LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CAUFOSWA DAVIS THE COMPUMSJfrs Off SAMUEL H. SCUUDER. \J JL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. I. SALEM, MASS. P. W. PUTNAM, PERMANENT SECRETARY, A. A. A. S. 1875. LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CAL1FQRNLA TMV1S MEMOIRS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. I. SALEM, MASS. F. W. PUTNAM, PERMANENT SECRETARY, A. A. A. S. 1875. LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CAI.1FQRNIA I'HINTEI) AT THE SALEM PRESS, SALEM, MASS. LETTER OF GIFT. PORTLAND, Aug. 22, 1873. MRS. ELIZABETH THOMPSON of New York City, to-day elected a member, sympathizing with the purposes of our Association in the advancement of science, and seeing the new crop of young and industrious scientific investigators who are to form the future basis of this Association following in the footsteps of the veterans of science who founded it, and being aware of the financial difficulties which often beset the path of those noble men of science who labor more for truth than for profit's sake, wishes to place at the disposal of the Permanent Secretary the sum of one thousand dollars, to be used according to the directions of the Standing Committee, for the promotion and publication of such original investigations by members of the Association as may be accepted by the said Standing Committee, to be published by means of this special donation. [Signed] P. H. VAN DER WEYUE. To the Standing Committee of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE THOMPSON FUND, HARTFORD MEETING, AUGUST, 1874. THE Standing Committee of the Association at the Portland Meeting ap- pointed the undersigned a Committee with full power to accept and print such papers as they might deem of sufficient importance to be published by the donation of Mrs. Thompson. In accordance with the duties assigned to them, the Committee have accepted the Memoir by Mr. Scudder on Fossil Butterflies as the first paper to be published by the THOMPSON FUND, and while regretting that the unavoidable delay in engraving the plates prevents their having the gratification of presenting the work at the present Meeting, they believe that the Association and its liberal patron will accept the Memoir as one in every way worthy of the honor thus bestowed. ASA GRAY, JAMES HALL, THOMAS HILL, P. H. VAN DKB WEYDE, } Committee. J. L. LfiCoNTE, T. STEKKY HUNT, F. W. PUTNAM, FOSSIL BUTTEKFLIES BY SAMUEL H. SCUDDER. TO COU^T GASTON .DE SAPOETA, OF AIX IN PROVENCE, WHOSE EXTENDED MEMOIRS ON THE FLORA OF THE TERTIARIES OF SOUTHERN FRANCE FORM THE BASIS OF THE BIOLOGICAL CONCLUSIONS OF THIS ESSAY ; AND WHOSE UNWONTED COURTESIES HAVE PERMITT-ED A CAREFUL EXAMINATION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES, ^ THIS MEMOIR IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION xi BIBLIOGRAPHY 1 DESCRIPTIONS OK GENERA AND SPECIES OF FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES NBORINOPIS 9 1. Nuorinopis scpulta 14 LETHITES • 34 2. Lethites Reynesii 37 EUGONIA 40 3. Eugenia atava 41 MYLOTIIIUTES 44 4. MyloUuites Pluto 45 COLIATES 51 5. Collates Proserpina 52 PONTIA 53 6. Pontia Freyeri 54 THAITES 57 7. Thaites Ruminiana . . *. 60 THANATITES 8. Thanatites vetula PAMPHILITES 66 9. Pamphilites abdita : 68 COMPARATIVE AGE OF FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES 70 PROBABLE FOOD PLANTS OF TERTIARY CATERPILLARS 71 PRESENT DISTRIBUTION OF BUTTERFLIES MOST NEARLY ALLIED To FOSSIL SPECIES 76 GENERAL RESUME, WITH NOTICE OF UNDETERMINED FORMS 83 FOSSIL INSECTS ERRONEOUSLY REFERRED TO BUTTERFLIES 88 EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES AND WOOD CUTS 97 INTRODUCTORY. FTTHE happy discovery in the Museum of Marseilles of a new fossil butterfly first drew my special attention to this group of extinct insects, and determined me to make, during my residence in Europe, a careful study of the original types of all that had been previously described. By the great courtesy of Count Saporta, Professor Heer, Dr. Reynes, Mr. .Oustalet, Mr. "Woodward, the Rev. Mr. Brodie, Mr. Charlesworth, and the authorities of the Jermyn street Museum, I was able to study not only all the originals of the Museums of Aix, Marseilles, Zurich, Paris, London, Cambridge and Warwick, but several new types, described here for the first time. As I was unable to visit Vienna, Mr. Brunner de "Wattenwyl was good enough to procure for me new drawings, made under his immediate supervision, of the species from Radoboj, described by Heer and preserved in the museums of that city. So that I have either personally inspected all the fossils described within recent times as butterflies, or have procured new and excellent original drawings of them, with the exception of Heer's Vanessa attavina (Sphinx atava Charp.), which I was unable to find, and two fragments of slight value, viz.: the hind wing referred by Heer to his Vanessa Pluto, and the portion of a hind wing, called Cyllonium Hewitsonianum by "VVestwood. In the hope of drawing attention to fossil butterflies, which have been hitherto so little studied, I haVe brought together in this connection all that has been published of this group of fossils, whether of text or illustration; presenting thus, within a small compass, a complete account of our knowledge of these insects, as a basis for future investigations. BIBLIOGEAPHY. 1726. HUEBEK. Lithographiae Wirceburgensis specimen primum. Fol. Wirceburg. This work con- tains the first reference to fossil Lepidoptera which I have found. In his Synopsis Tabellarum, he gives on page 94 : "Tabula XV. Similium insectorum alatorum Papilionum videlicet diversas species;" but the plates are too rude to be of the slightest value or even to indicate the suborder to which the insects may belong. 1729. BROMELL. Lithographia Suecana. Acta Litteraria Suecise, II. In a section de lapidibus insec- tiferis Seanicis et Oothicis (p. 525) he says : "Praeter umbratiles etenim papilionum vel muscarum quasdam imagines, lapidi huic leviter sed distincte irapressas, multa scarabseorum flguras, mole totaque facie imitantur;" these were found in "saxo footido" in " Westrogothia. " In his enumeration of fossils he specifies further: [528]. "9. Papilionum majorum ac minorum imagines et impressiones nitidse, in lapide calcario com- muni inodoro, ubi etiam in alio footido conspicuse, ex eisdem Westrogothise locis." [629]. "10. Insectorum ovula, an nymphse seu aurelise lapidese? saxo foatido nigricanti immersae. Ex eadem parseciakarabylonga." [531]. " 14. Papilionum minorum imagines et impressiones, in ejusdem generis saxo suillo foetido. Ex eodem loco. Hae itidem flgura sua a papilionibus illis differre baud videntur, quarum superius Num. 9. meminimus." I find no later reference to these supposed Lepidoptera. 1742. SENDELIUS. Historia succinorum. Fol. Lipsiae. Devotes a chapter (De-Erucis, pp. 169-171) to supposed remains of caterpillars and chrysalides in amber. Several forms are figured (pi. 5, figs. 25-28 ; pi. 6, figs. 1-4), of which it is not impossible that pi. 6, fig. 1, may represent a Papilionid larva; and pi. 6, flg. 4, the chrysalis of a Nymphalid; but the illustra- tions are wholly insufficient to assert anything of them with confidence. 1828. MARCEL DE SERRES. Note sur les Arachnides et les Insectes fossiles et specialement sur ceux des terrains d'eau douce. Ann. Sc. Nat., XV, 98-108. This Is an extract only from the next citation. (1) 2 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. 1829. MARCEL DE SERRES. Geognosie Acs terrains tertiaires ou Tableau des principaux animaux invertebres des terrains marins tertiaires du midi de la France. 16mo. Montpellier et Paris. Contains a "Tableau des Arachnides et des Insectcs fossiles du bassin tertiairc d'Aix (Bouches-du- Rh6ne)," printed in the preceding citation, In which (p. 230; p. 107 of preceding) occurs the genus "Papilio," with the remark: "Nous citons ici, sous la foi d'autrui, un L6pidoptere diurne de la division des Satynts," doubtless referring to Neorinopis sepulta. Speaking of the authors who have treated of the fossils of (Eningen, he says : (p. 235) " Ces divers natu- ralistes y ont signalfi des Scarabfies, des Lucanus (p. 236) fort rapproche's du Lucanus cervus, des Papillons," etc. In a "Tableau general des Arachnides et des Insectps fossiles" he gives on p. 257, the following: Genres qni se trouvent dans les terrains anormanx. Tertiaires. Seconclaires. anterieurs a la rctraite des mers i • dans les couches de B 1 2 « ~ OJ & "S 1 S -a c3 B 1 .1 OQ Q> .2 s •b 1 1 £ S e -a at o I 1 5 a 1 93 a -s I £3 O Noms des genres. « ff DO Papilio. • * '* 4 In the "marnes calcaires" of Alx he has referred already, as we have seen, to one; he previously speaks of Papttlons at (Eningen (see above) and may therefore place two in the second column ; he quotes Sendelius as probably figuring caterpillars in amber as follows (p. 242) : " Des L&pidopteres (M. Brongniart). On a cru reconnaitre des chenilles parmi les insectes du Succm figurfis par Scndelius Tab. 3, fig. 28-82 ; '" and this accounts for one In his third column ; and the following passage from the section on " Insectes fossiles des terrains secondaires inferieurs, ou de transitions " (p. 246) accounts for that in the fifth column : " II se peut que ce soit £ galement dans des formations de la mSme 6poque qu'exlstent les vestiges d'insectos, d'ailes de Papillons et de Scarabees signalCs par Bromel." 1835. GRAVENHORST. Bericht der entomologischen Section. Uebers. d. Arbeit u. Verand. Sclilesisch. Gesellsch. Vaterl. Cultur, 1854, 92-93. Gives a general enumeration of the collection of fossils from amber In the museum of the Konigsberg Society, specifying a few Lepidoptera. 1 Probably an error for Tab. 5, flg. 28a, 28b, which seems to represent a Teiithrediniilotis larva. BIBLIOGRAPHY. 1836. HOPE. Observations on Succinic Insects. Trans. Ent. SOQ. Lond., I, iii, 133-147. In a list of insects observed in amber we find the following on p. 146 : SUBSTANCE. I COLLECTIOX. ' PapUto. I Hope and Berendt. Animd and amber. | Mr. Strong." 1838. BUONN. Lethsea Geognostica, 2d ed., II. 8vo. In a tabular list of fossil insects, with localities, he gives (p. 814) : Papilis [Papilio] (Bernstein), Satyrus (Gyps formation von Aix). 1838. DDPONCIIEL. Ann. Soc. Ent. France, VII, Bull. 51-52. Re-announces the discovery of Neorinopis sepulta, referring it to Nymphalls. 1839. BOISDUVAL. Ann. Soc. Ent. France, VIII, Bull., 11-12. Gives a verbal report on the characteristics of Neorinopis sepulta, drawn from an Inspection of a drawing sent by Fonscolombe to Audouin, refers the insect to the genus Cyllo and says that the species is allied to Europa and others. 1840. BOISDUVAL. Rapport sur une empreinte de Lepidoptcke trouvee dans les marnes des environs d'Aix, en Provence, et communiquce par M. de Saporta. Ann. Soc. Ent. France, IX, 371-374. Accompanied by a plate (viii) which appeared in the second livrasion. Describes Neorinopis sepulta from the specimen, referring it to the genus Cyllo, and the neighborhood of the species Rohria, Caumas and Europa, and giving it the specific name sepulta. 1843. MARCEL DE SERRES. Notes geologiques sur la Provence. Actes Linn. Soc. Bord., XIII, 1-82 ; Note additionelle, 83-90; Deuxieme note additionelle, 170-2. 2 planches. In a list of the plants and animals found at Aix, the author gives on p. 41 : " Lepidopteres Diurnes. Papilio de la division des Satyrus. Cette espece conserve encore en partie ses couleurs." On p. 172 is a Note relative au Lepidoptere figure (Cyllo sepulta), in which Boisduval's opinion of its relationship is given.1 The author's review of the plants and animals leads him to the generalization that they are analogous to those which now live in dry and arid spots in the south of France. 1843. CUARPENTIER. Ueber einige fossile Insecten aus Radoboj in Croatien. Acta Acad. Leop. Carol., XX, 401-410. Describes (p. 408) and figures (Tab. xxii, fig. 4) Eugonia atava under the name of Sphinx atavus. 1845. COQUAND. Bull. Soc. Geol. France [2], II, 384-386. Refers to and quotes a portion of Boisduval's description of Neorinopis sepulta ; nothing new Is added. 1 The plate, however, is wanting, both in the copy belonging Boston Society of Natural History, so that I cannot tell whether to the Smithsonian Institution and in that in the Library of the it is copied from Boisduval's figure or is an original. 4 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. 1845. MARCEL DE SERRES. Sur les fossiles du bassin d'Aix (Bouches-du-Rhone). Ann. Sc. Nat. [3], IV, 249-256. Uses the discovery of Neorinopis sepulta as an argument in support of his theory that there is an intimate relation between the tertiary fauna and flora of Aix and the animals and plants now existing in southern France ; and that the climate of the two epochs was the same. Recalling the then recent discovery of many butterflies new to the fauna of Europe, he suggests that N. sepvlta may yet be found alive. 1847. HOPE. Observations on the fossil insects of Aix in Provence, with descriptions and figures of three species. Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., IV, 250-255. Gives a list of genera published by Bronn with some additions ; on p. 252, under Lepidoptera, we have "85. Satyrus B[ronn]." 1849. HEEK. Die Insektenfauna der Tertiargebilde von CEningen und von Radoboj in Croatien. 2" Theil. 4to. Leipzig. Extracted from the Neue Denkschr. allg. Schweiz. Gesellschaft fur Naturw., XI (1850). Contains (pp. 177-183, Taf. xiv, figs. 3-6) descriptions and illustrations of Eugonia atava (Vanessa attavina), Mylothrites Pluto (Vanessa Pluto) and Pontia Freyeri (Pierites Freyeri). 1849. HEEU. Zur Geschichte der lusekten. Verhandl. Schweiz. naturf. Gesellsch., XXXIV, 78-97. Refers to the late epoch at which Lepidoptera appeared, and adds, pp. 87-8 : " Merkwiirdig 1st, dass von diesen Schmetterlingen 2 Arten grosse Aehnlichkeit [88] mit ostindischen Arten haben, wahrend eine mit unserm Dlstelfalter, eine andere mit unserem Grassacktriiger zu vergleichen 1st." 1850. HEER. Zur Geschichte der Insekten. Neues Jahrb. fur Mineral., 17-33. On the History of Insects. Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. Lond., VI, ii, 68-76. Translated by T. R[ymer] J[ones]. Essentially the same as the preceding. The quotation given above is found on p. 24 of the Jahrbuch, p. 72 of the Journal. " Schmetterlinge " is everywhere translated Butterflies instead of Lepidoptera. Aix in Provence is nearly always given as Aix-la-Chapelle. 1851. LEFEBVBE. Observations relatives a I'empreinte d'un Lepidoptere fossile (Cyllo sepnlta) du docteur Boisduval. Ann. Soc. Ent. France [2], IX, 71-88, pi. 3, No. II. Criticises at length the opinion of Dr. Boisduval on the systematic position and structure of Neorinopis sepulta, maintaining that the fore and not the hind wing was furnished with a tail, and while confessing his inability to decide upon its relationship, inclines to the opinion that the insect was more nearly allied to Vanessa. His studies were wholly taken from the plate published by Boisduval. 1851. BOISDUTAL. Quelques mots de reponse a M. Alex. Lefebvre sur ses observations relatives a la Cyllo sepulta. Ann. Soc. Ent. France [2], IX, Bull. 96-98. Defends his views against the criticisms of Lefebvre. BIBLIOGBAPHY. 5 1852. GIEBEL. Deutschland's Petrefacten. p. 644. 8vo. Leipzig. Catalogues the three butterflies described by Heer from Radoboj. 1854. WESTWOOD. Contributions to Fossil Entomology. Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. Lond., X, 378-96, pi. 14-18. Represents on pi. 17, flg. 17, and pi. 18, flg. 27, two fragments of wings, which he considers as belonging to butterflies, and to which, on pp. 395-6, in the explanation of the plates, he gives the names of Cyllo- nium Boisdumlianum and C. Hewitsonianum, 1854. PICTET. Traite de Palseontologie, II, pp. 392-393, pi. 40. 8vo. Paris. Gives a brief account of the fossil butterflies then known, and reproduces excellently the figures of Nenrinopis sepulta, and Mylothrites Pluto given by Boisduval and Heer. 1856. GIEBEL. Fauna der Vorwelt, II. pp. 185-7. 8vo. Leipzig. Gives a similar but fuller account of the butterflies described by Heer and a brief notice of others. 1856. GIKBKL. Gcologische Uebersicht der voi'vveltlichen Insekten. Zeitschr. gesammt. Naturw., VIII, pp. 174-188. Gives lists of Lepidoptera summarized from his previous work. 1856. HEER. Ueber die fossilen Insekten von Aix in der Provence. Vierteljahrsschr. naturf. Gesellsch. Zurich, I, 1-40. Simply mentions in his introductory remarks the occurrence of Neorinopls sepulta at Aix, and says that most of the Insects from this locality present a Mediterranean aspect. 1858. HEER. Ueber die Insectfauna von Radoboj. Bericht 32" Versamml. Deutsch. Naturf., 118-121. A cursory review of Radoboj insects, mentioning the rarity of Lepidoptera, and specifying Eugonia atava {Vanessa allavlna) and Mylothrites Pluto (Vanessa Pluto}. He remarks that the former resembles V. cardui and probably fed on thistles, although these had not yet been found in a fossil condition in that locality ; and that the latter was nearly allied to Papilio Hadena. 1859. HEYDEN. Fossile Insecten aus der Rheinischen Braunkohle. Dunk. u. Mey. Palseontogr., VIII, 1-15, Taf. 1-2. Contains pp. 12-13, Taf. I, flg. 10, description and figure of Thanatites vetula (Vanessa •vetula}. 1860. HEER. Untersuchungen iiber das Klima und die Vegetations Verhaltnisse des Tertiarlandes. 4to. Winterthur. - Refers to some of the fossil butterflies described from Radoboj and Aix. MEMOIHS A. A. A. S. 3 O FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. 