MosLEY : Persistent Variation among Butterflies. 183 



Pamphilus, a pale one, which has several times occurred in Yorkshire, 

 and no doubt in other places also, which, so far as I am aware, is 

 without a name, and we can only speak of it as " the pale form of 

 Pamphilus." Numerous other instances occur in the British lepidop- 

 tera, and if these had occurred in botany, and especially in conchology, 

 they would immediately have had names given to them so that they 

 could easily be referred to, — in fact, the conchologists could not get 

 on very well without these names, so striking and numerous are the 

 variations in shells : look, for instance, at the common Helix nemo- 

 ralis. 



It might be objected that this naming of mere varieties has a 

 tendency to cause confusion, as I have heard it asserted in regard to 

 botany ; but I fail to see how any confusion can possibly arise where 

 the name of the variety occurs only in conjunction with that of the 

 type. I should therefore be careful not to give a name to any variety 

 until it had been proved that it was a lecurrent variety, either local 

 or otherwise. Again, if nomenclators would pay more attention to 

 giving characteristic and sensible names, instead of making so many 

 " Haworthii^s and other fancy names, which to me convey no meaning, 

 and give no scientific impression at all, the probabilities ol confusion 

 would be much lessened. I purpose, therefore, in the following paper 

 to lay before you some of the constant or permanent varieties to which 

 the British species of butterflies are subject, both here and on the 

 continent of Europe, for no doubt many varieties which have hitherto 

 been recorded only from the continent, would be of frequent occurrence 

 here, if properly understood and looked for. 



To the evolutionist these varieties may be of the utmost interest as 

 pointing to races gone before, or as offering indications to him of the 

 approach of new species. Are there not some occasions when we can 

 call to our memory instances where the type has given place to the 

 variety, and the variety in turn has become the type ? This change 

 has, no doubt, operated in cases where we get local races of the same 

 thing, such as Lycoena Agestis, &c. To some persons every family of 

 insects seems to be but as varieties of the grand whole ; every genus 

 but as varieties of the same family ; and every species as varieties of 

 each other. In fact, there seems to be no limit to variation. Look, 

 for instance, at the extent to which Golias Edusa can vary — a species 

 which everybody, previous to the great Edusa year, supposed to have 

 been tolerably constant. Insects of every species seem liable to vary 

 more or less, and even in the same insect I have found that the two 

 opposite sides often disagree in some particular. Take an insect and 



