POLYMORPHIC BUTTERFLY. ` 263 
Mr. Meldola of England, in a paper upon the “amount of sub- 
stance waste undergone by insects in the pupal state.” * 
This writer thinks he has shown that the comparative size of the 
three forms of Ajax is exactly opposite to what we should expect. 
In his preliminary general remarks, it is presumed a priori that as 
there is in all insects gain of matter in the larval state, and loss 
during the pupal, the size of an individual of any given species 
“would be, ceteris paribus, inversely proportional to the ratio of 
the pupal to the larval period, or directly proportional to the ratio 
of the larval to the pupal period.” 
He attempts to test this theory by tabulating the statements of 
Mr. Edwards concerning the duration of the stages in the differ- 
ent forms of Ajax, and he finds that there is “a relationship but 
exactly the reverse of that which would be anticipated from the 
conclusions previously set forth.” 
= Walshii, Telamonides and Marcellus, as we have seen, succeed 
each other in season ; they also increase regularly in size in the same 
order. The following table represents the duration of the several 
Stages and is taken by Mr. Meldola from Mr. Edwards’ work. 
TOTAL. 
NAME OF VARIETY. | EGG. | ; LARVA. | CHRYSALIS. 
Wiretap 
Walshii . . . | 7-8 days_| 22-29 days 14 days | 43-51 days 
Telamonides | 4-5 “  |15-18 “ | 11-14 “ | 30-87. « 
Marcellus. .| 4-5 “ |1219 « niu s 27-38 “ 
The next table is Mr. Meldola’s attempted tabulation of the 
facts, by which he comes to the above conclusion. 
NAME OF VARIETY. Pe PEA OG. RATIO OF MEAN LARVAL TO ipso Fe 
PAR O an 
Walshii .... | 3, = 0-549 t isn | 2-70 
Telamonides . 42:2 = 0:757 48:4 = 1-320 3-00 
Marcellus...) 484—0806 | 4$2—=1:240 | 3-35 
Che a ee eS . 
ae 
“Tt is here seen,” says Mr. Meldola, “that the size of the vari- 
ety is directly instead of inversely proportional to the ratio of the 
-Y 1S directly instead o 
* Ann, Mag. Nat. Hist., Oct., 1873, p. 301. 
