24 
ii. Summers with deficiency of same agents (may be termed 
“ subaestival ”) tend to diminish the sexual dimorphism possibly 
most commonly and most markedly in the same species where the 
converse holds good to most marked extent. It is suggested that wet 
weather in excess, or continued wet weather, must be treated as an 
agency distinct from mere general misery. 
Similarly then — an over wintry winter and reverse may he termed 
“ superhiemal ” and “ subhiemal ” seasons and so on ; or “subnormal” 
and “ supernormal ” — the suggesting physical dogmas could be used 
for all seasons. 
Proviso i. — Even if unusual climatic conditions are not intense 
enough of themselves nor associated with other untoward influences to 
extent of acting deleteriously on constitutions of a brood generally, it 
may well be that some decrease of vigour on these lines may ensue 
short of impairment of vitality, but it requires a deal of proving that 
such decrease of vigour as may alter colour spells absolute disease. 
Therefore such variations as are dealt with in these notes may be 
regarded as distinct from those stigmatized usually as pathological; 
even when possibly associated with some decrease of vigour. 
While such alterations of colour, on the other hand as ensue to 
a 2 Aglaia born of the best days of a most glorious summer-tide is 
this due to disease ? 
One cannot but say that if health means uniformity ; if health means 
the devotion of the majority to money and bridge, and turtle soup and 
diamonds, and horse races and golf, one is glad to be diseased — 
diseased with a taste for “ flies !” 
In support of these statements as to the summer seasons, I propose 
to offer some supposed examples and facts, all from summer seasons 
when subfestival or superfestival conditions w r ere fairly extreme, but, if 
at all the phenomena may justifiably be considered as, in some part, 
cause and effect, one would not shrink from allowing the legitimate 
extreme conclusion or hypothesis, viz., that in the same species any 
marked deficiency or excess of normal summer conditions produces 
some of this alteration, leads to a shifting of the sexual dimorphism 
balance, in colours and markings. (From these considerations, of 
course, always being excluded such sexual dimorphism as affects size, 
androconia, etc., these being held to belong to another category). 
But when estimating the alterations (in colours and markings) of 
sexual dimorphism, would one not be correct in establishing several 
further provisos ? 
Proviso ii.—That comparisons should be made (to the fullest extent 
possible) between all generations, or that care should be taken that the 
individuals compared are representative of their generation, i.e., 
especially representative of the generations in their trhole imaginal 
existence. For the successive individuals of one and the same brood 
may experience, in their by no means synchronous impressionable 
stages, quite different specimens of varying climatic influences in one 
and the same locality. 
It might obviously be unfair to compare latter specimens of one 
brood with earlier specimens of another. 
Proviso iii. — That generations from exclusively the same localities 
should be compared inter se. It would obviously he unfair to compare 
xviii. 
