SYNONYMUY OF SOME SPECIES OF INDIAN PIERIN Z&, 493 
method with the Asiatic Pierine. In this paper, where a form appears 
to be fairly constant in a fairly defined area, it has been treated as a 
local race, reference being made to the species of which it is, in all 
probability, a modification. But I think the practice of naming 
seasonal forms cannot be too strongly deprecated, this being done fre- 
quently without any reference to the other forms of the same species, 
so that the study of the variation of species, which, I take it, is one 
of the chief aims of entomology as a science, is not in any way fur- 
thered, but is, on the contrary, rather retarded. Further, in groups, 
such as the hecabe group of Terias, where it is extremely difficult to 
find two individuals of the dry-season form absolutely identical in 
markings, each specimen might be named and described as reasonably 
as many of the so-called “ species.” 
The extraordinary extent to which this splitting of species may be 
carried is well exemplified in the arrangement of the collection at the 
British Museum, a most noteworthy point being that though practi- 
eally every named form of Terias and Izas is represented in the 
collection, yet there are almost as many unnamed forms separated off as 
distinct species and only awaiting a sufficiently bold describer to name 
them. Yet in spite of these many “ species” I found, on trying to name 
my collection, mostly from Burma and Southern India, and containing 
several hundred specimens of Jaas and Terias, that though many 
specimens could be matched approximately, yet a very large residue 
could not be assigned to any (named or unnamed) species in th 
British Museum collection, and consequently represented many “ new 
species.” As my collection was obtained at all periods of the year, 
and as every specimen is dated, I was able to work it out to my own 
satisfaction, and totassign the different seasonal forms to the species to 
which in my opinion they belong, and though of course I do not fora 
moment anticipate that my conclusions will be accepted by the 
describers, yet I do not think I shall be far wrong in saying 
that there is hardly a single working entomologist in India who has 
not arrived at similar conclusions. 
As Mr. Butler is the custodian of the butterfly collection at the 
British Museum and is therefore responsible for its arrangement as well 
as for the naming of many of the seasonal forms, I trust that both he 
and others will bear in mind that the Butler referred to is one of 
6 
