EFFECTS OF LOCALITY ON COLOUR. 



261 



islands in very recent times) we have similar indications. 

 One of the largest of the Papilios inhabits Jamaica/ 

 while another, the largest of its group, is found in 

 Mexico.^ Cuba has two of the same genus whose 

 colours are of surpassing brilliancy;^ while the fine 

 genus Clothilda — confined to the Antilles and Central 

 America — is remarkable for its rich and showy 

 colouring. 



Persons who are not acquainted with the important 

 structural differences that distinguish these various 

 genera of butterflies can hardly realize the importance 

 and the significance of such facts as I have now de- 

 tailed. It may be well, therefore, to illustrate them by 

 supposing parallel cases to occur among the Mammalia. 

 We might have, for example, in Africa, the gnus, the 

 elands, and the buffaloes, all coloured and marked like 

 zebras, stripe for stripe over the whole body exactly 

 corresponding. So the hares, marmots, and squirrels of 

 Europe might be all red with black feet, while the 

 corresponding species of Central Asia were all yellow 

 with black heads. In North America we might have 

 raccoons, squirrels, and opossums, in particoloured 

 livery of white and black, so as exactly to resemble the 

 skunk of the same country ; while in South America 

 they might be black with a yellow throat-patch, so as 

 to resemble with equal closeness the tayra of the Bra- 

 zilian forests. Were such resemblances to occur in 

 anything like the number and with the wonderful 

 accuracy of imitation met with among the Lepidop- 

 tera, they would certainly attract universal attention 

 among naturalists, and would lead to the exhaustive 



^ Papilio homerus. ^ P. daunus. ^ P. gundlachianus, P. vilUersi. 



