53 



occurs in the green mantle spread over hill and dale 

 except where effected by artificial means. Rain and 

 moisture are plentiful, adding ever fresh vigour to, and 

 keeping up the exuberant growth of trees, shrubs, and 

 herbs." 



In such a country we can understand then how even 

 such fine insects as the <? and ? of JE. Regina could for 

 a long period be concealed from the most observant 

 naturalist." 



As Woodford tells us that Victoria, and Urvilliana 

 are very fond of frequenting the sweet smelling 

 flowers of cerbera odollam* (closely allied to the Oleander, 

 and similar in aspect), and common on the sea 

 shores of India, Ceylon, Malayana, and N. Australia, 

 throughout Polynesia, and as far east as Pitcairn Island ; 

 and as the plant is common in the Solomon Islands, and 

 at least 7 species are found in the Fiji group, it is a 

 wonder that Regina, even if living in the interior, had not 

 yet been attracted to the neighbourhood of these plants. 



The following are Salvin's diagnoses of this species : — 



" S . Wings deep black ; primaries, except the costa, 

 have a large patch of golden green, the outer margin 

 of which is irregular and ill-defined, and reaches to within a 

 quarter of an inch of the end of the cell ; towards the apex 

 is a large subtriangular golden patch ; parallel to the inner 

 margin and near the anal angle is an elongated stigma 

 similar to that of 0. Priamns and its allies. The second- 

 aries, almost from the costal margin to beyond the cell, 

 are rich golden green, the distal part of the cell being 

 black, though the nervures closing it are green. There are 

 three contiguous submarginal golden green spots, whereof 

 the two nearest the anal angle have a large central patch 

 of golden yellow. Beneath, the wings are shining golden 

 green, with the nervures, margins, a large subtriangular 

 patch over the end of the cell of the primaries, a series 

 of submarginal spots at the end of each secondary nervure, 

 and two lunate spots on either side of the lower radial 

 of the primaries black. 



" The antennae and pro thorax are black ; the abdomen 

 ochraceous grey, with a double row of spots on either 

 side, and a ventral median line black. 



" The primaries are narrow, with hardly any perceptible 

 anal angle, the outer and inner margins meeting in a 

 continuous regular curve. The secondaries are elongated 

 and narrow, and the inner margin deeply incised ; the elon- 

 gated hairs of the inner margin are pale yellow. 



" 2 . Like that of Victoria. The submarginal spots 

 on both wings, especially those of the secondaries, being 

 apparently rather larger, rounder, and not so lunate." 



Habitat : Maleita, Solomon Islands. 



The examples of this form appear to have preceded 

 those of Victoria in Messrs. Godman and Salvin's collec- 



* According to Berthold Seemann the genus Cerbera, Linn., is synonymous with 

 Thevetia, and what is now called Cerbera ought to be named Odollam, Rheede. The 

 species placed by modern authors under Cerbera have nothing in common with the 

 two typical species of that genus. The genus Cerbera is placed by Seemann fourth 

 in the order Apocyne^: All the genera of Polynesian Apocyneae, except one, 

 Bicorona, are found in the Viti Islands. The seeds of this species will bear a long 

 immersion in sea water, being very tenacious of the vital principle ; and is supposed 

 to be one of the earliest settlers on Coral islands. 



tion, and as may be seen were regarded by those gentlemen 

 and by Mr. H. Grose-Smith as representatives of Victoria. 



6* . In coll. of Mr. H. Grose-Smith ; also figured by 

 him in his Rhopalocera Exotica, pi. I.* A reference to my 

 figure will give accurate information of the superficial 

 appearance of this remarkable insect. The subapical 

 green patch is nearly 2-3rds larger than in any example 

 of JE. Victoria, and is almost or quite connected with the 

 larger area of green which extends from the base to within 

 nearly 4-5ths of the cell, and all the space below the 

 median vein inside the stigmatic brand to the inner 

 margin, by a line of green atom, between the 3rd and 4th 

 subcostal nervules. In the secondaries the black atoms 

 commence at about half-way from the base within the 

 discoidal cell, becoming denser till as they reach the end 

 of the cell the black is almost solid ; the nearly uniform 

 black of the disc is separated from the black of the cell by 

 the broad green through which the veins proceed, and 

 also by the three median branches which are margined 

 with green ; a number of scattered green atoms are seen 

 in this black ; the contiguous submarginal golden green 

 spots are 3 in number, they are 4 in Victoria (see fig. 1, 

 pi. 21 a), are smaller than in Victoria, and the two nearest 

 the anal angle with proportionately smaller golden centres. 

 On the under surface of the secondaries, the area of the 

 abdominal margin within the submedian nervure is a fiery 

 golden green. 



I have also thought it wise to add below a description 

 of the interesting pair from Fiji in the museum of the 

 Hon. Walter Rothschild. 



S . Primaries with the subapical green mark not quite 

 so large as in Salvin and Godman, and H. Grose-Smith's 

 examples, but much larger than in Victoria ; viewed 

 obliquely against the light a deep golden green, opposite 

 the light intensely golden, with congeries of green atoms 

 below it ; the other large green patch from the base 

 occupies 5-6ths of the cell, and is bluish green ; very 

 golden in some lights, especially just above and below 

 the submedian nervure. Secondaries : the green area is 

 a rich blue green, but golden opposite the light, and 

 occupies the spaces between the costal and discoidal 

 veins and the two branches of the latter, filling the whole 

 of the cell, and encroaching on all parts of the disc without, 

 but dusted with black atoms so intensely at the distal 

 end of the cell as to graduate almost to a dense black ; 

 beyond this the disc is quite black, with 3 submarginal 

 golden green marks, each enclosing a golden lemon spot — 

 of these the 1st from the anal angle is sub-diagonal, with 

 a quadrate gold spot, the 2nd is lenticular, with a large 

 golden ovoid centre, and the 3rd diagonal with a minute 

 golden spot ; all these marks are more sharply divided 

 from the black than in any other examples of the two 

 species I have seen. 



Head and thorax black ; eyes brown black ; abdomen 

 ochraceous grey — the lower segments pale yellow ; sub- 

 dorsal : anal tuft brown ochre ; the penultimate segment 

 of the abdomen cushioned with brown lemon scales. 



Expanse of costa of primaries 76 mms., hind margin 

 51, inner margin 33, and width of wing 31 mms. ; of 

 secondaries costa 40, width of wing 30, and length 56 mms. 

 Length of abdomen 35, of thorax with head 19 mms. 



•Under the name of Victoria. 