18G1. HEER. Rechercbcs stir Ic climat et la Vegetation du pays tertiaircs ; traduction cle Gaudin. 4to. Wintertluir. The same as the previous; and also (on p. 205; not In the original edition) the following refer- ence: "im ciuquiemc (Thaites Ituminiana) est tres voisin du genre Thais qui apnarticut a la I'aune m6diterraneene." 1868. BUTLER. Catalogue of Diurnal Lepidoptera of the family Satyridaf in the collection of the British Museum. 8vo. London. Gives an appendix (pp. 189-190) on fossil species, in which he discusses the zoological position of Neorinapis sepulta (Cyllo sepulta). 1869. BUTLER. Catalogue of Diurnal Lepidoptera described by Fabricius in the collection of the British Museum. 8vo. London. Discusses briefly (p. 109) the relationship of " Vanessa Phtto" to Argynnis Diana and Junonia Hedonia. 1872. SCUDDER. Description d'un nouveau papillon fossilc (Satyrites Reynesii) trouve a Aix en Provence. Rev. et Mag. de Zool., 62-71, pi. 7. Also separate, pp. 7. Description of a New Fossil Butterfly (Satyrites Reynesii) found at Aix in Provence. This is a translation of a portion of my paper. Geol. Mag., IX, 532-533, pi. 13, figs. 2-3. The same, separate, pp. 2. Describes and figures Lethites Eeynesii. 1872. SAPORTA. Etudes snr la vegetation du Sud Est de la France a Pepoque tertiairc. Suppl. I. Revision de la flore des gypses d'Aix. 1" fascicule, Gencralites. Ann. Sc. Nat. [5], Bot. XV, 277-351. Discusses (p. 342) the probable food of the caterpillars of Neorinopis sepulta and Thaites Emniniana. 1873. BUTLER. On Fossil Butterflies. Lepidoptera Exotica, part xv, pp. 126-8, pi. 48. On a Fossil Butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae from the Stonesfield slate near Oxford ; with notices of two other foreign forms from France and Croatia. Geol. Mag., X, No. ciii, 2-4, pi. 1. • Describes the genus Palseontina and species oolitica (a supposed fossil butterfly), refers Gi/llo m-pulta Boisd. to a new genus, Neorinopis, and Vanessa Pluto Heer, doubtfully, to Junonia, adding remarks upon the relationships of each. 1873. ANON. The oldest Fossil Butterfly in the World. The [London] Graphic. Feb. •>•>. A popular account of the preceding paper, accompanied by a woodcut of Palasontinn oolitica. BIBLIOGRAPHY. 7 1873. BRODIE. The Distribution and Correlation of Fossil Insects, etc. 8vo. pamph. Warwick. Gives a brief notice (pp. 8-9) of the various fossils referred to butterflies, especially of Palaiontina oolitica and Lethites Heynesii, and publishes an opinion expressed to him by me that the former was Homopterous. 1874. SCUDDKR. Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XVI, 112. Doubts the lepidopterous character of Butler's Palseontina, and refers it, probably, to the Cicadinse. 1874. BUTLER. Notes on the impression of Palteontina oolitica in the Jermyn Street Museum. Geol. Mag. [2], I, 446-449, pi. 19. Defends the lepidopterous character of Palseontina and gives new illustrations of the same. 1874. SMITH. Discovery of Remains of Plants and Insects. Nature, XI, 88. Enumerates fossils found at Gurnet Bay, and specifies among them ".butterflies." Sehn wir daher durch das Fenster, In das alte Schattenreich, Sehen wir da statt Gespenster, Wesen, die den jetz'gen gleich ; Sehen nicht des Pluto Schrecken, Sphinxe und Harpyen Brut, Nicht Chimaren Flammen lecken, In der Holle Feuer Glut, Nein ! in diesen stillen Kiiumen Wo man sich den Orcus denkt, Sehn wir tausend Wesen tralimen, Tief in ew'gen Schlaf versenkt. Haben einst die welt genossen, Untenn blaueu Hiramelszelt, Jetzt sind sie in Fels verschlossen, In der schwarzen Unterwelt. OSWALD HEER. DESCRIPTIVE. NYMPHALES — PRJETORES — OREADES. Genus NEORINOPIS BUTLER. Neorinopis Butler, I.cpid. Exot., i, 127 (1873) ;— Ib., Geol. Mag. x, 3. IN the shape of the wings (PI. I, fig. 8) this genus closely resembles Neorina (PI. II, fig. 13). The fore wings are arched and roundly produced at the apex, though not so strongly as in Neorina, rather as in Antirrhsea or Coalites, the costal margin is regularly, but not, as in Neorina, very strongly arched, and the apex is well rounded ; the outer border is sinuous and scarcely crenulate, the upper por- tion, above the middle of the subcosto-median interspace, very strongly convex and particularly prominent at the tip of the second inferior subcostal nervule; below, the margin is again convex, starting from the middle of the upper median interspace ; at first (over one interspace) gently, afterward more fully, but still rather broadly, to the well rounded lower angle; the inner margin is slightly concave. The hind wings resemble those of Neorina far more than those of any other genus, but are long and proportionally rather more produced than in Ncorina, with less crenation of the outer border, and a shorter and slenderer tail; the costal margin is strongly and abruptly convex next the base, but beyond this passes with a regular and gentle convexity to the outer angle, which is larger than a right angle and somewhat rounded off; above the tail the general trend of the outer border forms scarcely more than a right angle with the gen- eral course of the costal margin and is gently crenate; the tail, which lengthens the upper median nervule by about one-fourth, is about the width of an interspace at the base and tapers to a rounded point, at first rapidly, afterward slightly; the (9) 10 FOSSIL KUTTKKFIJES. border is slightly angulated at the tip of the middle median nervule, and still more strongly at the tip of the lowest median nervule, causing in the latter a very broad angular projection, beyond which the margin slopes off and is rounded at the angle. The inner margin has a very broad and extensive basal pro- jection, and the course of the internal nervure renders it probable that it was even more extensive than represented in the plate; it reaches more than half-way along the inner border, and at the broadest exceeds the cell in width; be- yond it the inner margin has a nearly straight course, parallel and adjacent to the sub-median nervure. As to the neuration (PI. I, fig. 9) this genus approaches more closely the genera Zophoessa (PL II, fig. 1), Neorimi (PL II, fig. 8), Debis (PL II, fig. 10), and Lethe (PL II, fig. 6), than any others, although it differs from any of them more than they do among themselves. The most noticeable marks of dis- tinction are these: in the fossil genus the first superior subcostal nervule of the fore wing is thrown off just at the extremity of the cell while the second and third are far beyond it; in the recent genera the first nervule is always emitted some distance before the tip of the cell and the second either at or before the extremity ; in agreement with this, the cell is much shorter in Neori- nopis than in the others, being but two-fifths the length of the wing, while in the others it is about one-half its length; in Neorinopis the nervule closing the cell of the fore wing unites with the median nervure at its last divarica- tion, while in the others it strikes it a long distance beyond. In the hind wing the vein closing the cell strikes the median at its last divarication, as in Zophoessa, while in the others it meets the last branch of that vein at a slight distance from its origin. In the fore wings the costal nervure terminates at a little distance beyond the middle of the costal border. The subcostal terminates, as in the recent genera mentioned, near the tip of the wing, and has four superior and two inferior branches; the four superior nervules and the costal nervure terminate at nearly equal distances apart on the costal border; the first superior nervule is emitted from the very tip of the upper border of the cell, at two-fifths the distance NEORIXOPJS. 11 from the base to the apex of the wing, the second beyond the cell, but scarcely beyond the middle of the wing; the third at a less distance from the base of the second than that is from the first, and directly below a point midway between the tip of the costal nervure and that of the first superior subcostal nervule; the fourth near the extremity of the wing and but little before the tip of the third superior nervule, or at about two-thirds the distance from the base of the third superior subcostal nervule to the tip of the subcostal nervure; the first inferior subcostal nervule originates of course at the tip of the cell, and separates but narrowly from the main stem, from which it diverges very gradu- ally as far as the base of the outer superior nervule, where the main stem ap- proaches it again; the lowermost inferior subcostal nervule arises from the first inferior scarcely beyond its base, curves inward, downward and then outward be- fore taking a course parallel to the nervule above, from which it is separated at its base by twice the distance that the former is there distant from the sub- costal nervure; the vein closing the cell can scarcely be called a vein, but rather a break in the membrane such as is often seen in recent butterflies, and is indicated in the fossil by a curving granulated streak; it arises from the final curve of the lowermost inferior subcostal nervule opposite and directly below its origin; it passes thence in a slightly curved line, opening outward, to the very base of the upper branch of the median nervure. The median ner- vure runs in a straight line as far as its first divarication, which is a little beyond the middle of the cell; thence it is bent parallel to the subcostal ner- vure and exactly at the lower tip of the cell forks, the branches parting but gradually from each other, the upper gently curved, the lower nearly straight. The submedian nervure is parallel to the lowest median nervule, as in Ncorina, etc. Jfone of the veins are swollen at the base. The cell is three and a half times longer than broad. In the hind wing the neuration is almost precisely that of Neorina Lowii (PI. II, fig. 8) . The costal and subcostal veins are confluent for a short distance, when the costal parts from its neighbor at nearly right angles and immediately thereafter sends up the basal shoot, which, after passing in a straight line half 12 FOSSIL BUTTKRFLIES. way toward the basal angle of the costal margin, curves slightly outward and fades away; the costal nervure, on approaching the border, curves outward and meets the border near the middle of its outer two-thirds; the subcostal breaks into three branches, exactly as in Zophoessa. The median nervure and its middle branch form a continuous, almost exactly straight line, from which the lowermost branch parts opposite the union of the vein closing the cell with the lowest subcostal nervule; and the uppermost at exactly the tip of the cell, or as far beyond the origin of the lowest nervule as the upper limit of the vein closing the cell is from the base of the upper subcostal nervule; the vein closing the cell is a very weak one and originates on the lowest subcostal nervule, as far from the second divarication of the subcostal nervure as that is from the first, and passes in a gentle curve, opening outward, to the second divarication of the median nervure. The submedian and internal nervures are united for a short distance beyond the base of the cell; the submedian passes with a gentle regular curve to the outer border, at the lower outer angle; the internal parts from this with an opposing curve and terminates somewhere below the middle of the inner flap of the wing, probably approaching again the submedian nervure near its extremity. None of the veins are swollen at the base. The cell is two and three-quarters times longer than broad. In the disposition of its markings (PI. I, fig. 8) this genus does not seem to show any strong affinity with any living butterflies, although it has some features in common with the genera already referred to (PI. II, figs. 3, 9, 11, 13, 14). The base of the wing is dark, followed by paler spots and bands, differing greatly in the front and hind wings, followed again by a belt of dusky scales, which separates from the rest of the wing a paler submarginal band, enclosing roundish, interspaceal, often pupillated spots of varying size, and whose outer limits are at least an interspace's distance from the outer border; the latter is margined, on the hind wings, with alternating darker and lighter lines. The middle portions of the two wings differ; the hind wings have simply a broad pale field, gradually merging on either side into the darker parts and varied by a cloudy, wavy, narrow, transverse belt near the middle; the fore wing, on the other hand, is NEORINOPIS. 13 marked by two largo diagonal light patches, whose interior edges are well defined, but whose exterior are powdered at their confluence with the darker parts; one of these patches crosses the subcostal interspaces at a little distance beyond the cell, and reaches from the subcostal to the median nervure; the other crosses the middle of the outer half of the cell and covers a great part of the basal half of the lower median interspace; while a third roundish patch, united with it, occurs near the middle of the medio-submedian interspace. The two diagonal patches have their inner distinct edges nearly parallel and straight, following lines which run at nearly right angles to the costal margin; in this respect they agree with the diagonal disposition of markings upon the upper and under surface of some species of Zophoessa (PI. II, figs. 3, 11) and Lethe (PI. II, fig. 9), while the nature of the broad patches themselves may best be compared to such masses of color as we see in Neorina Lowii (PL II, fig. 13) and some other species; the marginal markings of the hind wings and the submarginal spots are common to very many Oreades, but the nature and disposition of those of Neorinopis and the disparity of their character on the two wings are best seen on a comparison with the types we have already alluded to, and which are represented on the plates. The small round pale spots accompanying larger dark ones on the fore wing may be seen in Neorina Lowii, though the relation of the two is different from what we see in Neorinopis, while the greater importance of the ocellus in the lower median interspace of the hind wings finds an exaggerated counterpart in Neorina Lowii. In general, the design of the fore wings approaches that of Neorina Lowii more nearly than that of the upper surface of any other butterfly I have seen, although there is a distant resemblance to the markings of AntirrhaBa and Anchiphlebia, as Butler has remarked, as well as toward certain species of Zophoessa. The mark- ings of the upper and under surface of butterflies have nearly always some and often a close relation to each other, and therefore we may reasonably look at the under surface of living insects to find the nearest counterpart to our fossil; in this respect the under surface of Lethe Dyrta (PI. II, fig. 9) may well be studied, where in a lighter submarginal band we find a series of spots, in the principal interspaces, far from the border; these are ocellated instead of double as in Neorinopis; there MKM01US A. A. A. 8. 4 14 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. • are two large patches of pale color in the upper half of the wing as in Neorinopis, but the inner is much obscured by a dark bar crossing the middle ; and the outer in- stead of the inner patch is connected with the lighter parts of the lower half of the wing, and is separated from the parts within by a long line whose general course is at right angles to the costal border; in the markings of the hind wings it is hy no means unlike Zophoessa Sura (PI. II, fig. 3), and resembles less conspicuously Debis Sinorix (PL II, fig. 14), with which also it agrees admirably in the form and neuration of the wing; in the shape of the tail particularly, and in the size of the insect also, Neorinopis agrees better with Debis Sinorix than with any but- terfly I have been able to examine. In neuration and in markings, although not at all in the form of the wings, this fossil shows no distant alliance to our own Enodla Portlandia. The other parts of the body are not sufficiently preserved to admit of their use in generic description, if we except the hind legs ; these are slender, the tarsi (which are barely shorter than the thorax) being of the same length as the tibiae and a very little longer than the femora. NEOKINOPIS SEPULTA (BOISDUVAL) BUTLER. Plate I, figs. 8-17. Nymphalis sp. DUP., Bull. Soc. Ent. France, 1838, 51-52. Cyllo sp. BOISD., Bull. Soc. Ent. France, 1839, 11-12. Cyllo sepulta BOISD., Ann. Soc. Ent. France, Ix, 371-374, pi. viii (1840) ; In., Bull. Soc. Ent. France, 1851, 96-98; SERUKS, Act. Linn. Soc. Bord., xiii, 172, pi. ii (1843); WKSTW., Geu. Diurn. Lcp., 361 (1851) ; LEF., Ann. Soc. Ent. France [2], Ix, 71-88, pi. iii, II (1851) ; PICT., Traite Pal., 11, 393, pi. xl, flg. 11, 1854; BUTI.., Cat. Satyr. Brit. Mus., 189-190 (1868). Antirrhcea? sepulta KIRB., Syn. Cat. Diurn. Lep., 39 (1871). Neorinopis sepulta BIITL., Lep. Exot., 127, pi. xlviii, flg. 3 (1873); IB., Geol. Mag., x, 3, pi. I, flg. 8 (1873). The earliest notice of this fossil butterfly, the first species ever described and illustrated, the most perfectly preserved and the best known to the world at large, was given by Marcel de Serres in 1828, in the Annales dcs Sciences Naturelles ; and in 1829 in his Geognosie des terrains tertiaires ; where he simply cites on the authority of some one else the occurrence in the beds of Aix of a butterfly belonging to "la division des Satyrus." NEORINOPIS SEPULTA. 