54 



2 . All the white markings of the upper surface of the 

 wings much larger and bolder than in Victories, or in either 

 the examples of this species named above ; also much 

 more creamy coloured, or with more yellow as the case 

 may be ; the corresponding dots of white in Mr. Grose- 

 Smith's example are replaced in this with large marks. 

 Under surfaces with more yellow ; the white occupies 

 more of the cell of the primaries than in the Godman- 

 Salvin example and type. 



Abdomen : anal tuft deep ochraceous brown, the penul- 

 timate segment on the underside cushioned with brown 

 lemon, or golden brown scales. 



Primaries: length of costa 107, hind margin 70, interior 

 margin 58, greatest width of wing 58 mms. ; secondaries, 

 width of wing 45, length 80 mms. ; of abdomen or 

 antennae 39, of thorax with head 31 mms. ; length of costa 

 80 mms ; of ? 104 mms. The legs of both sexes were 

 absent from the specimens. 



Hab. Fiji Islands. 



$ . In Mr. H. Grose-Smith's collection. 



The legs of the $ are imperfect. 

 Length of legsj^/ 3 ^ femur I5 ; tibia 



of the 2 



(3rd 



15; 

 14; 



; tarsi 

 15; ,, 19 mms. 

 14; ,. 



Habitat : North West Bay, Maleita, Solomon Islands. 



Mr. Salvin points out that the differences obtaining 

 between the males of the two species, such as they are, 

 go to prove that the productions of Guadalcanar and 

 Maleita are modifications of one another. It will be seen 

 by reference to a map which will be found in another part 

 of this work that the two islands are almost parallel to each 

 other, Guadalcanar being the most westward. The 

 Fiji examples, contrary to what might have been antici- 

 pated exhibit a smaller amount of modification. 



Larva of M. Regince probably like that of JE. Victoria, 

 Ova nearly spherical, surface finely rugose, like that of 

 an orange ; diameter 4 mms. (Salvin). 



The type of each sex is in the museum of Messrs. 

 Godman and Salvin ; the co-types in that of Mr. H. 

 Grose-Smith ; and the Fiji co-types in the museum of the 

 Hon. Walter Rothschild. I gladly acknowledge my 

 indebtedness to those gentlemen for the opportunity of 

 examining and figuring these specimens ; and to the two 

 latter for the loan of such examples as I needed with the 

 same unrestricted custodianship as if they were my own. 

 Also 1 S and 3 ? in the collection of M. Oberthiir, of 

 Rennes, France. 



The caudal, or anal extremity, in its outline both dorsal 

 and subdorsal differs very considerably in the species of 

 this genus from its counterparts in the other genera of the 

 Ornithoptera. Here we have a member which, when 

 considered geometrically, would represent very nearly an 

 equilateral triangle with the point of each angle cut off 

 and curved. The left and right points are emphasized 

 by an elongated black mark ; the central portion above 

 from the articulation is a black subtriangulate mark 

 extending half way down, flowing into a narrow line of 

 black, which again broadens slightly as it continues round 

 under, and strongly marks out the exterior structure of 

 the anal valves. The measurement of these beautifully 

 formed valves would, if folded back and rendered flat, be 

 as much as 18 mms., or nearly 3-4ths of an inch in width ; 

 as the width of the anal segment above it, if treated in the 

 same manner would only be about 14 mms., it will be seen 

 that its width is much greater — in fact greater than any 

 other portion of the abdomen. The whole form of the 

 abdomen then is quite different from that of the 2 of this 

 species. It goes without saying also that the same obser- 

 vations apply to the body of JE. Victoria, the type of the 

 genus. In the genus Trogonoptera the abdomen appears 

 to commence at its junction with the metathorax, with a 

 breadth nearly equal to what it will be when the caudal 

 extremity is reached, the intermediate articulations varying 

 little, or only being slightly narrower midway — the valves 

 being somewhat carinated, small, and nearly circular, 

 and without any visible distinction from the rest of the 

 body : the whole abdomen also is very dark, as may be 

 seen by reference to the plates devoted to the species of 

 that genus. 



In the genus Pompeoptera we have the anal valves 

 with the dorsal side cut away obliquely, with strongly 

 projecting terminal points, so that they cross each other 

 when in situ; the caudal extremity is smaller and less 

 strongly marked off from the anal segment above it, into 

 which it seems to graduate, and the whole width of the 

 body along its entire length varies little : the body and 

 caudal extremity are also light coloured, or yellow and 

 pure white. This observation applies slightly to the 

 amphrysus group, for in other species of the genus some 

 are black or dark coloured as in Trogonoptera, while a 

 series of gradations in the remaining species closely links 

 them with that genus. In Ornithoptera, the caudal 

 extremity is much larger, though not so large relatively 

 as in /Etheoptera, generally an uniform rich yellow — 

 but not quite so brilliant as the rest of the body ; it is 

 rotundo-triangular in outline, with the extremities of the 

 angles cut off similarly to those of tEtheoptera ; but it is 

 not nearly so prominently distinguished at its basal part 

 for size as in that genus. 



The special form and character of the caudal extremity 

 of the Acreoid Ornithoptera, D. Antimachus and Zalmoxis 

 will be treated of in the section devoted to that genus. 



