PREFACE. 
The object of this work is to assist Entomologists to identify Rhopalocera 
that they may obtain from the regions dealt with. AYith this end in \ie^\ 
the Author has employed the last eight years in acquiring and working out 
collections from Eastern Asia, and in making himself acquainted with the 
work of previous authors on the subject. It is a matter of regret that, owing 
to an almost complete absence of information respecting habits and life- 
histories of the majority of the species, the work is, unfortunately, less 
complete than the Author could have wished. 
Unless found too unwieldy, the original description of each species, if 
sufficiently comprehensive, is given intact, and, as a rule, it has not been 
deemed advisable to translate those written in a foreign language, as such 
descriptions may often convey ditferent impressions to different translators. 
Expense alone has deterred the Author from figuring all the species dealt 
with, but all the new ones, and, with very few exceptions, all those not 
previously well-figured in works easy of access, have been represented. 
The Classification adopted in this work is a modification of that generally 
in use at the present time in this country. Several new genera will have to 
be created for the reception of some of the species which the Author (pre- 
ferring to leave the work to abler hands) has provisionally placed in genera to 
which they appeared to be most closely allied. As the genus Papilio has not 