15 The earliest definite mention of the insect is given by Duponchel in the Bulletin of the Entomological Society of France, as follows : l "M. Duponchel entretient ensuite la Societe" d'un fait extraordinaire, et peut- etre entierement nouveau dans les annales de [52] la science : c'est 1'existence d'une impression tres remarquable de Lepidoptere fossile, qui a £te trouvde dans une platriere des environs d'Aix (en Provence), et acquise par M. de Saporta. Ce Lepidoptere, suivant M. de Saporta, parait appartenir au genre Nymphale, et a une espece etrangere a celles qui vivent aujourd'hui en Enrope. Le corselet en est parfaitement conserve; les couleurs des ailes sont tres-bien indiquees; le dessin de ces ailes est entierement reconnaissable. Les deux ailes d'un des cotes du corps sont rcpliees en grande partie 1'une sur 1'autre; la place du ventre est tres distincte; 1'autre cote manque tout-a-fait." The subject seems to have been referred to Dr. Boisduval, for we find in the following year2 that " M. Boisduval rend un compte verbal du rapport que la Societe" 1'avait charg^ de faire, sur un dessin envoye" a M. Audouin, par M. de Fonscolombe, et qui reprd- sente une empreinte de le"pidoptere fossile trouvee dans les environs d'Aix. M. Bois- duval declare, qu' apres un examen attentif, il a reconnu que ce le"pidoptere devait appartenir a son genre Cyllo, et qu' il se rapprochait beaucoup des especes decrites par les auteurs sous les noms de Satyrus Europa, Caumax, Rhosia et plusieurs autres lepidopteres indiens. Le meme membre ajoute que ce Bhopalocere ne pent se rapporter exactement a aucune des especes vivantes deja connues. Toutefois, avant de decider si cet insecte doit etre regarde comme un veritable fossile, M. Bois- duval pense qu'il serait indispensable, que la Societe put avoir sous les yeux [12] la pierre qui a servi de modele au dessin envoye par M. de Fonscolombe." The next year a very fair illustration of the insect, reproduced in our Plate I, fig. 17, was given, and shortly afterward a written report upon the subject by Dr. Boisduval, in which he furnishes, not only his views upon its affinities, but a brief historical account of the insect, which is given below : 3 "II y a bientot un an que je fus charge par la Societe" d'examiner le dessin d'un Lepidoptere fossile trouve dans les platrieres des environs d'Aix en Provence, et appartenant a M. le Comte de Saporta. Au premier coup d'oeil, ce dessin me parut devoir etre rapporte a une espece de SATYRIDES du genre Cyllo, a cote des Satyrus liohria, Cawnas et Europa, de 1'Encyclopedie; mais la decouverte d'un A 1 Bull. Soc. Ent. France, 1838, 51-52. 3 Annales Soc. Ent. France, ix, 371-374 pi. 8. * Hull. Soc. Knt. France, 18311, 11-12. 16 FOSSIL, BUTTERFLIES. Lepidoptere fossile me scmbla un fait tellemcnt neuf, et 1'cspcce si rapprochee de celles connues, que je n'osai pas faire de rapport avant d'avoir vu la pierre en nature. La Societe partagea cet avis, et engagea M. Duponchel a ecrire a M. de Fonscolombe pour lui faire part du doute de quclques membres sur 1'authenticite de cette empreinte. Ce fut alors que M. le comte de Saporta, naturaliste fort dis- tingue et proprietaire du fossile en question, m'ecrivit la lettre que j'ai commu- niquec a la Societe; lettre dans laquelle il pretendait qu'il n'avait pu etre victimc de la supercherie de qui que ce soit, et [372] que par consequent il n'j avait pas lieu a conserver le moindre doute sur 1'exactitudc scrnpuleuse du dessin commu- nique par son beau-pere, M. le Baron de Fonscolombe; qu'on pouvait voir d'ail- leurs au Museum un Polyommate fossile qu'il avait envoye depuis plusieurs annees avec des empreintes d'insectes de diiferents ordres. Cependant la Societe emit de nouveau le clesir de connaitre en nature ce lepi- doptere fossile. M. Duponchel ecrivit unc seconde fois a M. de Fonscolombe : ce fut alors que M. le comte de Saporta consentit a se dessaisir pour quelques jours de ce precieux echantillon en nous 1'envoyant en communication. Le morceau de calcaire qui porte reellement Vempreinte parfaite d'un lepidop- tere conforme au dessin de M. Fonscolombe, est un fragment assez volumineux de marne gypseuse bituminifere, telle qu'on en rencontre dans une grande partie des environs d'Aix en Provence Le Lepidoptere qui fait le sujet le ce rapport fait partie d'un [373] de ces genres dont les especes assez peu nombreuses sont confinees aujourd'hui dans les iles de 1'archipel indien ou dans les contre"es les plus chaudes du continent asiatique. D'apres ce que j'ai pu apprendre de M. Blum de Leyde, ils voltigent 93, et la a 1'entour des palmiers, dont peut-etre ils se nourrissent a 1'etat de chenille. L'individu communique par M. de Saporta, et que nous avons nomme SEPULTA, pour rappeler son origine antediluvienne, appartient au genre Cyllo, et se rapproche de Rohria, Caumas et autres especes volsines; mais il ne peut etre rapporte a aucune de celles connues de nos jours, ce qui est d'autant plus vraisemblable, que les marnes schisteuses sont de beaucoup plus ancienncs que la derniere catastrophe diluvienne admise par tous les geologues. Le dessin et la forme de cet insecte sont si bien conserves, que 1'on croi- rait qu'il a ete lithographic sur un schiste; seulement il n'existe que le cote" droit, lequel est parfaitement intact, une portion du corselet et une Idgere em- preinte de Tabdomen. L'aile superieure est en grande partie cache"c par 1'in- ferieure, et il est impossible de dire si elle offre d'autre dessin qu'un O3il apical surmonte d'un point blanc; 1'autre, dont on voit toute la surface, est d'une couleur gris brunfttre, comme dans les especes voisines, avec une tache costale blanche, une bande transverse, mediane, sinuee, de la meme couleur, suivie de deux yeux noirs KEOKINOPIS SEPULTA. 17 encadres de blane, s'alignant exterieurement avec deux points blancs. L'extremite de cette memc ailc est un peu plus pale, presque blanchatre, et divisee, comme chez la plupart des especes vivantes, par deux lignes marginales brunes, paralleles. L'appendice caudal est un peu plus long que dans Hohria, mais situe de la meme maniere. M. le comte de Saporta a emis plusieurs opinions geologiqucs sur la cause qui a produit les empreintes d'insectes dans les terrains des environs d'Aix [374] II admet . . que ccs marnes ont etc formees couches par couches, ou plutot feuillets par feuillets,' par des depots fluviatilcs Selon cer- taines circonstances, les differentes couches ont varie de couleur, comme on peut s'en convaincrc par 1'echantillon que la societe a eu sous les yeux. Les plus infe- ricures sont colorees par du bitume et des oxydes metalliques; celle ou se trouvele Lepidoptere est blanche et presque pure, ce qui permet de distinguer le dessin et probablement la veritable couleur du papillon tel qu'il etait avec son incrustation." The plate accompanying the Report of Dr. Boisduval has been several times copied,1 and his statements reproduced in part or referred to, as will be seen by the Bibliography at the commencement of this essay.2 But the most extraordinary of all is an acute criticism by Lefebvre, eleven years subsequently, of which I give the following extracts,3 from a copy of the paper in my possession slightly cor- rected by the author. " [72] Si de 1'oeil on suit les bords de la scconde aile [PI. I, fig. 17] qu'avec le docteur je reconnais couvrir en grande partie la premiere, je trouve qu'elle est, cette seconde aile, totalement arrondie dans ses contours, et je ne peux concevoir par quelle aberration d'optique il lui a vu la moindre analogic avec la seconde aile d'une de nos Cyllo; comment il lui attribue un appendice caudal, propre volontiers aux [73] especes de ce group£, et qui, selon lui, la termine a la maniere de ceux de la Cyllo Rohria de Fab. (Toy. f. A [PI. I, fig. 14]). Pour parlor ainsi que le fait M. Boisduval de cet appendice, il faut ne'cessaire- ment qu'il ait confondu avec cette seconde aile le dernier contour de la premiere, qui 1'excede a partir de leur point de jonction sur le bord externe, lui attribuant comme appendice caudal cette forte dent de la premiere aile, qui succede a une forte echancrure, ainsi qu'il en existe dans tant de Vanessides, et qui le plus souvent y est soutenue par la troisieme inferieure, ainsi que tout a 1'heure elle 1'y sera pour nous dans la Sepulta. J'avoue done que je ne puis, avec le meilleur vouloir, envisager cette em- 1 By Marcel de Serves, Actes Linn. Soc. Borrt., Vol. xiii, pi. 2; • See particularly papers by Coqnand, Marcel de Serres, Heer, Pirtot, Traite de Pnlneont., II pi. 40, fij?. 11; Butler, Lep. KM>(. Saporta, Uiebel, Westwood and liutler. I, pi. 48, llg. 2; Ib., Geol. Mag. x, pi. 1, flg. 3. 3 Ann. Soc. Ent. France (2j ix, 71-88 pi., 3, ii. 18 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. preinte autrement que je ne le fais, et que pour la considerer sous le meme point de vue que notre docte confrere, il me faut faire trop violence a mes pauvres yeux . . ; il me faut enfin donner un dementi aux contours si bien e*crits de ces deux ailes superposees. . . . Et, en effet, ne voit-on pas se dessiner les bords de la premiere aile dans tons leurs contours; la transparence de la seconde, avant son angle anal, ne permet-elle pas de suivre encore le bord inferieur de la premiere, qui est un peu falque et qui, dans 1'empreinte, passe precisement sous 1'articulation femoro-tibiale de 1'unique patte poster ieure qui existe encore? Toute la seconde aile ne vient-elle pas de ses bords nettement tranches, et surtout dans le bord exterieur, couper toute la premiere aile sur laquelle elle est appliquee? A partir du point le plus proche de ce meme bord [74] avec celui de la premiere aile, et presque au centre de sa forte echancrure, ne s'en detache-t-elle pas, comme au-dessus, par une marge obscure et tres nettement tracee? Enfin, cette meme aile ne se continue-t-elle pas seule et detachee sur le fond de la pierre, avec ses meplats voulus dans les bords posterieur et abdominal, jusqu'au-dessus du femur de la patte deja citee? Je ne crois pas qu'on me puisse repondre par la negative, tant les faits sont patents. Get examen nous donne done pour resultat: 1° Une aile de dessus fortement dentee et echancree en dehors, a son bord exterieur. (Yoy. fig. B [PI. I, fig. 16]). 2° Une aile 'de dessous, simple, arrondie, et sans vestige d'appendice caudal. Si c'est chose convenue, qu'en deduire? Si ce n'est que par cette seule confor- mation, nous sommes actuellement en droit de decliner deja toute espece d'analo- gie entre la Sepulta et le genre Cyllo, proprement dit, et de 1'eloigner des Caumus, Beroe, Roliria, et autres; et cela, d'abord, par la rondeur inerme de la seconde aile, et ensuite a la premiere, par cette forte echancrure, suivie d'une dent non moins enorme que soutient la troisieme inferieure, caracteres que n'offrent gueres les Satyrides de cette section, et ou la dent la plus proeminente du bord exterieur, comme a Banksia God., se prononce a Textremite de la premiere superieure, quand il en existe une. Je ne connais que des Yanessides qui puissent presenter en meme temps des premieres ailes dechirees de cette maniere a leur bord exterieur, et des secondes ailes arrondies et sans dentelures. La Van. Archesia, Or. pourrait, entre autres, nous en offrir un example. Et cependant chez les Yanessides, lorsque les premieres ailes y sont ainsi dentelees et decoupees, les secondes le sont egale-[75] ment, plus ou moins, par la regie assez generate qui vent que chez les Lepidopteres les secondes ailes y soient toujours plutot munies de dentelures que les premieres. Yoici done, pour la forme des ailes, un argument en faveur de mon opinion. Passons aux dessins. NEORDTOPIS SEPULTA. 19 Avant que d'assayer de les rehabiliter dans cette espece, il me faut decider une autre question, a savoir si ces dessins appartiennent a la premiere aile ou a la seconde. Notre confrere les tient pour etre propres a cette derniere. Je ne suis pas de son avis, et voice pourquoi: Je pense que la seconde aile est en grande partie denudee de ces ecailles a sa face inferieure, celle que nous voyons. Co qui me le fait croire, c'est que deja dans sa marge abdominale, ainsi que je 1'ai deja dit, on suit a travers la membrane le contour interieur de la premiere aile, et d'une maniere trop distincte pour admettre que 1'adhesion des deux ailes le put permettre, si les deux faces de la seconde etaient revetues de leurs ecailles. Ce qui me le fait croire encore, c'est qu'a cette seconde aile, la petite lunule blanche de I'angle externe (fig. B [PI. I, fig. 16]), qui est situee stir le bord lui- meme, et qui y est exterieurement coupee par lui, ne saurait devoir y exister a cette place, si on en juge par la loi suivie dans leur position normale parmi la majeure partie des Diurnes. En effet, a aucun, ou a bien pen du moins, je ne connais pas a cet angle de lunule extreme, ainsi placee sur le bord lui-meme des secondes ailes, et dans cette position, rejetee en arriere de celle qui la precede. Regie assez generale, la serie marginale de taches lunulaires ou autres, pupil- lees ou non, qui affectent ces ailes, est d'habitude concentrique a leur base, et la lunule en [76] question serait sur cette seconde aile placee contre cette regie. A examiner cette aile dans la fig. B [PI. I, fig. 16], on comprend de suite que cette lunule n'y est pas a sa place normale; elle choque meme la ou elle est situee, tandis que si je la reporte (sans la bouger, bien entendu) sous la premiere aile (ainsi que je le fais a la fig. C [PI. I, fig. 15]), elle s'y adapte tout natu- rellement dans 1'ordre que lui est le plus rationnel avec les autres. Par ce fait, a la place qu'occupe cette lunule, la seconde aile serait done en- core transparente? Observons en passant que dans les especes ou une semblable lunule ou tache oculaire, se remarque en dessous, vers I'angle externe des deux ailes (comme a Melanitis Undularis, Dr.; Protogenia, Cr., par ex.), cette tache qui est toujours placee un pen avant la marge, qui ne Vinterrompt jamais comme ici, est toujours (comme ici, du reste) entre les deux dernieres superieures, et non entre la derniere superieure et la costale. S'il est des exceptions a cette regie, elles ne sauraient etre qu'en bien petit nombre, et lorsque les lunules marginales y sont presentes en nombre considera- ble; mais s'il n'y en a plus qu'une ou deux, celle de I'angle externe sera placee ainsi que je viens de la dire, et non ailleurs. Toujours a 1'appui de cette transparence, que j'attribue a la seconde aile de la Sepulta, si j'interroge le peu de la charpente alaire qu'on y distingue, et qui est suffisant pour la restituer telle qu'elle devait etre, ou a bien pen de chose pres (comme a la fig. C [PL I, fig. 15]), on voit que la tache semiorbiculaire et obscure 20 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. de 1'angle interne y semble partagee par une nervule de la seconde aile tres bien ecrite, par la deuxieme inferieure. Or, 1'etude de cette partie de la [77] ptero- logie, qui ti pour objet les lois relatives a la position, a la forme, comme a la presence et a 1'absence des dessins et des taches, nous apprend que jamais une lunule ou line tache orbiculaire marginale n'est divisee par une nervule, mais plutot par le pli internervulaire, les nervules separant d'habitude ces sortes de taches, et ne les scindant pas. Par induction, je dirai done que cette tache orbiculaire n'est pas encore ici a sa vraie place sous la seconde aile. Mais si je 1'attribue a la premiere, ainsi que tout a 1'heure je 1'ai fait pour la petite lunule, a son tour elle s'y adapte marveilleusement bien (fig. C [PI. I, fig. 15]), entre la troisieme inferieure et la sous-mediane, et en plus, son rejet en dehors, qui nous choquait il y a un instant, n'a actuellement rien que d'assez normal. Allant plus loin, si la grande tache orbiculaire, fort noire, qui la surmonte, et qui a la place qu'elle occupe sous la seconde aile pent y exister sans discussion, ainsi que 1'autre petite lunule blanche qui se voit au-dessus, sont reportees a la premiere aile (fig. C [PI. I, fig. 15]), elles viennent y completer cet ensemble, qui parait alors fort rationnel, des plus habituels, et dont au besoin nous trouverions un exemple dans la Van. Alcithoe. Cr., etc. Et ici, il n'y a pas a s'y tromper les nervures encore existantes a cette seconde aile, sont bien representees a leur place voulue, selon les lois de la So- lenopterologie. [78] Or, si la nervule dont s'agit (la deuxieme inferieure) est a sa place nor- male, la, tache orbiculaire qu'elle divise n'y est pas. Done, elle doit appartenir forcement a 1'autre aile. Puisque nous voici fixes sur la position plus que probable de ces deux autres taches de la seconde aile, convenons que pour les y maintenir il faudrait que cette aile eut precisement conserve sea ecailles a cette place. C'est chose possible, mais chose peu probable. D'apres ce qui precede, je stiis done porte a croire, comme je 1'ai deja avance, si la denudation presque complete du dcssous de cette seconde aile, et que Faction des eaux sedimenteuses qui a agi sur cette face, vti Fadherence de toutes les ecailles a 1'autre eclat de cette marne qui nous est inconnue, n'a pu atteindre les portions de la premiere aile qu'elle abrite. En plus, par Fanalogie et le facies de la Sepulta, ayant tout lieu de pen- ser que le dessus de toutes ses ailes devait etre d'uii brim sombre, uni et prive de tout dessin tranche, ou varie de vives couleurs, par cela memo, j'en induis [79] que la surface superieure de la seconde aile n'a pu empecher les dessins qu'elle recouvrait de paraitre, sans confusion aucune, a travers la couche uni- colore des ecailles du dessus, generalement tres fines