22 

 FEBRUARY \ith, 1892. 



C. G. Barrett, Esq., F.E.S., President, in the Chair. 



Mr, Jenner Weir exhibited specimens of the following 

 species of the genus Cymothoe, viz. : theodota c? et $ ; cBinilius 

 c? et ? ; ccenis, (J et ? ; theobene, <J et ? ; and stated that 

 this genus was remarkable for the extreme sexual difference ; 

 the males in most cases were of an ochreous or cream colour, 

 more or less clouded with black ; while, on the other hand, 

 the females rarely had any of the ochreous or cream colour, 

 and their markings were very varied and presented a very 

 spotted appearance, for instance, the male of Cymothoe theodota 

 was a rich buff colour, the wings towards the base being 

 lighter, almost cream coloured, the upper wings narrowly and 

 the under broadly edged with black ; the female had the 

 upper wings black, with twenty-three white spots, the base 

 somewhat bluish, the under wings were almost white on the 

 disc, with a bluish base and lower edge, the ochreous colour 

 being confined to two spots near the anal angle, the margin 

 of the wing was broadly edged with black containing a double 

 row of white spots. 



In Cymothoe cemilius the male had the upper wings at the 

 base and extending over half the surface, of a rich dark 

 chocolate, the distal half being ochreous ; in the female of 

 this species there was not a trace of the ochreous or chocolate 

 colour, but the wings were black, a white band edged with blue, 

 common to both wings, and submarginal and marginal series 

 of spots of the same coloration. It was not necessary to 

 describe so fully the difference between the sexes in the other 

 species ; it would suffice to say, that, the general colour of the 

 male Cymothoe theobene is buff and chocolate, and of the 

 female a dusky brown and dull white. The male of Cymothoe 

 ccsnis is cream-coloured, with a marginal row of white spots 

 surrounded with black, while the female is of a dull blackish 

 colour, with a white irregular band common to both wings. 



"It will be seen," he said, "that the two former species 

 dealt with have females more conspicuously coloured than the 

 males ; whilst the two latter species have the females much 

 duller in colour than the other sex. It is difficult to realize 

 that it is probably a fact that both kinds of coloration are 

 equally protective. 



" Take the apparently very conspicuous females of the two 

 species of C. theodota and C. cemiliiis, it might be thought 

 that when under a tropical sun these females rested on a 

 twig or leaf that they would be plainly visible to their 



