270 Mr. J. P. M. Weale on the variation of 



It lias been objected bj some persons that I have not 

 seen the Merope 5 depositing the eggs from which my 

 specimens were reared. I may remark that a careful 

 search of my Idoof failed in discovering more than a single 

 tree of Toddalia (yepris) lanceolata. I must also own 

 that the objection appears to me to be of rather a frivolous 

 nature, coming as it does from those who have been too 

 ready to separate into species insects but slightly different 

 from each other, and often from the inspection of single 

 specimens in collections. All the Papilios with which 

 I am acquainted in a state of nature deposit their eggs 

 singly — each generally on a separate leaf — and it would 

 be almost impossible to vouch for the parents of the indi- 

 vidual caterpillars, especially when the peculiar habits 

 of Merope $ , as described in my former paper, are taken 

 into account. The objectors appear to plead for "a lorig 

 day " ere the sentence of death is executed on their species, 

 and their demand appears almost as reasonable as if they 

 required that a lord chancellor or an archbishop should 

 vouch for the legitimacy of birth. 



The causes of migrations yet require considei^able in- 

 vestigation, but I have often noticed that ^s of some 

 butterflies and of other insects appear to migrate farther 

 than the 2 s — contrary to what one would suppose. I 

 never met with Merope 2 at Bedford, but I believe I more 

 than once saw a ^, and Harma Eupitkes supposed to be 

 the $ of H. Alcimeda migrates in considei-able quantities. 

 The male locusts often descend in large numbers to the 

 seaboard and sometimes pass out to sea, but the 2 s rarely 

 enter the Zuurveld, as it is called. Although I never 

 remember meeting with Toddalia {yepris) lanceolata, the 

 food plant of Merope, at Bedford, I think it is probably 

 found there, as are some of its close allies ; and so far as 

 P. Nireus and Demoleus are concerned, their larv^ appear 

 to me to feed freely on almost any of the Xantlioxylacea, 

 Aurontiacew, as well as on some Umbelliferce — Clausena 

 incequalis being often stripped of its foliage by larvge of 

 Nireus. A more important point would be the apparent 

 absence of Amauris Echeria from the Bedford forest. 

 I captured, however, a Papilio Echerioides $ , and found 

 Nymphalis Xiphares ( Thyestes$\ both $ and j , common 

 tliere, as also in Kaffraria, an examination of the j of 

 which shows an evident tendency to the coloration of 

 A. Echeria. 



The next series of insects exhibited are those of Acrcea 



