PERSISTENT VARIATION AMONG THE BRITISH 

 SPECIES OF BUTTERFLIES. 



By S. L. Mosley. 

 (Concluded.) 



First on our lists is Papilio Machaon — an insect so constant that 

 we rarely see a variety except in size and density of colour. In 

 England it is large ; in Switzerland, small ; in America, deep rich 

 orange colour. In the south of Europe they have a form they call 

 Sphyrus, Hb. : the fore wings are darker, and the blue spots on the 

 hind wings larger than in the type. 



Leucophasia sinapis, the next insect, is subject to several deviations 

 from the ordinary type. The one called Lathyri, Hb., Mr. Gregson 

 assures me is quite distinct. The difference is on the underside of 

 the hind wings, which are dark with two light dashes, these being 

 placed in the opposite direction to that of the ordinary dark shading. 

 This variety is found only in the south of Europe. Then there is the 

 one without the ash-coloured tip, which was described by Newman 

 and others as the female. This, I believe, is the variety Erysimi, 

 Bkh., and may occur only in the female, but the absence of the dark 

 tip I do not believe to be the distinguishing sexual character. 



The next form is Diniensis, Bdv., in which the under surface of the 

 hind wings is without markings. Mr. Doubleday says : " In the 

 northern parts of Europe the individuals of the autumnal brood only 

 differ from the vernal ones in being rather smaller, but in the southern 

 parts of Europe they differ so much from the spring brood that they 

 were formerly considered by many entomologists to be a distinct 

 species. The ground colour of the wings is pure white, and the male 

 has a circular black spot at the apex of the anterior wings which does 

 not extend to the margin ; the under surface of all the wings is pure 

 white, but in some individuals there are a few faint marks. This 

 variety occurs in the New Forest and in Tilgate Forest." According 

 to Staudinger, there is a fourth form of smapis called Amurensis, Mem. 

 I do not know it, however. I think it is a Siberian variety. 



The British species of the genus Pi^ris are subject to two seasonal 

 variations — vernal and autumnal broods. Stephens separated them 

 as probably distinct. Sahellicce was the spring brood of napi ; metra 

 the spring brood of rapcB ; and Chariclea either the spring brood of 

 hrassiccB (H.D.) or a modification of the male, having the inner edge 

 of the black tip straight in the variety, and arched between the veins of 