dans les Satyrides. Leur XEORINOPIS SEPUT/PA. 21 adherence intime a la surface inferieure de la premiere aile aura me me du 'augmenter la transparence de la seconde. Mais avec assez de raison, on pourrait me demander a mon tour, par quel privilege, ce qui reste de non reconvert de la premiere aile n'a pas ete altere par ce meme frottement, oir plutot par son impression sur 1'eclat qui a mis ti jour cette empreinte? De cet argument ad hominem, je ne pourrais me tirer je Tavoue, qu'en arguant que nous ne voyons que par transparence les taches et dessins, fort admissibles, de la face superieure. Par ce que je vais ajonter encore, on pourrait en deduire que selon le besoin que j'ai de la denudation, ou de Vintactum des ecailles du dessous de cette deuxieme aile, je les admets ou les repousse pour mieux soutenir 1'opinion que j'avance II est de fait que par la marge obscure de la seconde aile qui se decoupe si nettement sur la premiere, jc suis force de reconnaitre que les ecailles de ses bords ont du y etre plus respectees, peut-etre, qu'ailleurs, pour nous apparaitre encore avec une pareille vigueur; mais peut-etre aussi la concordance d'une semblable marge en dessus, et qui n'aurait rien que de normal, concourt ainsi a [80] la rendre aussi visiblement nette que nous la voyons aujourd'hui? De toute maniere, il est impossible de Fadmettre comme dessin apparte- nant au dessous de la premiere aile, ainsi qu'a du le comprendre M. Bois- duval, par une erreur d'optiquc, que deja sans doute il a reconnu lui-meme. L'absence bien regrettable de 1'eclat qui recouvrait cette Sepulta est cause de taut d'incertitude, car je ne mets pas en doute qu'il devait conserver, a son tour, la majeure partie des ecailles de toutes ces ailes, avec lesquelles il etait en contact. Tant bien que mal, nous voici done edifies sur la portion exterieure de ces ailes. Continuous cet examen en marchant vers leur origine. Je rcprends le dessin original. Apres cette serie de taches marginales, il existe sur la cote elle-meme, avant I'angle externe de la seconde aile, une large eclaircie blanche, quelque pen ovalaire, nettement dessinee en dedans, et posee sur la place qu'a, la pre- miere aile doit occuper la disco-eel lulaire et le commencement des deux premieres .superieures. La position de cette tache blanche a la seconde aile n'a rien de refutable, non plus que celle tres obscure qui lui succede, puis 1'autre tache blanche, et enfiu la masse obscure qui couvre toute la base. Ces dessins maculaires peuvent, a la rigueur, y exister, comme n'y pas etre, de meme qu'ils ne sont guere acceptables a leur autre surface; car ce que nous voyons est bien un dessous d'aile et non un dessus. Les dentelures externes de la taehe basale, sont en dessous des plus natu- MMMOIIJS A. A. A. 8. 22 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. relies, et dans nos Satyrides, dans [81] nos Vancssides, nous en retrouvons de nombreux excmples. Mais un instant, ne nous pressons pas de juger: examinons attentivement 1'original: qu'y voyons-nous? Deja, sur le bord costal de la premiere aile, nous apercevons en efFet, sur notre gauche, un commencement de cette blanche cclaircic qui succede aux lu- nules, et a notre droite, le bord interieur de cette eclaircie y est des plus evi- dent! (Voy. fig. B [PL I, fig. 16] ). Comment done se fait-il que ces ailes ainsi ployees, ccs vestiges de la pre- miere aile viennent s'adapter d'une manic-re si complete avec toute la portion blanche qui sc continue sous la seconde aile? cela se pent rencontrer, je Tavoue, mais c'est pen frequent. Bien mieux, le large sommet de la tache blanche anguleuse et obscure qui lui succede, se voit aussi sur le bord un peu diffus de la cote, dans la partie externe, et se relie egalement bicn avec celle que la seconde aile nous laisse, scion moi, aperoevoir. Plus loin encore, le commencement de la grande tache ba- sale, hachee a son dehors, ne se continue-t-il pas sur la cote de la premiere aile? Enfin, si cette derniere tache appartenait a la seconde viendrait-clle, ainsi qu'elle le fait, s'arreter precisement sur le bord interieur de la premiere, que par transparence nous pouvons suivre parfaitement a partir du moment ou il est reconvert par la seconde aile? En 1'attribuant a cette derniere, ce serait agir centre toute apparence plausible, centre toute disposition naturclle de ces sortes de taches, et venir 1'interrompre benevolement et sans motifs specieux, bicn avant I'angle anal de la seconde aile, sur lequel elle devrait venir s'appuyer pour demeurer dans la forme la plus normale ! [82] Cette interruption nous fixe done aussi bien que le commencement de toutcs les taches du haut, sur Fattribution que nous devons en.faire a la pre- miere aile, et non a la seconde, et le peu qui reste de ces divers dessins sous cette derniere, si toutefois il en reste, doit se confondre avec elles, sans con- tribner beaucoup a nous egarer. D'ailleurs, nombre de Lepidopteres diurnes des groupes, pres desquels doit venir se ranger la Sepulta, presentent sous leurs premieres ailes de semblablcs taches costales et basales, ainsi placees, ainsi dentelees, ainsi conformees; d'hab- itude me me, elles y sont les vestiges plus ou moins complets de ces larges bandes transversales qui couvrent ces memes ailes d'une maniere plus ou moins accusee; assez souvent elles vont se repetant sous les sccondes ailes, et s'y continuant d'une maniere parfois assez snivie, et selon 1'expansion donnee aux ailes. Elles y sont meme, a mon avis, un indice de celle quo la nature a entendu leur accorder dans le vol, quand les bandes du dessous des deux ailes s'y rajustent bien exactement. NEOIUNOPIS SEPULTA. 23 Voici done les taches et les dessins qtii, apres nous avoir aides a" rcconnaitre la forme ct la nature plus ou raoins opaque de ces ailes, sont actuellement eux-memes controles par la constitution physique de ces organes, restitues a leur places voulues, et sous 1'aile qui les doit comporter. Voyons actuellement si 1'etude du systeme nervulaire viendra confirmer ou detruire ces suppositions. Get examen anatomique a bien son prix actuellement qu'on en comprend mieux 1'importance. Avant tout, jc dois reconnaitre quo ces precicux vestiges sont parfaitemeht indiques la ou ils doivent etre, sur [83] cette copie de la piece originate, et que le dessinateur nous les laisse suivre assez facilement, taut a une aile qu'a 1'autre. Que reste-t-il de la charpente alaire de la premiere aile? D'abord, des traces de la costale; puis, au-dessus de la lunule blanche de 1'apex, les premier et deuxieme rameaux des trois apicales qui doivent jaillir de la troisieme supericure. Diverses stries s'echappant du premier, accusent sans doute ici les restes d'un dessin perdu ou quelqucs plis anormaux; c'est sans importance. Puis, au-dessus de la lunule noire, on distingue fort bien la deuxieme superieure, et plus bas, enfin, la premiere. Sur le bord exterieur, je devine encore 1'extremite des deux premieres in- fericures; a travers la scconde aile, un trait noir qui passe entre la lunule blanche et la large tache noire orbiculaire, m'indique bien la position de la deuxieme infe- rieure; enfin, je suis non moins facilement, entre les deux taches noires orbicu- laires, la troisieme inferieure, un pen moins accusee. Ces deux nervules sc relient visiblement a la portion tres lisible de la mediane qui, sur le dessin, coupe le bas de la premiere tache blanche costale. Toujours a la premiere aile, la troisieme inferieure s'y reconnait parfaitement a la place voulue, au milieu de la dent qu'elle soiitient. En effet, le plus souvent, quand une dentelure, pareillcment situee, afFecte le bord exterieur des premieres ailes, ainsi qu'on le pent remarquer dans les Van. Progne, A.rchesia, L.-album, Anylica et autres, cette troisieme inferieure a la prerogative de lui servir de support. Au-dessus de son extremite nous voyons un faux trait, sans doute, car la pre- sence d'une nervule me parait impossible a cet endroit. Plus bas, au dessous d'elle, le pli [84 | qui, selon moi, doit traverser la tache orbiculaire la plus inferieure, precede encore un trait, sans valeur a mes yeux, puisqu'il invest inanalysable; et, en definitive, on voit la sous-mediane (jui so projette a travers la seconde aile, so confondant avec les traces de la seconde inferieure de cette derniere. Plus bas, avant 1'angle interne, un autre leger faux trait me semble encore inexplicable, car la saillie dentee de la marge au dehors, precise assez la place, qu'a la premiere aile, doit occuper 1'extremite de la sous-mediane qui d'habitude reste volontiers assc-x distante de la mediane. En plus, il ne saurait exister iei d'inter- 24 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. mediane, dont'la presence ne se revele qiie dans les tribus trop eloignees de celle dont la Sepulta fait partie, pour nous en preoccuper ici. La nervnlation de notre premiere aile se trouve done ainsi etre an complet, on ;i pen pres, et deja je la peux rchabiliter avec le crayon, telle qu'ellc doit etre. Passons a la seconde. La cote senlement se soupconne, on voit parfaitcment comme des traits blancs, la costale qui est ici tres breve en son trajet; puis la sous-costale, la me- diane, et le de-[85] part des trois superieures qui se relient tres bicn en blanc sin- la marge dentelee de la tache basale (la deuxieme moins facilement) . Ensuite vient la mediane, dont on suit le parcours, ainsi que sa ramification qui forme la premiere inferieure et qui passe sous la plus grande des deux taches orbiculaires ; puis la deuxieme (celle qui, centre toutes les lois de la Spilopterol- ogie, couperait la deuxieme tache orbiculaire, si on Tattribuait a la seconde aile). Vient enfin la troisieme inferieure, representee, peut-etre, par une forte ligne blanche, et qui doit s'attacher a la mediane, peu avant rarticulation femoro-tibiale de la patte. Dans les bords posterieur et abdominal, je ne peux distinguer ni la sous- mediane, ni 1'interne, qui sont disparues dans la portion restante, et evidemment diaphane de cette aile qui se detache ici sur le fond de la pierre. Maintenant, si sur le trace de la charpente alaire, scrupuleusement caique sur celui de la Sepulta, et que je donne ici (fig. C [PI. I, fig. 15]) retablie dans son entier; si, dis-je, on caique cette nervulation sur un papier vegetal et qu'on reporte cette copie sur le dessin de la pierre originate, qui s'y verra par trans- parence, ou bien sur ceux de la fig. C, qui est 1'insecte tel que je le comprends, on sera frappe de la precision avec laquelle ces diverses nervures s'adapteront an dessin et aux taches que j'attribue a la premiere aile, ainsi qu'aux vestiges de la charpente alaire de la seconde aile. Ainsi, on pourra facilement controler mes assertions. Si done la Solenopterologie vient a son tour confirmer mes rectifications, je dois croire que si je me trompe, je ne m'abuse que de bien peu [8G] Maintenant que faire de ce Diurne? Comme plus haut je 1'ai dit, c'est evidemment une espece aux premieres ailes fortement echancrees et dentelees, tandis que les secondes y sont arrondies et simples, a meplats bien accuses. Avons-nous dans nos especes vivantes quelques-unes qui nous oftrcnt cette coupe peu commune, et dont les ailes des Van. Arcliesia et Iphita de Cramer peuvent nous donner un exemple? Cette Sepulta me semble tenir beaucoup, tout bien consulte, et des Vanessides et des Satyrides, telles que nous les comprenons Evidemment la Sepulta ne saurait etre une Cyllo proprement elite. Serait ce done une Yanesside? Si la forme des ailes s'y prete quelque pen, son facies, VKOKINOPIS SEPULTA. 25 I'agencement des ses dessins alaircs, me porterait a en fairc avec M. Boisduval un Satyride, appartenant a un de ces genres inter- [87] mediaires de ces deux families nombrenses, deja si pen eloignees a leur etat parfait A essayer dc caser cct insecte, j'abuscrais a n'cn pas douter de la patience du lectcur; cependant, en pen de mots, je pourrais lui faire observer (en ne nous occupant que de la premiere aile, la seule que nous connaissons, a mon avis) que la large tache basale qui se voit ici, comme a tant de Diurnes, est avec les autres dessins de sa robe, le propre de nombreux Satyrides de cette taile et de cette coloration, qu'avec justesse M. Boisduval reconnait devoir etre d'une teinte ter- reuse, seulement variee de blanc et de noir. La petite lunule noire me ferait penser qu'en dessus il devait exister une tache oculaire, dont elle est la simple repetition en dessous, et precisement a 1'endroit (entre les premiere et deuxieme superieures) ou cette tache existe le plus habitu- ellement dans nombre de Satyrides de ce facies, quand elle y est unique. Certes, il devait y avoir en dessous, le long du bord exterieur et j usque dans 1'apex, une serie disparue d'arceaux internervulaires-, formant une double ligne marginale, ainsi qu'elle se voit encore entre la dent et Tangle interne. La nervulation si peu difterente parfois entre nombre de Satyrides et de Vanessides, ne permet pas, sous ce rapport, d'assigner un poste bien fixe a la Sepulta; en plus, 1'etat de son empreinte ne nous permet pas de savoir si la base de ses nervures est affectee, en tout ou partie, d'entre elles, de ces renfle- ments vesiculeux si communs a divers groupes de Satyrides. [88] Nous ne savons rien non plus de 1'absence ou de la presence des disco- cellulaires, et la perte assez prompte de la costale aux deux ailes, dans la cote, s'accorde moins avec la marche plus volontiers prolongee de cette memo ner- vurc dans les Satyrides, de I'apparence de la Sepulta, etc., etc. Bref, m'abstenir pour decidei1 rigoxireusement de quel genre elle pent etre, ou meine approximativement, est ce que j'ai de plus prudent a faire; mieux que moi, d'autres le]ndopteristes pouvant s'acquitter de ce soin. Et a ceux qui, fatigues de tant de lignes sans ce resultat desire, me diraient: "Concluez done," je repondrais — je ne sais pas! Explication des figures de la planclie. A [reproduced in our PI. I, fig. 14 1. Cyllos epulta, telle qu'elle a ete comprise par M. le docteur Boisduval, en attribuant un appendice caudal a la deuxieme aile. B [reproduced in our PI. I, fig. 16]. Sepulta, telle qu'elle devrait etre d'abord comprise sous le rapport de la forme des deux ailes. C [reproduced in our PI. I, fig. 15]. Sepulta, telle qu'elle doit etre jugee, tant pour la forme des ailes que pour la distribution de leurs dessins et leur nervu- lation, scion M. A. Lefebvre. 26 FOSSIL BUTTEKFLIES. To this Dr. Boisduval at once responded, in the following language:1 — M. Al. Defebvre, apres avoir ctudie avec soin la position des nervures, la dis- position des ecailles et celle des taches, est arrive a conclure que j'avais pris 1'aile inferieure pour la superieure, et que cet appendice caudal, si man- ifeste dans 1'espece en question, etait au contraire un angle appartenant a 1'aile an- terieure. Pour donner plus de poids a cettc opinion, il a refait une plane-lie ou il ressuscite a sa maniere notre Cyllo sepulta. Avee la queue que nous avons attri- buee avec MM. Boyer de Fonscolombe, de Saporta, Duponchel, et avec tous les entomologistes qui ont vu 1'echantillon a 1'aile inferieure, il fait un angle tres aigu d'unc saillie tout a fait insolite, qu'il place au milieu de 1'aile superieure, taudis qu'il a fait une aile inferieure completement arrondie. A cote de celle figure, il en donne une autre ou il developpe notre Cyllo comme il pretend que nous 1'avons compris. J'en demande bien pardon a non estimable ami, mais jamais je ne 1'ai compris de cette facon. Je convieus du reste que cet intercssant Lepidoptcre fossile serait bien plus antediluvien tel que M. Alexaudre Lefebvre le represente, que comme nous le supposons, car nous ne lui trouverions aucun analogue, attendu que jusqu'a present nous n'avons jamais vu une seule espece avec des ailes superieures anguleuses et appendiculees, et des ailes inferieures arrondies comme avec un compas, il faut croire que la nature n'en produit plus. Nous avons toujours observe au contraire que lorsque les ailes superieures etaient angu- leuses, les ailes inferieures 1'etaient aussi d'une maniere tres manifesto; mais ce que personne de vous ignore, Messieurs, c'est que tres souvcnt au contraire les ailes inferieures, surtout dans le genre dont il est ici question, prdscntcnt des appendices caudiformes plus ou moins saillants, et que parfois les ailes superieures ont leur contour simplement sinue\ A 1'appui de son opinion d'ailes inferieures arrondies, aves des siipeYieures anguleuses, notre collegue a cherche a trouver un exemple dans les figures de Cramer, et il cite en consequence la Vanessa [98] Archesia qui effectivement presente cette forme; mais Cramer a figure un individu mutile, que probablement on avait arrondi avec des ciseaux, car nous en possedons un tres bel exemplaire, pris par M. Drege au pays des Hottentots, que nous met- tons sous les yeux de la Socie"te, afin qu'elle s'assure bien qu'au contraire cette espece est une des plus fortement appendiculee. Le choix de cet exemple est malheureux. Nous persistons done tout a fait dans 1'opinion que nous avons emise lors de la publication du rapport qui nous a <3te demande. Sometime subsequently Mr. A. G. Butler refers to this dispute between the two French writers in the following manner:2 This very interesting species was described and admirably figured by Dr. Boisduval in the French "Annales de la Societe" Entomologique " (1840); that 1 Bull. Ent. Soc. France, 1851, 97-8. 2 Cat. Satyr., 18U-190. NEORESTOPIS SKPULTA. 