EFFECTS OF LOCALITY ON COLOUR. 



259 



butterflies than any of the much larger islands which 

 surround it. This is the case with at least a dozen 

 butterflies belonging to mauy distinct genera/ so that it 

 is impossible to attribute the fact to other than some local 

 influence. In Celebes, as I have elsewhere pointed out/ 

 we have a peculiar form of wing and much larger size 

 running through a whole series of distinct butterflies ; 

 and this seems to take the place of any speciality in 

 colour. 



In a very small collection of insects recently brought 

 from Duke-of-York Island (situated between New 

 Britain and New Irelaud) are several of remarkably 

 white or pale coloration. A species of Euplsea is the 

 whitest of all known species of that extensive genus ; 

 while a beautiful diurnal moth is much whiter than its 

 ally in the larger island of New Guinea. There is also 

 a magnificent longicorn beetle almost entirely of an ashy 

 white colour.^ 



From the Fiji Islands we have comparatively few 

 butterflies ; but there are several species of Diadema of 

 •unusually pale colours, some almost white. 



The Philippine Islands seem to have the peculiarity of 

 developing metallic colours. We find there at least three 

 species of Euplsea* not closely related, and all of more 

 intense metallic lustre than their allies in other islands. 



1 Oraithoptera priamus, 0. helena, Pajnlio deiphobus, P. ulysses, P. gam- 

 hrislus, P. codrus, IpJiias leucippe, Euploea prothoe, Hestia idea, Athyma 

 jocaste, Diadema pandarus, Nymphalis pyrrlms^ N. euryalus, Drusilla 

 jairus. 



2 "Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection," pp. 168-173. 

 These insects are described and figured in the " Proceedings of the 



Zoological Society," for 1877, p. 139. Their names are Euplcea browni, 

 Alcides aurora, and Balocera, hrowni. 



^ Eupkca heivitsonii, E. dlocletiana, E. loitifica. 



