1892.] L. de Niceville — Subgenus Pademma of the genus Euploea. 245 



have placed under E. klugii, as they are very richly blue-glossed at the 

 base of the forewing, and have a large spot in the discoidal cell, but the 

 submarginal spots are typically those of E. erichsonii, so these specimens 

 have two characters of E. klugii and one of E. erichsonii. The two races 

 over-lap in Arakan and Pegu, and many specimens from thence are 

 almost intermediate between the two local races, so that the placing 

 them in one or the other is purely arbitrary. 



I have taken great pains to try and define the three geographical 

 races of E. klugii which at most can be admitted, but now that I have 

 finished the task, I am almost of opinion that it would have been more 

 philosophical and scientific to have dealt with the very large series of 

 specimens I possess as one species in the way in which I treated 

 E. (Stictoploea) harrisii, Felder. There is no doubt, however, that E. kollari 

 is constant in certain localities, as also is E. erichsonii in other localities, 

 these being the two extremes of the series, just in the same way that 

 E. harrisii and E. hopei are as distinct in their respective head-quarters, 

 it is only when one comes to consider the intermediate forms which 

 occur in a region geographically intermediate between the two ex- 

 treme forms, that it is found that the constancy of all the forms 

 immediately breaks down. To deal with species like these it is 

 imperatively necessary to have very extensive series of specimens 

 from all the localities in which they occur, and also to act up to 

 the spirit of the theory of evolution which nearly all naturalists 

 profess to believe in, but some naturalists entirely ignore in their 

 writings when describing different species of animals. If my indi- 

 vidual opinions and conclusions be not accepted, I beg that reference be 

 made to the writings of the competent field-naturalists who have studied 

 these butterflies in life. It is needless here to recapitulate what they 

 have recorded : reference to these papers is in all cases given in the syno- 

 nymy of E. klugii. 



There is still another point I may mention. Perhaps of all the 

 oriental butterflies, Euplceas are, where they occur at all, amongst the 

 most commonly met with, conspicuous, and most easily captured of insects. 

 They are so obviously protected that they float about in the air in the 

 quietest manner and seem to court attention, and moreover are always, 

 or nearly so, the commonest of butterflies. So well has the Indian 

 region been explored that I should almost as soon expect to find a new 

 " Cabbage-White " in a London square as a new Etiploea in any part of 

 India ; and it is to be hoped that no more " new species " will be des- 

 cribed from India unless they are obviously quite different from any 

 hitherto known species. Doubtless from unexplored regions and islands 

 many new species yet remain to be described, but certainly there are 

 none from India. 



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