27 gentleman considered it to be a Sutyride allied to Satyrus rohria, caumas, etc.,1 "which it somewhat resembles in the form of the wings. In the French "Annales" (for 1851) M. Lefebvre published a note upon the species, in which he criticised Dr. Boisduval's paper, and stated that the fossil species, instead of being allied to roJiria, was evidently a Vanessa — that the strong, tail-like projection belonged to the front, and not to the hind wings, and represented the angular projection which occurs in all true Vanessidso, as an ex- ample of which he instanced Vanessa (Jtmonia) Archesia of Cramer. This re- markable note was, moreover, accompanied by figures of the species, representing the tail both upon the front and hind wings. In the same volume of the "Annales" Dr. Boisduval gives an excellent answer- to M. Lefebvre's observations, in which he well remarks, "Nous n'avons jamais vn vine seule espece avec les ailes [190] supeVieures anguleuses et appendiculees, et les ailes infericures arrondies comme avec tin compas;" and certainly, did such an insect ever exist, its wings would be utterly useless as organs of flight, for they would invariably carry it downwards. In all insects which have small and rounded hind wings, the costa of the front wings always far exceeds the inner margin in length and strength,2 whereas in M. Lefebvre's insect the reverse would be the case. It should be borne in mind, however, that there are two distinct criticisms by Lefebvre, to the second of which Boisduval only alludes in the most general way, and does not meet, while Butler makes no reference to it at all. As far as regards the position of the tail, Lefebvre is unquestionably wrong (see PI. I, fig. 10), although his fault is primarily due to the inaccuracy of the engraving given by Boisduval, an inaccuracy which is slightly accentuated in our copy of it (PI. I, fig. 17). But by far the larger part of his paper is made up of a detailed argu- ment, drawn from the position and character of the markings and from the direction of the nervures, in which he endeavors to prove, and in most cases really does prove (though he errs in some of his statements concerning the neura- tion), that these markings belong to the front and not to the hind wing. He argues, for instance, that the two oval dark spots are plainly traversed by the nervures of the hind wing, and therefore cannot belong to that wing; that the minute white spot apparently on the outer border of the hind wing is only half a spot and must belong to the fore wing, and that the markings on and near the 1 Spccicu of Lethe. 2 As, for Instance, in the Sphingidie, IJeliconidre, etc. 28 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. costal border traverse both wings and must belong to the one to which they cer- tainly belong in part, the front wing. To this Boisduval makes no sort of answer, and Butler, to judge from his silence in the matter, and the comparative illustrations he gives on a plate published subsequently,1 considers it unproven. All of these writers are, however, entirely wrong in supposing that the under surface of the wings is exposed to view, and that the hind wing covers the front wing. Bois- duval does not distinctly state this; but the whole tenor of his remarks shows that this was the view taken by him; and when Lefebvre says: "Si de Toeil on suit les bords de la seconde aile, qu'avec le Docteur je reconnais couvrir en grande partie la premiere," no objection is offered in Dr. Boisduval's response; nor does he demur to Lefebvre's statement, when the latter speaks of the " face inferieure, celle que nous voyons." As we shall show later, however, the upper surface of the wings is that exhibited on the stone, and the front wing almost entirely conceals the hind one; compare PI. I, fig. 13, drawn anew from the fossil. In the same place to w,hich we have just referred Mr. Butler adds the fol- lowing remarks on the probable affinities of this fossil:2 The true position of C. sepulta is undoubtedly in the family 8atyridce; and, so far as can be judged from the beautiful figure in the "Aunales,"s it is exactly intermediate in character between three nearly allied genera now existing, viz. :— Neorina, Antirrhcea and Anckiphlebia, its more immediate allies being the com- monest species in each of the above genera. Its characters are distributed be- tween these three species as follows: — Neorina Lowii, Uoisd. AnHrrhwi />/»- loctetes, Linn. A nchiphlcbia Archtva, Iliilm. * * * * * * * .- * *? Submarginal line of hind wings, * i Lep. Exot. pi. 4«. '-' Lor,, cit., \). I'.iO. 8 In tliis figure the ueuration has not been -very clearly defined, the. ruining of the himl wings not being: continuous. NEORINOPIS SEPULTA. \Zsi The venation appears to be nearly similar to that of Anchiphlebia. It is doubtful, however, whether the drawing of the veins has been sufficiently attended to, to offer any reliable characters. In this paper he quotes Boisduval's locality "Aix en Provence," but when he next refers to this insect1 he gives it as from "Aix-la-Chapelle, "White sandstone," a mistake, however, corrected subsequently. In this latter paper he remarks: I have discussed the position of this species in my catalogue of Satyridse, pp. 189, 190; showing that its nearest ally is Neorina Lowii, a common Bornean species, but that it also has a slightly more distant relationship to Antirrhcea Phi- loctetes and Anchiphlebia A.rchcea, two common tropical American forms; the amount of affinity, as regards the first two of these species, may be seen on my plate, figs. 4 and 5; the resemblance to Anchiphlebia is less striking, and the affinity more doubtful ; it has nothing to do with Cyllo. That Butler should have so nearly pointed out the exact affinities of this insect from the simple study of Boisduval's plate, is unquestionably due to his extended familiarity with butterflies, and especially with the forms of this sub- family; but it also shows the essential harmony between the markings of the under and upper surface of the wings of butterflies, notwithstanding their fre- quent great dissimilarity; for Butler compares this fossil with the recent forms on the assumption that the under surface of the wings is seen in Boisduval's plate. The actual condition of the fossil, for an opportunity of examining which I am indebted to the courtesy of Count Saporta, is this (see PL I, fig. 13) : The thorax, hind legs and both pair of wings of the left side are preserved, almost completely; all the rest is lost. The thorax is viewed from above and somewhat on the left side; the hind coxae seem to be almost torn away from their immediate connection with the trunk. The two hind legs are stretched out bent at the femoro-tibial articulation ; the left leg lies above both the wings and is apparently attached throughout, although its base is covered a little by the crushed body; the right leg lies below both the wings and is apparently partially detached, though but slightly, from the coxa?; the tibio-tarsal articulation can be distin- guished (PL I, fig. 11) but not the tarsal joints. The wings are bent over i Lep. Exot., 127, pi. xlviii. Cienl. Mag., x, 3, pi. i. MEMOIRS A. A. A. S. 6 30 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. downward in a position the reverse of that of repose. The fore wing covers the hind wing as in nature, but to such an extent as to conceal the greater part of it; the guttered portion of the inner margin of the hind wings is almost fully expanded, but apparently has a fold next the submedian nervure. The fringe of the fore wing seems to be gone, but that of the hind wing is preserved nearly throughout. Head, fore and middle legs, wings of the right side and abdomen are wholly wanting. The upper surface of the wings is, therefore, the part which attracts most attention. That it is the upper and not the under surface which is exposed to view is shown by the relation of the wings to each other (PI. I, fig. 10), by their unquestionable attachment to the thorax, of which we certainly see only the upper portion with its smooth arched dome marked by the sutures which separate the portions which compose it; and by the design itself of the wings, which is such as pertains to the upper rather than to the under surface of butterflies of this group. These markings are most wonderfully preserved; and the careful and prolonged study I have given every part of the fossil has enabled me to separate, with a considerable degree of certitude, the markings which appertain to the fore wing and those which belong to the hind wing. Those of the latter are generally to be traced through the semi-diaphanous fore wing and are given in PI. I, fig. 8. One is aided greatly in this investigation by following the lines and series of markings which extend over both the ex- posed and covered portions of the hind wing; and then by comparing the fainter and obscurer tints of the covered portion with equivalent marks on other parts of the stone covered by both the wings ; in this way the markings of the hind wing may be separated from those of the front wing, but subject, certainly, to some degree of doubt. In the figure upon the plate (PI. I, fig. 8) the portions to which the least degree of doubt attaches are the outer halves of the two wings. I am inclined to consider these as almost absolutely accurate. The parts on the other hand which are more likely to be inaccurate are the basal halves of the median interspaces of the fore wing and the contiguous portion of the medio-submedian interspace. Assuming, however, that the drawing faithfully ISTEOKINOPIS SEPULTA. 31 represents the real markings of this extraordinarily preserved fossil, a detailed description of its features follows. The basal portion of the fore wing (PI. I, fig. 8) is very dark, and increases in intensity toward the border of the innermost light patch ; the latter is bounded by a line running in a nearly straight course from the costal nervure, opposite the middle of the upper border of the cell, toward the middle of the apical half of the submcdian nervure; but it extends slightly outward on reaching the lowest median nervule and just below this turns baseward and makes a large ovoid curve of an interspace's diameter, returning to its course when it has nearly completed the circuit and reached the middle of the medio-submedian inter- space; the outer limit of this large pale patch, which crosses the cell and extends nearly to the middle of the lower median interspace, nearly follows a line running from the upper extremity of the inner border to and along the middle median nervule. Beyond this the upper half of the wing, half-way to the apex, is nearly as dark as the basal part, excepting in a large light patch which crosses the lowest two subcostal and the subcosto-median interspaces, is broadest in the middle, but twice as broad at the upper as at the lower ex- tremity, and rounded throughout excepting at the angular upper basal corner; its interior margin is sharply defined, and is nearly parallel to the interior border of the inner light patch, extending in a straight line from the subcostal nervure mid- way between the origin of the first and second superior nervules to the upper median nervule, about as far from its origin as it is from the base of the first median nervule; the exterior border is powdery, strongly convex and, starting from the subcostal nervure midway between the bases of the second and third superior nervules, joins the other border on the last median nervule; this patch is twice as long as broad. Extending from the next to the lowest subcostal ner- vule to the internal nervure, parallel to the outer border, is a broad indistinct pale band, broadening below, and on either side merging indefinitely into the darker parts of the wing, separated from the light patches by only a narrow belt of dark scales, which becomes narrower and fainter in the lower half of the wing; at its broadest the pale band is a little broader than an interspace, and it con- 32 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. tains in its middle and at the middle of each interspace, as well as in the next to the lowest subcostal interspace, a series of large circular dark spots, of nearly or quite half the width of the interspaces in which they fall, often, and especially in the upper interspaces, enclosing a small black pupil; these spots are almost exactly parallel to the outer border, that in the lowest median in- terspace with its outer border at an interspace distance from it; with the excep- tion of that in the lowest subcostal interspace, they are each surmounted interiorly by a much smaller circular light spot, the centre of which is near the circumference of the larger spot, so as to infringe upon it; with the exception of the upper- most, which is nearly as large as the spot on whose summit it is placed, the light spots are of nearly equal size and about one-third of an interspace in diameter; or if anything the two lower, seated on the largest spots, are smaller than the others; the wing must have been wrinkled between the nervules next the outer border, as shown by the dark lines running from the border to the centre of the dark spots. The outer edge and the apex of the inner are uniformly dusky and rather lighter than the other dark parts of the wing; the fringe is v evidently lost. The hind wing is very dark at the base, like the fore wing, nearly as far as the extreme tip of the cell ; this dark area merges gradually into a lighter portion, which crosses the wing as a very broad equal band having its outer limit at a narrow, dark, regular belt, with ill defined outline, which crosses the wing sub- parallel to the general course of the outer border a little within the middle of the outer half of the wing; within this broad light band are two narrow trans- verse powdery streaks of dark scales, one extending from the extreme tip of the cell, and broadening a little in its course, running in a curve opening inward to the inner border; the other starting from the same point in an opposite direc- tion, and passing in a sinuous course, with varying width, toward the middle of the basal two-thirds of the upper subcostal nervule, hardly separate from the outer limits of the dark base of the wing. The darkest part of the narrow band in the middle of the outer half of the wing has a regular curve and strikes the borders in the middle of their outer halves; there is a submarginal slender dark NEORDTOPIS SEPTJLTA. 33 streak, separated by scarcely more than its own width from the outer border, becoming narrower toward the costal and inner borders, and especially towards the costal; it is broken at the upper median nervule, where the upper portion joins a second broader band, separated by a space nearly equal to itself from the sub- marginal band ; this leaves a nearly equal light band in the outer part of the wing, broadest above and reaching from the costal border, almost to the inner; along the middle of this belt is a series of six round dark spots and ocelli, one in each of the interspaces excepting the costo-subcastal ; the largest is in the lower median interspace, and is a spot nearly as broad as the interspace, deepening toward the centre to a black pupil ; the next largest, in the upper median inter- space, is an ocellus with a black pupil, immediately followed by a pale annul us, again surrounded by a dark ring of equal diameter, the whole a little more than half the width of the interspace; next larger are two spots of less intense depth of color, one in the upper subcostal, the other in the subcosto-median interspace, about one-third the width of the interspace, the upper deepening, the lower becoming paler at the centre; the spot in the lower subcostal and the medio-submedian interspace are equal and smallest, about one-fourth the width of the interspace, and consist only of rather faint, powdery marks, a little darker towards their centres. The fringe of this wing seems to be preserved and is short, nearly equal, dark, resembling a repetition of the submarginal streak. Length of fore wing, 37mm-; breadth of fore wing, 2O5"""-; length of hind wing, 31'75mm'; length of tail, 4mm'; distance of the base of the second superior subcostal nervule of hind wing from the divarication of the costal and sub- costal nervules, 5'55mm'; rows of scales in the subcostal region of the fore wings, -075mm- apart; length of thorax, 5mm-; of hind femora, 4-6ram-; of hind tibiae 4-8mm-; of hind tarsi, 4'9mm-. Tertiaries of Aix, Provence, France; collection of Count de Saporta. 34 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. LETHITES SCUDDBR. Satyrites Scudd. (nee Blanch.