 

 ed with the name of venusta which is one of the recognized races or 

 varieties of albina : where did the name come from ? Why was it 

 given ? When it is noted that the foodplant of the larva of leis- 

 ivardi is jff. venusta it would seem that the butterfly venusta must 

 have been named after the plant, although there is nothing on 

 record to show that this is the case; therefore also, it is probable 

 that either this form or its larva was found at the tree or feeding 

 on it. That is the probabilities would be that the larvse of v:ardi- 

 leis and of albina feed upon the same plant, and might therefore 

 possibly be one species or, at least, the forms might be much more 

 nearly related than hitherto has been supposed. It is a pity that 

 only a few species of the genus Appias have been bred or are 

 known to have been bred ; these are, two belonging to the sub- 

 genus Appias and one belonging to Catophaga ; the former from 

 larvse feeding upon Gapparidece, the latter upon Hemicyclia venusta, 

 a euphorbiaceous tree. If, for example, Gatophaga albina larva 

 were to be found feeding upon a Caper it would go far towards 

 fixing its status as a good species. As regards the distribution of 

 the different insects and the inferences to be drawn therefrom, it 

 might be taken for granted that forms widely separated and charac- 

 teristic of the regions they are found in should be entitled to the 

 status of distinct species; or, at least, distinct races. But the 

 localities given for several of the forms in Colonel Bingham's work 

 are, nearly certainly, not correct and are due to mistakes having been 

 made originally in the determination of particular insects. For 

 example, the locality " Kanara " for Ayfias albina is certainly a 

 mistake ; it is based upon de ^Niceville's faulty determination of a 

 specimen of leis-wardi as neumbo (one of the recognised albina 

 forms) ; in all probability "Poona" and " Guzarat " for the same 

 species are based upon a similar mistake. It is only natural, when 

 the different insects have been so confused in the past by even the 

 best known authorities, that localities mentioned should also be 

 looked upon with suspicion ; and the writer refuses altogether to 



