THE IDENTIFICATION OF INDIAN BUTTERFLIES. 
745 
Underside hindwing (unh), shape and makings. 
Colour of body, legs, antennae and palpi. 
The male ( cf ) is described first and then the female ( 9 ). Where seasonal 
variation occurs, the wet season form (wsf) is followed by the drj' season form 
(dsf). Individual and geographical variation is then described, ending ulth a 
comparison with its allies and a note on its habits, time of appearance, etc. -At 
the end of the description the expanse should be stated, preferably in milli- 
metres, the expanse of a butterfly is measured from the centre of the thorax to 
the extreme tip of the fore^ving and the figure so obtained is doubled. 
A butterfly scientifically bears two names, that of the genus followed by that 
of the species, thus Papilio polyies ; if the individual belongs to a particular 
geogi-ajjhical race a third name is added, thus Papilio polyte^ romulus, the first 
named race (name tj’pe or nymotypical form) being Papilio polyies polyies. 
Where a variety has to be specified, a further name is added with the prefix var. 
or V., and if pertaining to one sex only, the sex sign is also given, thus Papilio 
polyies romulus J v. cyrus. After the last name it is usual to add the abbre- 
viated name of the describer, thus Papilio polyies, L. (= Linnaeus). Some 
authors assign latin names to seasonal forms, but the suffixes wsf. and dsf. seem 
more suitable. Casual varieties and aberrations have been named, but the 
practice is undesirable, while the naming of slight varieties leads to endless 
confusion. Dimorphic forms and strongly marked varieties of reasonably frequent 
occiu'rence alone seem to be worthy of names as varieties. 
16. The foregoing sketch will, I hope, enable the beginner to follow the text 
books on Indian butterflies, viz. — 
The Butterflies of India, Burma and Ceylon ; by Marshall and De 
Niceville. 
Lepidoptera Indica ; by Moore and Sudnhoe. 
Butterflies, Fauna of India series, b}* Bingham. 
The Macro-lepidoptera of the World ; by Seitz ; the Indo-Malayan 
section by Fruhstorfer and Jordan. 
DeATceville and Bingham give full descriptions of each species but very few 
illustrations ; they both give keys, whereby the patient student can work out 
the identification of his captures. Moore gives complete descriptions and a 
coloured figure of every insect, but no keys. Fruhstorfer gives the briefest of 
brief descriptions, no keys, but nearly every species is illustrated. It will be 
found that the nomenclature adopted by the above authors differs very mate- 
rially, partly because their ideas on ciassification differed, partly because of 
the progress of the knowledge in the interval and partly because errors in names 
required rectif 5 dng. When somebody catches a butterfly that he cannot iden- 
tify and thinks rightly or \vrongly that he has a species no one has given a name 
to, if he considers he is competent enough to do so, he describes it and gives 
it a name. He is supposed to describe a particular specimen, which is desig- 
nated the type and if he would only lodge the type in the British or other first 
class museum, all would be well, since any mistakes he may have made can be 
rectified in due course. But if, as is so often the case, he keeps the type in his 
own collection, it eventually gets lost and then the trouble begins ; reams may 
have to be written as to what he really meant, while others catching the same in- 
sect may describe it as new. If perchance a name has been used for a species that 
had already been used in the same genus, then bv the rules of priority the name 
cannot stand and another name has to be coined, but, if later on the species is 
put into another genus, the old name has to be dug out ; and so the game goes 
on. In the case of genera the rule is that you must not use a name that has been 
used for a genus already in any of the realms of Zoology, so that the game of 
changing names is almost as exciting as in the case of species. Owing to our 
nation not being the only pebble on the beach, the institution of a strict co- 
ordinating authority is hopeless, though efforts have been made in that direc- 