-Brulle), Rev. et Mag. de Zool., 1871-72, GG. The costal border of the fore wing (PL I, fig. 5) is gently and equably curved, the apex moderately acute but well rounded, the outer margin, except at its extremities, nearly straight, and the inner border straight or almost so; the outer border is a little shorter than the inner and about three-fifths the length of the costal margin. The costal nervule terminates slightly beyond the middle of the costal margin, its basal two-fifths presenting a considerable and almost uniform ex- pansion, which tapers rather rapidly at the tip, and reaches nearly to the middle of the upper border of the cell. The subcostal nervule is very slight on the basal half of the wing, closely connected with the posterior surface of the swollen portion of the costal nervure and only divaricating from that vein after the latter has lost its tumidity; it- emits its first superior nervule at slightly more than three-fifths the distance from the tip of the bulbous portion of the costal nervure to the upper apex of the cell; its second at midway between the origin of the first and the tip of the cell; its third at midway be- tween the upper apex of the cell and the origin of the fourth, which arises at about two-fifths the distance from the base of the third to the outer border of the wing. The first superior nervule terminates near the middle of the outer two-thirds of the costal border, the second midway between the apex of the first and third; the third terminates just above, and the fourth at or scarcely below, the tip of the wing. The first inferior subcostal nervule arises at a very short distance beyond the base of the second superior nervule, and curving rather strongly, terminates in the middle of the upper half of the outer border; the second inferior nervule is emitted from the first inferior as far beyond the base of the latter as that is beyond the base of the second superior nervule; at its origin it is directed inward as well as backward (forming the upper ter- mination of the cell) and passes backward in a small, narrow and rather strongly curved bow, bent below more than above, beyond which it assumes a course LETHITES. 35 nearly parallel to the first inferior nervule; just beyond the arcuate portion it is connected by a rather long, straight, oblique nervule, directed considerably outward as well as downward, to the origin of the upper median nervule. The median nervule is slightly enlarged at the base, and diminishes gradually and regularly in size to its first divarication, which is scarcely beyond the middle of the cell ; the origin of its middle branch is slightly nearer the origin of the basal than of the terminal nervule; the latter .strikes the middle of the outer border. The submedian nervure is straight and not swollen at the base. The cell is three times as long as broad, and scarcely more than half as long as the wing. The article from which the above is quoted, as originally written, closes thus: "The neuration of the fore wing does not seem to me to accord sufficiently with that of any known genus of Oreades to admit of its being classed with them. It undoubtedly has close affinities with the characters of the genus Debis (=Lethe Hiibn.) as laid down by Westwood and Hewitson, if we exclude there- from, as we should, the Papilio Portlandia of Fabricius. It is not a little interesting to notice that these authors have arranged this group in immediate proximity to the genus Cyllo (=Melanitis Fabr.), in which Dr. Boisduval placed the fossil species from Aix, named by him sepulta. Nor is it less interesting to find that in both genera all the living representatives (even including those discovered since the publication of the ' Genera of Diurnal Lepidoptera') are natives of the East Indies; so that the fossil butterflies of Provence have their nearest living allies in the far East." Although differing from Neorina (PI. II, fig. 8) very strikingly in the form of the wing and the swollen base of the costal nervure, this genus has some striking points of agreement with that in the neuration of the fore wing. The nervure closing the cell indeed is straight in Lethites and strongly curved in Neorina, but, as there, two of the superior subcostal nervules arise before the tip of the cell, and the other two are thrown off at about equal distances between the apex of the cell and of the wing; the vein closing the cell meets the median nervure in both cases as far beyond its second divarication as that is beyond the first; the shape and proportionate length of the cell is nearly 36 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. the same in the two, but the costal nervure appears to be much shorter in Lethites. With Lethe (PI. II, fig. 6) and Debis (PI. II. fig. 10) the fossil genus can better be compared, as far as the form of the wing, the dilated costal vein, and the position and direction of the straight vein closing the cell are concerned; but in both these genera only a single superior subcostal nervule is emitted before the apex of the cell; the form of the cell again shows rather closer affinity between Lethites and these genera, although the difference in these res- pects is but slight. It is by no means distantly related to Enodia, in which two subcostal nervules are emitted before the tip of the cell, but differs from it in the much greater and more abrupt swelling of the costal vein, and in the much greater distance beyond the second divarication of the median nervure at which the vein closing the cell meets this nervure. It even exhibits no small affin- ity to Cercyonis, and especially to those species in which there is little dilation of the median nervure; the costal nervure is swollen in precisely the same way, and the superior nervules of the subcostal nervure are much the same ; but the form of the wing is strikingly different, and the lowest subcostal interspace much wider at the base, in comparison with the width of the base of the sub- costo-median interspace, in Cercyonis than in Lethites; and this seems to be a character of considerable importance. It may be noted in this connection that the markings of the fossil must have closely resembled Cercyonis Pegala. Its nearest ally among living European types would seem to be Maniola Hermione, in which the costal and median veins are about equally swollen. The neuration of Lethites agrees with this genus in much the same way as it does with Cercyonis, the comparative width of the interspaces beyond the cell being very different in the living genera from what it is in the fossil. In the form of the wing Maniola agrees much better with Lethites than Cercyonis does, but the costa is much more arched, and the cell is much the longer in Maniola; were there no obscure spot in the lower median interspace in the male of M. Hermione, the markings of the fossil would agree with it almost perfectly. LETHITES REYNESII. 37 LETIIITES REYNESII SCUDDER. Plate I, figs. 2, 5. Satyrites Heynesil SCUDD., Rev. ct. Mag. de Zool., 1871-72, GC-72, pi. vii (1872); IB., Doscr. Pap. Foss. 1-7, pi. (1872); IB., Geol. Mag. ix, 532-33, pi. xiii, flgs. 2, 3 (1872); IB., Descr. Foss. Butt. 1-2, pi., figs. 2, 3 (1872) ; BuoD., Distr. Corr. Foss. Ins. [SatyriCes lieynesii], 8-9 (1873). I give below the original of the first paper cited above, excepting the portion which was quoted under the genus. In a recent examination of the rich collection of fossil insects from Aix, preserved in the Museum of the city of Marseilles, my attention was attracted by two little slabs containing the traces of a fossil butterfly. Although by no means so well preserved, nor so perfect as the remains of a butterfly from the same beds, described by Dr. Boisduval more than thirty years ago, a glance showed that it could not be referred to that species, since the costal nervure of the fore wings was greatly swollen. No such form having to my knowl- edge been described from these beds, Dr. Reynes, the accomplished director of the establishment, courteously placed the best specimen in my hands for closer study; and from it the following account and illustrations have been drawn. The second specimen is very imperfectly preserved, but since it exhibits in all its features an exact resemblance to similar parts in the better specimen it un- doubtedly belongs to the same species. The fossil (PI. I, fig. 2) is a natural cast of a butterfly lying upon its side, the wings folded back to back, the legs extended as if hanging, the tongue uncurled and, with the antenna?, drooping in a direction similar to that of the legs. The right fore wing, which lies beneath, is pushed a little outward and also forward, even at its base, showing that the specimen must have been greatly macerated in very quiet water, before being covered by the deposits which have preserved its more essential features. The condition and position of all the parts also lead us to conjecture that it was swept into its final rest- ing place by a gentle current, which left the slighter appendages lying in the direction of its final action. It is evident that the object is a cast, for the veins of the wing which lie MEMOIRS A. A. A. 8. 7 38 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. uppermost on the stone are impressed as we see them on the upper surface of the wings of living Oreades, while those of the wing lying beneath (veins which are plainly covered by the impressed nervures where the two come in contact) are in relief, as seen on the under surface of the same butterflies; that is, we have here the reverse of what would be the case, were we exam- ining a living butterfly in this position. The parts before us are : a poorly preserved body, vague indications of the terminal palpal joint, an antenna (probably a portion only), an unrolled tongue, the hinder pair of legs and portions of the other pairs, the greater part of the two front wings and fragments of the base of the hind wings. Of the latter, no border remains and only the base of a few of the nervules, which give scarcely any additional information as to the pterology of the insect. The only portion of the margin of the front wings which can be determined with certainty is the most essential part, the apex and the upper half of the outer border of the left wing, enough to show that its general contour was similar to that of the European Satyrids of the present epoch; but throughout the remainder all the nervules can be exactly traced. This being then the best pre- served portion of the insect, we will consider its structure in detail, subsequently adding whatever can be gleaned from the examination of the other parts.1 [The account of the structural framework of the wing is given under the genus]. The basal two-thirds of the wing appears to have been more darkly clouded than the other portions, although in this fuscous area there is apparently a clearer space towards the upper, outer portion of the cell. There is also a distinct, darker, uniform and equal rounded spot in the middle of the outer two-thirds of the lowest subcostal interspace, nearly reaching the nervule on either side ; in the specimen it appears to be broader than long by encroaching upon the next interspace in front, but this is evidently only apparent, the spots of the two wings (one of which I have stated to be a little in advance of 1 It should flrst 1)6 premised that throughout this descrip- where the extremities of the costal and the first two upper tlon the fore wing will be spoken of as if it were perfect; for so brunches of the subcostal nervnres strike it. For those, thcre- completely are the essential parts preserved that one may feel a fore, who would follow the description with a severely critical strong degree of confidence as to the character of the remainder; eye, the illustrations we have given will correct any apparent scarcely any of the costal margin can be traced on the stone, and overstatement of the text, yet one may describe with nearly absolute certainty the point LETHITES REYNESII. 39 the other) being blended. The object is so well preserved that one can see throughout the parallel series of minute punctures forming the points of inser- tion for the scales, outlines of the latter of which I have failed to discover. The wing is 28-5"1"1 long, the tip of the cell being distant 15mm from the base of the wing; the costal nervure is inflated for a distance of 6'5mm-, and the extreme width of this portion is llnm-; the rows of punctures indicating the former insertion of the scales are -12mni- apart. Of the body itself nothing can be predicated, unless it be that the form of the abdomen and the appearance of its tip lead us to conjecture that the speci- men was a female which had deposited most of her eggs, or in which they were but partially developed. At the anterior upper extremity of the head is a dark prominence which seems to be the terminal joint of a palpus; it extends •'J5mm' beyond the head and is of a nearly uniform width (•2mm-), scarcely tapering, with a rounded tip. The basal portion of an antenna, 5mm- long, is slender and apparently be- gins to increase slightly and very gradually in size, as in the genus (Eneis Hubn. A finely impressed line, 7-25mm- long, appears to be the unrolled, though slightly curved tongue. One of the hind femora projects 2'5mm' beyond the body; its tibia and tarsi are stretched in a single line, at an angle with it, but as the tip of what is ap- parently the other hind femur strikes them beyond the tip of their own femur, it is impossible to say whether they do not overlap, or are not overlaid by, the tibia and tarsi of the opposite side; their united length on the stone is 5-6mm-; but if both hind pairs are present, their probable length is 4'5mm-. There are also some remnants of the other legs, but in so fragmentary and confused a state that nothing can be determined from them, nor anything surmised of the length or structure of the front pair. In the illustration of the fore wing given in the Revue et Magazin de Zoologie (fig. B), and copied in the Geological Magazine (fig. 3), the artist neglected to mark the position of the spot npon the wing. This is given in 40 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. our PI. I, fig. 5, which, as well as fig. 2, is taken from the originals of my former plate. Tertiaries of Aix, Provence, France; Museum of the city of Marseilles. MTTMPHALES — NAJADES — PR.2EFECTI. ETJGONIA HUBMEII. Fore wings considerably more than half as long again as broad, the costal border scarcely bent at a little distance from the base, beyond that nearly straight to an equal distance from the tip, where it becomes more curved; outer border with the portion above the middle of the lower subcostal interspace very slightly concave, having a general direction at a very little less than a right angle with the central portion of the costal border, beyond suddenly reced- ing at a little more than a right angle to the middle of the subcosto-median inter- space, and continuing in a deep crenulate curve to just below the lower median nervure, where a prominent rounded tooth is found, and below which the border is excised, its angle rounded off; inner border very nearly straight, scarcely convex on the basal two-thirds. First superior subcostal nervule emitted a little beyond the middle of the outer two-thirds of the upper margin of the cell; the second a little more than half way from the origin of the first to the tip of the cell; the third midway between the tip of the cell and the origin of the fourth; the latter at three-fifths the distance from the tip of the cell to the apex of the wing; second inferior subcostal nervule arising scarcely one-third way down the cell; the cell considerably less than half as long as the wing, and three times as long as broad; middle of the basal curve of the last median nervule connected with the vein closing the cell. The butterflies of this genus, which are generally above the average size, strongly resemble those of the genus Polygonia, in the form, color and design of the wings, but on the upper surface of the fore wings the costal markings are much heavier. The above characters are wholly drawn from recent species of the genus. EUGONIA ATAVA. 41 EUGONIA ATAVA (CHARPENTIER) SCUDDKH. Plate I, flg. 1, 3, 7. Sphinx atava CHARP., Acta Acad. Leop.-Carol., xx, 408-9, Tab. 22, flg. I (1843). Vanessa attavina HEKR, Insekt. Tcrt. (Etring., ii, 177-79, Taf. 14, flg. 3 (1849) ; IB., Nouv. Mem. Soc. Ilelv., xi, 177-79, Tab. 14, flg. 3 (1850); GIKB., Deutsclil. Petrcf., 644 (1862); IB., Fauu. der Vorw., ii, 186 (1856). Vanessa? atovina KIUB., Syn. Cat. Diiirn. Lep., 185 (1872). Nymphalis? atovina KIRB., Syn. Cat. Diurn. Lep., 648 (1872). This was the second fossil butterfly known previously to the publication of Heer's Tertiary insects. It was first described by Charpentier as a Sphinx, in the following terms: . i Ungemein interessant, und ich mochte sagen, ein Unicum 1st der hi oben bemerkter Figur abgebildetc Schmetterlingsflugel. Dass es ein solcher sei, zeigt sogleich der erste Anblick, so wie sich bei naherer Ansicht herausstellt, dass es unbezweifelt der Oberflugel einer Sphinx Art sei. Er ist in seiner Form nicht gut gehalten, sondern vorn etwas eingerissen, seine Zeichung ist aber bewundernswerth erhalten, und erinnert sehr an den fast im ganzen mit- tleren und nordlichen Europa vorkommenden Sphinx Tilice, doch ist er wohl specifisch von demselben verschieden. Die drei grossen dunklen Flecke, die sich von aussersten Vorderrande, fast bindenartig, uber einen grossen Theil des Fliigels ziehen, sind unstreitig die Reste ehemaliger Zeichung und Farbung des lebenden Thieres. The remainder of his remarks apply only to the rarity of fossil remains of Lepidoptera. The illustration was very poor and is reproduced on PI. I, fig. 3. The next notice of it is by Heer, who also examined the original type, refigured [see PI. I, figs. 1, 7] and redescribed it in the following manner, referring it to the genus Vanessa, and changing slightly the specific name:2 Alis anterioribus lividis, basi, fasciis maculisque nigris. Long 16| Lin. Radoboj. Ein Oberflugel, dessen Innenrand aber nicht erhalten ist. Charpentier hat diesen Fliigel einem Sphinx zugesprochen und ihn mit dem Sphinx Tilite L. verglichen; allein schon die ziemlich stark gebogene Randlinie (vena marginalis) spricht gegen Sphinx, bei welcher G-attung sie bis fiber zwei Drittel Fltigellange fast gerade verlauft und dann erst gegen die Spitze sich zubiegt; cbenso aber auch das Geader. Bei Sphinx haben wir namlich ein ' Acta Acad. Leop.-Carol., xx, 408. J Insekt. Tcrt. CEning. ii, 177-79. 