Rhopalocerous forms in South Africa. 269 



sea, and of fresliwater lakes forminj^ impassable barriers; 

 the generally graduated and but little differentiated pecu- 

 liarities of climate, are highly favourable to the inroads 

 of variable forms ; such as my friend, Mr. Trimen, has 

 shown, in the case of Papilio Merope, to be distinctly now 

 in process of creation. 



The series of Papilio {Merope) Cenea, Trim., now ex- 

 hibited, — 49 in number, consisting of 18 ^s and 31 $s, — 

 shows insects raised from larva, and insects collected in 

 every instance but one from a small gulley or hloof as it 

 is colonially termed, isolated on an open grassy country, 

 and separated by at least four miles from any other bush 

 or forest. 



Of the $s, six belong to the Tropltonius form; three 

 to Hippocoon ; one slightly intermediate between Hippo- 

 coon and Cenea, but nearer to Cejiea; and one coloured 

 somewhat like Cenea, but showing approximations to 

 Troplionius and Hippocoon; the remaining twenty are 

 entirely or nearly of the Cenea form, with white spots on 

 the fore wing, in imitation of the prevailing variety of 

 Amauris Echeria. 



Of the sjjecimens exhibited, five j s were raised from 

 larvee. Among these, one Cenea and two Troplionius 

 forms are the smallest I have seen, the Cenea measuring 

 less across the wings than do many A. Eclierias. This 

 diminished size is probably due to the insects having been 

 reared in confinement, but it most strikingly illustrates 

 the imitation. I had hoped to have brought some living 

 specimens of the pupte to England, but shortly after my 

 former paper was w^ritten, I left my farm and went to 

 reside in another locality, where Merope was peculiarly 

 scarce, and a hurried search made on the trees, whence my 

 specimens were obtained, failed, probably on account of 

 the dryness of the past year, in discovering any. 



The Hippocoon form is by far the rarest {vide Trans. 

 Ent. Soc, 1874), yet I believe that I once saw a specimen 

 of Amauris Niavius in the neighbourhood, although its 

 capture in Kafirland has not hitherto been recorded. The 

 Troplionius form appears in slightly larger proportions 

 than the last, and I attribute its scarcity to the fact that 

 Danais Chrijsippus frequents thick bush much less fre- 

 quently than Amauris Echeria, Avliich is essentially a 

 sylvan butterfly. The two specimens reared by me from 

 their reduced size strikingly illustrate their likeness to 

 D. Chrysippus. 



