﻿BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  CHAPTEE 
  I. 
  

  

  HYBRIDISATION 
  IN 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  The 
  subject 
  of 
  hybridism 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  of 
  the 
  

   experimental 
  branches 
  of 
  biological 
  work 
  that 
  entomological 
  science 
  

   presents. 
  The 
  fixity 
  of 
  specific 
  forms 
  in 
  nature 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  

   specific 
  variation, 
  the 
  specialisation 
  of 
  their 
  various 
  habits, 
  the 
  regularity 
  

   with 
  which 
  $ 
  s 
  select 
  the 
  $ 
  s 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  kind 
  for 
  purposes 
  of 
  procrea- 
  

   tion, 
  however 
  many 
  and 
  closely-allied 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  

   species 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  ground, 
  and 
  the 
  rarity 
  of 
  crosspairing 
  in 
  nature, 
  so 
  far 
  

   as 
  observation 
  has 
  gone, 
  between 
  forms 
  believed 
  to 
  have 
  specific 
  rank, 
  

   have 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  purity 
  of 
  specific 
  forms, 
  and 
  the 
  expectation 
  of 
  

   finding 
  such 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  fixed 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  wild 
  

   state. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  true, 
  however, 
  that, 
  in 
  nature, 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  groups, 
  of 
  which 
  

   the 
  Anthrocerids 
  are 
  the 
  best 
  known 
  to 
  us, 
  are 
  supposed 
  not 
  to 
  

   maintain 
  this 
  purity 
  of 
  strain, 
  and 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  hybridism 
  

   between 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  question 
  becomes 
  somewhat 
  involved 
  owing 
  to 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  one 
  occasionally 
  (frequently 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  rarity 
  of 
  

   the 
  occurrence 
  in 
  other 
  groups) 
  finds 
  wild 
  insects 
  believed 
  to 
  belong 
  

   to 
  different 
  species 
  paired, 
  and, 
  in 
  confinement, 
  well-defined 
  species 
  

   have 
  been 
  successfully 
  crossed 
  and 
  intercrossed, 
  some 
  at 
  Least 
  

   having 
  been 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  freely 
  fertile 
  inter 
  se. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  this, 
  

   however, 
  the 
  finding 
  of 
  any 
  examples 
  in 
  nature 
  that 
  cannot 
  

   at 
  once 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  a 
  known 
  species, 
  is 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  rare 
  

   occurrence, 
  and 
  one 
  suspects 
  that 
  Standfuss' 
  acceptation 
  of 
  a 
  wide 
  

   range 
  of 
  hybridism 
  in 
  this 
  group 
  in 
  nature 
  (Handbuch, 
  etc.. 
  pp. 
  55-56) 
  

   is 
  quite 
  unwarranted 
  ; 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  it- 
  is 
  absolutely 
  contrary 
  to 
  our 
  

   experience 
  (although 
  we 
  have 
  occasionally 
  found 
  instances 
  of 
  cross- 
  

   pairing) 
  which 
  bears 
  out 
  absolutely 
  Oberthiir's 
  statement 
  (Bull. 
  Soc. 
  Ent 
  

   de 
  France, 
  LS<)7, 
  p. 
  257) 
  that 
  out 
  of 
  above 
  0000 
  picked 
  Anthrocerids 
  in 
  

   his 
  collection, 
  he 
  has 
  only 
  two 
  that 
  might 
  be 
  possibly 
  hybrid 
  forms. 
  

   and 
  these 
  he 
  doubts. 
  Our 
  experience 
  is 
  similar, 
  and. 
  apart 
  from 
  a 
  

   possible 
  hybrid 
  origin 
  of 
  Anthrocera 
  hippocrepidis, 
  Stphs. 
  (stepfunsi, 
  

   Dupont) 
  (Ent. 
  lice, 
  ix., 
  pp. 
  108-107), 
  we 
  have 
  only 
  seen 
  a 
  single 
  speci- 
  

   men 
  that 
  could 
  possibly 
  he 
  a 
  hybrid, 
  out 
  of 
  some 
  thousands 
  captured. 
  

   With 
  Oberthiir 
  we 
  believe 
  wild 
  Anthrocerid 
  hybrids 
  to 
  be 
  exceedingly 
  

  

  