42 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. geschlossenes Mittelfeld und der Ast der vena externo-media, wclchor neben der Fliigelspitze auslanft, veriistelt sich nicht. In der Form des Flugels, im Geader und Farburg stimmt unser Schmetterlingsflugel, wie mir scheint, am besten mit der Gattung Vanessa F. uberein. Wir bemerken nemlich, gerade wie bie den Vanessen, zunachst eine starke vena seapularis, welche weit vorn in die v. marginalis auslauft; eine schwachere vena externo-media, welche noch niiher der Fliigelspitze mit dem Rande sicb verbindet; diese bildet nach Innen zunachst einen Ast1, der fliigelspitzwarts in zwei weitere Aeste sich spaltet; der aussere von diesen liiuf't zur Fh'igelspitze, der innere aber trennt sich nochmals in zwei Gabelaste, welche zum Hinterrande verlaufen und von denen jeder in einen schwachen, stumpfen Zahn des Flugelrandes ausgeht. Auf diesen Gabel- ast folgen weiter nach Innen zwei Langsadern, welche am Grunde sich wahr- scheinlich verbinden, und in die vena externo-media eingefugt sind. Diese bei- den Adern (es sind diess die fiinfte und sechste Ader von Herrich Schaeifer) gehen bei [178] den Vanessen getrennt bis zur v. externo-media hinauf und divergiren gleich, wie sie aus dieser heraustreten ; wahrscheinlich ist diess beim fossilen Thiere auch der Fall, jedoch sieht man nur die Einnmndung des aus- seren Astes in die vena externo-media, indem der innere am Grunde gan/ verwischt ist, wie denn iiberhaupt die Adern in Folge des starken Druckes, dem der Flugel unterworfen war, iiusserst schwach hervortreten und nur mit Muhe zu erkennen sind. Die vena interno-media verlauft wie bei den Vanessen, sie sendet namlich nach dem Hinterrande zwei Aeste aus, so dass im Ganzen drei Langsadern zuletzt in parallelen Linien nach dem Rande verlaufen. Die vena analis ist nur am Grunde angedeutet, indem der Innenrand grosscntheils zer- stort ist. Das Mittelfeld ist offen, wenigstens ist keine Spur eines Verbin- dungsastes zwischen v. externo- und interno-media zu finden. In alien diesen Punkten stimmt also das fossile Thier mit den Vanessen iiberein. Ebenso Btimmt ferner der zackige Hinterrand, indem wir, wie schon bemcrkt, an der Ausmundung des ausseren Gabelastes der v. externo-media kleine Zacken be- merken, wobei freilich zu bedauern, dass von dort an der Flugel zerrissen ist, so dass die Randbildung nur an jene kleinen Stelle bestimmt werden kann. In der Farburg zeigt der Flugel viel Uebereinstimmendes mit dcmjenigen der Vanessa Cardui L. Wir bemerken nemlich zunachst dem Grunde eine dunk- lere Stelle, welche fast bis zu J Flugellange hinausreicht ; dieser dunklere Flii- gelgrund ist indessen wieder in der Mitte durch einige unregelmassige hellere Stellen unterbrochen. Auf diese dunkle Stelle folgt em helles Querband von If Linien Breite, welches aber nicht bis znm Innenrande reicht, weingstens ist an der Stelle, wo die v. interno-media den ersten Ast aussendet, wieder ein, freilich sehr undeutlich umgrenzter, dunkler Fleck; auf dieses helle Querband 1 Wahrscheinlich i.*t ausper dicsem noch ein Ast fla. der aber verwi=o!it ist. EUGONIA ATAVA. 43 folgt wieder ein 3 Linien breites dunkles Querband, welches mit mittleren schwarzen Querband der V. cardui entspricht; bemerkenswerth 1st, dass dieses bei der V. attavina von der Nahtseite her ebenfalls durch einen helleren Flecken gctheilt wird, welcher helle Flecken nicht bis zum Aussenrand hinausreicht. Auf dieses dunkle Querband folgt wieder ein belles Band von 1| Lin. Breite, und darauf wieder ein dunkler, 3^ Lin. breiter Flecken, der aber sehr kurz ist, in- dem welter nach Innen an jener Stelle der Fliigel wieder hellgelb braun ge- farbt ist; auf diesen dunklen Flecken folgt wieder eiu kleiner heller Flecken; welter flugelspitzwarts ist der Fliigel dunkelbraun gefarbt, welche Farbe all- mahlig heller wird, so dass der Flugelraud wieder hellbraun wird; die Zacken- spitzen dagegen sind schwarz. In der Farbung des Oberfliigels stimmt also der fossile Schmetterling am meisten mit Vanessa Cardui L. uberein, dennoch kann er nicht als analoge Art betrachtet werden, denn fiirs erste war er betrachtlich grosser [179], furs zweite ist die Randader starker gebogen, ^eigt eine regelmassige Bogenlinie, wah- rcnd sie bei Vanessa Cardui in mehr gerader Linie verlauft." The only subsequent notice of this insect, not directly copied or abbre- viated from the above is by Butler, who remarks1; "I think it just possible, from the great resemblance which V. Attavina of Heer bears to the under surface of J. [unonia] Hedonia, that it is the reverse of J. Pluto." I have been unable to see this fossil, or even to find out where it is pre- served. Charpentier states that he received it for description from Dr. linger through Professor Goppert of Breslau. Heer makes no mention of the quarter whence he received it. He IT Brunner von Wattenwyl searched for it in vain in the Vienna Museums. All that can be said, therefore, must be drawn from the illustrations and re- marks of Professor Heer. These seem to me to leave no doubt that the insect must be placed in Eugonia, and that it was a little larger than the European van-album or our own j-album. A comparison of the neuration of Eugonia j-album (PI. I, fig. 4) with that of Heer's figures of the fossil (reproduced on PI. I, figs. 1, 7) shows that the last divarication of the subcostal nervure of the fore wing, and the points of termination of the last two superior nervules and of the subcostal nervure itself are essentially the same in both; while the position of all the markings on the fossil, allowing for its natural defects, are quite the >Lep. Exot. I. I-1* 44 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. same in position, direction and intensity, as in .E. j-album (PL I, fig. 6). The same may be said of the form of the wing, as far as it can be seen, but as this is true only of the costal margin, and the merest fragment of the outer border, it cannot be considered to have much weight in itself; still, taken in connec- tion with all the other features, which agree almost wholly with those of Eugonia, and but partially with its near ally Vanessa, to which Heer compares it, we must refer the fossil to Eugonia, at least until a new examination of the fossil shall give us further facts as a basis for an opinion. This is the position dubiously assigned to it by Kirby, in his Synonymic Catalogue. Tertiaries of Eadoboj, Croatia. PAPILIONID.2E-DANAI-FUGACIA. MYLOTHRITES SCUDDER. Of the form of the fore wing (PI. II, figs. 7, 17) we can say but little, from the imperfect nature of the fossil; the costal margin, however, is very regularly and rather strongly arched, and the direction of the middle portion of the outer border (probably at a right angle, or at a little less than a right angle, with the apical portion of the costal margin, and but slightly convex) leads us to presume that the apex was rather pointed, though not falciform. The neuration of the same wing (PI. II, fig. 7) is very similar to that of Mylothris.1 The costal nervure terminates at about five-sevenths the distance from the base of the costal margin to its tip; the subcostal nervure emits two branches before the cell, the second probably close to the apex of the cell, the limits of which are not given in the drawing prepared for me, but which could probably be made out by a sufficiently careful examination of the original; a third superior nervule is emitted from the subcostal nervure at less than half the dis- tance from the origin of the second to the outer border, and the emission of the inferior nervule, if it could be traced, would mark the termination of the cell; the median nervure is of course three-branched and scarcely curves upward at all to meet the subcostal. i Compare, in this respeo.t, Butler's Revision of the Pierinae, Cist. Ent., I, ili, pi. i, flg. 8; or Trimen, Uhop. Afr. Austr., PI. ii, fig. 2. MYLOTHRITES PLUTO. 45 The design of the upper surface of the fore wing (PI. II, fig. 17) is simple, consisting only of a broad marginal pale band on a dark ground, enclosing small dark spots in the middle of the interspaces. This fossil was placed by Heer among the iNTymphales, and referred, like the preceding, to Yanessa. Heer lays stress on the non-closure of the cell, but it appears questionable whether this is not simply the result of the defective preser- vation of the fossil. Edwards has since referred it to Argynnis, on account of the general aspect of its markings, and Butler, on the same ground, to Junonia. But the new drawing of the fossil obtained for me through the kindness of my friend Herr Brunner von Wattenwyl, and by him carefully compared with the orig- inal, leave little doubt that it is a Pierid, and belongs in the neighborhood of such genera as Mylothris and Hebomoia. The latter genus it closely resembles in the form of the wings. Further comparisons are presented under the species. MYLOTHRITES PLUTO (HEEU) SCUDDER. Plate II, figs. 2, 7, 17 (15 P). Vanessa Pluto HKKH, Insekt. Tert. O3ning., ii, 179-82, Taf. 14, fig. 4, 5 (?) (1849); In., Nouv. Mem. Soc. Helv., xi, 179-82, Tab. 14, figs. 4, 5 (?) (1850); GIKB., Deutschl. Petref. 644 (1852); IB., Faun, der Vorvv., 186-7 (1856) ; PICT., Traite de Palsoout., ii, 393, pi. 40, flg. 21 (1854) ; LYELL, Elem. Geol., 6th Ed., 243, flg. 179 (1865). Argynnis Pluto Euvv., Butt. N. Amer., i, Argynnis I, flg. (1868); KIRB., Syn. Cat. Diurn. Lep., 155 (1871). Junonia? Pluto BUTL., Lep. Exot., 127-28, pi. 48, flg. 7 (1873) ; IB., Geol. Mag., x, 3-4, pi. 1, flg. 7 (1873). Heer's description of this insect is as follows:1 — Alls griseo-nigris, anterioribus margine posteriore ocellis sex pallidis. Liinge des Yorderflugels wahrscheinlich 15 Lin; er ist erhalteii bis zu 14| Lin; grosste Breite 8-f Lin. Radoboj. Ein ausgezeichnet schones Exemplar in dem k. k. Hofkabinet zu Wien; leider fehlt aber der Kopf, der Hinterleib, der grosste Theil der Hinter- fliigel und die Spitze der Yorderflugel [PI. II, fig. 2]. Der Brustkasten ist langlich oval, in der Mitte zwei Linien dick, an der Oberseite von ein paar Streifen durchzogen. Der Oberflugel ist am Grunde schmal, nach dem Hinterrande bin aber stark verbreitert und erreicht daselbst seine grosste Breite. Die Aussenrandlinic (v. marginalis) ist sehr stark gebogen, und zwar bildet sie vom Grunde zur Spitze eine regelmassige, starke Bogenlinie. 1 Insekt. Tert. ; breadth of antennas toward tip of club, -5mm: Tertiaries of Aix. Collection of Professor Heer; Zurich, Switzerland. TTRBICOI,.a3 — HESPERIDES. THANATITES SCCDDER. Very much of the general appearance of Thanaos Boisd. (PI. Ill, fig. 2) but with somewhat differently formed wings and markings which will not accord with those of the latter genus, although the two genera are certainly nearly allied. The body (PI. in, fig. 12) is fully as stout as in Thanaos (PI. Ill, fig. 11), the tongue at least as long as the thorax, the eyes ovate and larger than in Thanaos, and the palpi with the terminal joint proportionally larger, which is an unusual feature in the Urbicolae. The legs are apparently short, the wings ample. The costal margin of the fore wings is nearly straight, being scarcely arched on the apical half, the upper half of outer border as in Thanaos, the rest not pre- served; the costal fold of the male is narrow and extends a very little beyond the middle of the costal border, while in Thanaos it reaches considerably further; the hind wings have the general shape of Thanaos, but the tipper outer angle is much more produced, and the base of the costal border is arched only to the degree that the apex is, and the portion between them is but slightly convex; the outer border is almost precisely as in Thanaos and the inner border is, doubtless, folded in the fossil so as to conceal its true character. Very little of the neuration can be determined, and what can be made out is comparatively unimportant and agrees with the neuration of Thanaos; the third superior subcostal nervule strikes the THANATITES VETULA. 63 apex of the fore wing as in that genus. As to the markings, the agreement with Thanaos is less striking, although the pattern resembles that of Thanaos more closely than it does that of any other genus. In the fore wings the spot in the cell of Thanaos is wanting in the fossil, but in its stead there is a costal spot at the extremity of the costal fold; the subapical spots of Thanaos depending from the costa are distinctly repeated in Thanatites, and in addition there is a submar- ginal series of small round spots of which the upper two, in the uppermost in- terspaces opening on the outer border, are the only ones visible on the fossil by its mode of preservation. On the under surface of the hind wings of Thana- tites, there is a regular submarginal series of equal, rather small, round spots, one in each interspace, placed between the location of the marginal and submarginal spots which occur in Thanaos, often distinctly, occasionally as faint blurred bands, as in T. Juvenalis (PL III, fig. 11) ; the inner of these two series in Thanaos, which corresponds best to the submarginal series of Thanatites, is irregular instead of parallel to the border, being always bent inward opposite the cell. Instead of the spot, placed in the costo-subcostal interspace of Thanaos near the middle of the wing, and seen distinctly in T. Juvenalis, there are two spots, which, with a third near the base of the wing above the costal nervure, are placed at equal distances apart and from the costal border; in addition there are two spots, seldom even indicated in Thanaos, near the centre of the wing, the larger of which is near the apex of the cell. These differences alone would suffice to show that the fossil can- not be referred to Thanaos, and, with the other indications we have given, compel us to place it apart, but in the immediate vicinity of this group of Urbicolse. THANATITES VETULA (HKYDEN) SCUDDKR. Plate III, figs. 12, 16. Vanessa vetula HEYD., Palseontographica, viii, 12-13, Taf. i, fig. 10 (1859). Araschnia vetula KIKB., Syn. Cat. Diurn. Lep. 179 (1871). The only notice of this insect that has been published is the original figure and description of von Heyden. The figure is reproduced in our PL III, fig. 16. The description is as follows : 1 — i Palaoiitogr. viii, 13-13. 04 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. Es seheint diese Art in die Nahe der bei uns lebenden Vanessa Levana zu gehoren. Sie ist kleiner als diese, indem der Vorderflugel von seiner Basis bis znr Spitze nur 6%"' misst. Der Schmetterling liegt auf der rechten Seite, wobei der linke Hinterfliigel den linken Vorderflugel vollig bis auf die Spitze und einen Theil des Aussenrandes deckt. Von diesen Fliigeln ist daher nur die Unterseite sichtbar. Der rechte Vorderflugel ist raehr vorgeschoben und daher ein grosser Tbeil seiner Oberseite sichtbar. Die Flugel sind im Allgemeinen gut erhalten und scheinen am Aussenrande an einigen [13] Stellen sehwach ausgerandet gewesen zu seyn. Sie zeigen auf der Grundfarbe grossere, undeutlich schwarze und viele weisse Flecken von ver- schiedener Grosse. Auf den Vorderflugeln zeichnen sich ein grosserer weisser Flecken, etwa ein Drittel von der Spitze entfernt und nach dem Vorderrande hinzielend, sowie drei weisse Fleckchen aus, die in einer Reihe in der Nahe des Aussenrandes stehen. Auf den Hinterflugeln, etwa ein Drittel vom Aussenrand entfernt, bilden sechs weisse Fleckchen eine Querreihe. Es ist nicht unwahrschein- lich, dass die Grundfarbe der Fliigel im Leben braun oder rothbraun war, und man glaubt sogar noch einen schwachen Schimmer von dieser Farbe wahrzunehmen. Der Kopf ist etwas zerdruckt und zeigt zwei ziemlich lange, zugespitzte, in die Hohe gerichtete Taster, von denen der eine vom Kopf getrennt liegt. Oben am Kopf ist noch ein Auge und unten die in einen Bogen aufgerollte Zunge sichtbar. Die Brust ist undeutlich, der Hinterleib fast ganz durch die Flugel gedeckt, und von den Beinen sind nur Bruchstucke vorhanden. Dark brown or blackish with light markings. On the upper half of the fore wing (PI. Ill, fig. 12), both above and below, the following markings are found: a small quadrate spot on the costal border at the extremity of the costal fold; depending from the costal border between the tips of the second and third superior subcostal nervures a confluent series of spots extending to the cell at right angles to the costal margin, narrowing a little in passing downward; and midway between this and the outer border, in the upper two subcostal interspaces opening on the outer border, a small round spot; probably similar spots belong in some of the interspaces below. On the under surface of the hind wings there is a submarginal series of three small spots along the costa at equal distances apart, the central one near the middle of the costa, and the basal one nearly midway between it and the base of the wing; there is also a larger spot near the tip of the cell and a second smaller one a little below and beyond it; also a submarginal series of spots as large as that in the cell parallel to the outer border, at about an interspace's THA^ATITES VETULA. 