146 
AFRICAN SPECIES OF PAPILIO. 
the species, are in themselves obstacles sufficient to prevent our 
obtaining a satisfactory arrangement of the species at present. 
Species I.—PAPILIO ANTIMACHUS. 
Syn. — Pap . Antimachus, Drury, Append, vol. iii. plate 1 (upper side). Jones, fig. pict. 
tab. 41, fig. 1—2. Donovan, Nat. Repos, vol. iii. pi. 100 and 101 (upper and under 
sides, copied from Jones's drawings), 
M. Smeathmann, by whom this magnificent insect was collected 
at Sierra Leone, and sent to Drury, stated to him “ that it is seen 
only in mid-day, when every exertion under the direct influence of a 
vertical sun must be' painful to a European. Its flight is also 
remarkable for its velocity ; and, to increase the difficulty of taking 
it, the insect frequents only the upper branches of the trees, from 
whence it darts and glances from one branch to another, and never 
descends nearer to the ground than the height of eight feet. It turns 
its head about instantly to the glade or path, and will not suffer any 
person to approach within striking distance of it, but will dart away 
on the least motion of the body. If the naturalist, however, exert 
his patience, it will at last become more familiar and careless, and is 
then to be caught upon some particular branch, to which it will 
appear more attached than to another.” 
From the length and narrowness of its wings, which measure 
nearly nine inches in expanse, (exceeding in this respect any other 
species in the genus), its flight must resemble that of the Acrasse. 
It passed at the sale of Drury’s collection into that of Mr. Mac- 
Leay, at the price of 41. 4s.; nor have I ever heard or seen another 
example of this species. 
Species II.—PAPILIO ANTENOR. 
Syn. — Pap. Anterior , Drury, App. vol. ii. pi. 3, fig. 1. Donovan, Ins. India, pi. 15 fig. 1. 
Drury states that lie v*as ignorant from what part of the 
world his specimen (which -was given him by Mr. Leman) came. 
Donovan, however, figured the species, or rather copied Drury's 
figure, in his work on the Insects of India , observing merely that it 
might be “ mentioned with much propriety amongst the rarest of 
the Papilio tribe found in India,” without giving any account of the 
source whence he obtained this information. The Rev. F. W. Hope 
possesses a specimen which he has informed me that he obtained in 
a small collection from tropical Africa (Timbuctoo), made by the 
late Mr. Ritchie. 
At the sale of Drury’s collection this butterfly was purchased by 
Mr. Latham, at the price of 21. 12s. 6d .; it is also included in the 