65 distance from it, one in each interspace. Length of fore wing, 14mm-; length of hind wing, 13'65mm ; extreme breadth of hind wing, ll-25mn1-. The single fossil represented by von Heyden under the name of Vanessa vetula, is preserved on a greasy, dark brown, thin and exceedingly fragile sheet of "brown coal," and is likely to become so affected by weathering as to be almost or quite indistinguishable in the course of time. Indeed it is excessively obscure at the present time, and no fossil object I have ever studied has proved so difficult to de- cipher as this. It represents an insect (PI. Ill, fig. 12) lying upon its side in a somewhat natural attitude (compare fig. 11), so that one can see the whole of the under surface of the left hind wing, the costal quarter of the under surface of the left fore wing, and a little more than a quarter of the upper surface of the right fore wing, also of the costal area; the thorax and head with the eyes, the denuded palpi, the partially unrolled tongue and fragments of the legs in a confused medley may also be seen, but there is no trace of the antennae, nor of the right hind wing (nor of the abdomen?). The left hind wing has an immaterial part of its outer border removed, and a small portion of the outer border of the left fore wing is also wanting, but the corresponding portion of the right fore wing is present. The markings can only be made out by extreme care, and a very meagre portion of the neuration, especially toward the borders of the wings, by great patience and the closest examination ; but most of what can be seen of the neuration adds but very little to our actual knowledge of the animal; it simply adds its testimony in the same direction as other features of the object. The illustration of von Heyden (PL III, fig. 16) is faulty in several particulars, but this is not surprising when we consider the excessively obscure nature of the fossil; it represents the insect as if the under surface of both wings of one side were seen, the fore wing concealing a portion of the hind; a break in the stone is taken for the outline of the wing (just above the extremity of the costal border of the hind wing) and the markings of the two front wings are blended into one; an abdomen is represented and above it an outline of the inner border of the hind wing. The fossil has at first sight this appearance, but I think this view is errone- ous, although on this point one may not speak with confidence, and it is compara- 66 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. lively unimportant. It is remarkable, however, that von Heyden, in his description, takes the same view of it as I have done. I have not attempted to give the shading of the darker parts of the wing, partly from its obscure nature, partly from a doubt whether they really represent the original markings of the insect; for the basal half of the under surface of the hind wings, where most of the dark mot- tling in Von Heyden's figure occurs, is usually devoid of any such variegation in the insects of this group; they are almost always of a uniform grayish or brownish hue. Von Heyden's figure does not show the division of the palpal joints. Tertiaries of Rott, Rhenish Provinces of Germany. British Museum. URBICOLJE - A.STYCI. 1'AMPIIILITES SCUDDKK. This genus belongs to the Astyci and falls in the neighborhood of Pansydia and Carystus, if we take as an illustration of the latter group the Ilesperia Lucasii of Fabricius. The former genus has a male with a discal dash, the latter without one. As the fossil species is represented by a single fore wing of what is probably a female, it is impossible to say into which category it would fall. The costal border (PL III, fig. 18) is almost exactly straight throughout; next the base, however, it is arched a little and it slopes slightly downward on the apical fifth to a rather sharply defined apex; the outer margin is gently and almost regularly convex, but with its greatest convexity a little above the middle, and at its upper end is at right angles to the tip of the costal margin ; the lower angle is rounded off and the inner mar- gin is slightly sinuous, being hollowed in the middle ; the wing is slightly more than twice as long as broad. In all these respects it agrees far better with Pansydia (PL III, fig. 15) than with Carystus (PL III, fig. 13). Indeed, excepting in the greater length of the wing and the lack of any change of direction in the outer border at the tip of the lowest median nervule, the form of the wing scarcely dif- fers from that of Pansydia Mesogramma. In neuration it agrees better with Pansydia than with Carystus. Poey's fig- ure, which for want of better material I have been forced to copy in illustration, is PAMPHILITES. 67 not executed with sufficient care, for of the first and second superior subcostal nervules he has made but one. The principal difference between Pansydia and the fossil genus is in the fourth superior subcostal nervule; in Pansydiathis terminates upon the costal border just before the apex of the wing, while in Pamphilites it terminates on the outer border just below the apex of the wing, bringing the latter into a different interspace in the two genera. From Cai'ystus it differs, not only in having a proportionally shorter cell, but in the same point as that in which it is distinguishable from Pansydia; and further in the uppermost median nervule, which in Carystus is thrown off abruptly from the nervure just beyond its second divarication and which, by curving strongly, makes the upper median interspace of nearly equal width throughout; while in Pamphilites, the nervule parts gently from the nervure like the others, and at some distance beyond its second divari- cation, passing in a regular curved line to the outer border, and causing the upper median interspace to increase in breadth throughout the whole of its basal half. In the disposition of its spots, Pamphilites (PI. Ill, figs. 14, 17) agrees per- haps better with Carystus (PI. Ill, fig. 19) than with Fansydia (PL III, fig. 15) . This is especially true of the large spots in the cell and in the lower two median interspaces; although in Carystus the spots of the median interspaces are further removed from the base than in Pamphilites, while the opposite is true of the spot surmounting the submedian nervure; the submarginal spots beyond the cell of Pamphilites are wanting in Carystus, and the latter genus has but two of the three subcostal spots of Pamphilites. The spots of Pansydia are smaller and far less conspicuous than in Pamphilites, that of the cell being reduced almost to a dot; the median spots are however large, though removed farther from the base, as in Carystus; there is also a small spot in the upper median interspace, but further from the margin than in Pamphilites and unaccompanied by any spot in the interspace beyond the cell; as in Carystus, the spot surmounting the submedian nervure is further from the outer margin than in Pamphilites, but the subcostal spots accord very well with those of the fossil. By these considerations it would appear that Pansydia is to be placed between Carystus and Pamphilites, the latter being more nearly related to Pansydia than 0» FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. to Carystus, leading us to believe it more probable that we are dealing with a female, whose partner was possessed of the ornament of a discal dash of spe- cialized scales. The species of Pansydia are smaller than those of most of the neighboring genera, but PampJiilites abdita is somewhat smaller even than Pan- sydia mesogramma. PAMPHILITES ABDITA SCUDDKR. PI. Ill, figs. 14, 17, 18. Upon a dark, uniform, probably blackish brown ground, the fore wing of this butterfly was provided (in the female?) with three large spots, three small spots, and two dots of a vitreous appearance, besides other light streaks or powdery spots. The three large spots are probably peculiar, in their present extent, to the female; they consist (PI. Ill, figs. 14, 17,) of one spot in the cell and one in each of the lower median interspaces; the cellular spot crosses the cell, is sublunato- quadrate, its exterior edge concave, extending from the origin of the third supe- rior subcostal nervule to just beyond the second divarication of the median nervure, being directed in the upper half of its course toward the base of the second median nervule; the spot is narrower above than below, the upper half having an outward as well as upward inclination, the lower margin straight, the interior margin subsinuate, convex, reaching from midway between the base of the first and second superior subcostal nervules to just beyond the middle of the space between the base of the first and second median nervules. The spot in the lowest median interspace is nearly or quite as large as the previous, but longitudinal instead of transverse, and as broad as the interspace; excepting for a little spur above on the inner side, which runs a little way toward the base, the centre of the spot would lie just below the second divarication of the median nervure, but by means of this slight spur the spot extends baseward half way from the second to the first divarication of the median nervure ; at the outer extremity the spot terminates squarely and next the lowest median nervule is two-sevenths the length of that vein. The spot in the middle median interspace is much smaller, subtri- angular, filling the whole breadth of the interspace, half as long again as broad, PAMPHILITES ABDITA. 69 its inner tapering extremity situated just below the final divarication of the median nervure. The three small spots in the lower three subcostal nervules are seated one above the other, their inner margins on a line and nearly at right angles to the costal margin; they are quadrate and increase slightly in size below, the upper one being square, the lower longitudinally oblong; they are situated midway between the discoidal spot and the apex of the wing. The two dots are situated one just above the other in the middle of the upper median and subcosto-median inter- spaces, midway between the spot in the lower subcostal interspace and the outer border; the lower is slightly the larger, but not more than one-fourth the size of the uppermost subcostal spot. Seated upon the submedian nervure, its centre below the outer edge of the lower median spot, is a pale, powdery spot, twice as long as broad and about one-third the width of the interspace; outwardly it merges into the ground color; there are other pale spaces hi the wing, looking somewhat as if due to attrition; especially in the cell on either side of the discoidal spot, at the extreme base of the lower median interspace, and along the lower bor- der of the medio-submedian interspace. Length of wing, 15'75mm-, length of inner border, 9'5mm<; breadth of wing across the middle, 7'25mm-, breadth of whig across outer margin, 9'5mm-. Tertiaries of Aix, Provence, France. Museum of the City of Marseilles. MEMOIRS A. A. A. 8. 11 70 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. COMPARATIVE AGE OF FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. Alt the well determined fossil butterflies come from one of three localities, Aix, Rott and Radoboj, all belonging to the tertiaries of Europe. Others are reported, as will be seen further on, to have been found in Prussian amber; and it is not in the least improbable that they have been or may be. These would be of about the same age as the oldest of the others, those of Aix. Of the Aix fossils, which belong to the upper Eocene, or to speak more definitely, the Ligurian, Neorinopis sepulta, Lethites ffeynesii, Thaites Buminiana and Pampliilites abdita (the first described by Boisduval, the rest by myself) come from the calcareous marls of the gypsum quarries, the only bed in which insects had been found when visited by Messrs. Murchison and Lyell in 1829. Collates Proserpina, however, described here for the first time, was taken from strata beneath these, and there- fore, at least until we have more precise knowledge concerning the remains of butterfly larvae in amber, may be considered the oldest known butterfly. Count de Saporta writes me concerning this fossil, the discovery of which is due to him, as follows: — "Cette empreinte ne provient pas des platrieres meme, c'est a dire des galeries qui servent a 1'exploitation du Gypse; mais d'une assise ou groupe de couches immediatement inferieure. Vous verrez cette provenance indiquee pour • un grand nombre de mes especes; dans ce cas, elles ne proviennent par des ouvriers mais je les ai recueillies moi meme en suivant les lits sur les points ou ils affleurcnt au dehors." The next in order, approaching recent times, are the lignite beds of Rott in the basin of the Rhine, which belong to the Aquitanian or the upper part of the lower Miocene. Thanatites vetula (described by Hayden) is the only butterfly known from this division of the Tertiaries. The most recent beds containing fossil butterflies are the lacustrine deposits of Radoboj in Croatia, Austria. These belong to the Mayencian or lower portion of the middle Miocene, and have furnished Eugonia atava, Mylotkrites Pluto, PROBABLE FOOD-PLANTS OF TERTIARY CATERPILLARS. 71 another fragment possibly referable to Mylothrites, and Pontia Freyeri, all de- scribed by Heer. Two of the genera of these more recent beds contain repre- sentatives now living in the same region ; but none of the older beds have yet furnished butterflies referable to modern genera. It is rather extraordinary that the upper Miocene beds of CEningen, Bavaria, which, if we except the amber, have furnished almost more insects than all the other beds of fossil insects of the world together, and which are more recent than any of those in which butterflies have been found, have yielded scarcely any re- mains of Lepidoptera (one species) and none whatever of butterflies. PROBABLE FOOD-PLANTS OF TERTIARY CATERPILLARS. Of the five butterflies from Aix, two belong to the Oreades (Neorinopis sepulta and Lethites Reynesii) the food of whose caterpillars at the present epoch has invariably been found to be either Granlineee or, occasionally, Cyperacese. Both of these groups are present in the deposits of Aix, the former being repre- sented by ten species of Poacites, and the latter by a Cyperites;1 and it is in the highest degree probable that these formed the sustenance of the Oreades of that epoch. A third species (Pampliilites dbdfta) belongs to the Astyci, a group whose principal food is the same family of plants, Graminese, although some species have been found also upon Althea, Malva and Lavatera (Malvaceae) , Tri- folium, Coronilla and PLespedeza (Leguminosaj), Plantago (Plantaginacea3), and Maranta (Scitaminefo) . Of these families the Leguminosa3 only are found at Aix, and in abundance, even including a plant doubtfully referred to Trifolium. It is, however, far more probable that Pamphilites lived upon grasses; "and it is not a little strange that the Graminea?, the probable food-plants of three of the five butterflies known from that fauna, were among the rarest of the plants; that is, their proportion to the whole phanerogamic flora was about the same as now ' Saporta. Revision cle la flore (les gypscs d'Aix. Ann. Sc. Nat. [5] Bot., xv, 284. 72 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. obtains in New Guinea or. New Grenada, countries the least favored in this respect.1 The proportion of the Gramineae and CyperaceaB to the whole of the Phanerogamia in Europe of to-day is, probably, about the same as in the United States (more than seventeen per cent.) and much greater than in the East Indies. The limited number of known fossil butterflies does not give great weight to any general considerations based upon them, but it may at least be worth while to remark that Aix, in Eocene times, had, in the point referred to, an assemblage of plants much better comparable with the East Indian flora of the present day than with the modern European flora, the proportion of known Graminese, etc., to the Phauerogamia being five per cent., while the proportion of its grass-feeding but- terflies to the other rhopalocerous Lepidoptera is sixty per cent. To judge simply by the catalogue of the East India Museum, the only authority upon East Indian butterflies extant, the present proportion of gramnivorous to non-gramnivorous butterflies is as 1 : 5'2, while in Europe it is as 1 : 3. Eocene Aix, then, had a European proportion of Satyrids, composed, as will be seen, of species of an In- dian aspect, feeding upon plants essentially temperate, but, as in tropical countries, numerically unimportant. The- Danai, to which the fourth species from Aix ( Collates Proserpina) belongs, feed almost exclusively upon Leguminosa3, and these have recently been found in great abundance at Aix. Count de Saporta enumerates one species each of ? Tri- folium, Caragana, Ervites, Sophora, Micropodium, Cercis and Gleditschia, two of Phaseolites and six of Caesalpmites, belonging to the Papilionaceae, besides nine Acacias and a Mimosa of the Mimosese, and four species of uncertain relations; making a series larger than he has found in any other family.2 Of these, two species of Phaseolites, one of Sophora, eight of Acacia and two of Leguminosites are specified as coming from the lower beds, where Coliates itself is found. But Coliates is most closely allied, as we have said, to a group of Indian forms, and the food plants of their caterpillars is almost wholly unknown. i"La proportion des Gramlnces rclntivement ail total des florcs intertropicalesacliiellesdel'aneienetdu nouveau continent, Phanerogatncs, qui est dc 4-5 sur 100, est en rapport avec les min- mais elles attcignent line proportion de 13 pour 100, pour 1'en- ima relatifs de cette famille, tels qu'on les observe a la Nouvelle- semble des rhanerogames, proportion parfaitement en rapport Guin^e et a la Nouvelle-Grenade." Saporta. loc. cit., 292. avec celle de 12 snr 100 qui est frequcnte, selon M. de Candolle, '"Dans la flore des gypses d'Aix. non-seiilement les L4gu- dans ccrtaines regions chaudes. tclles qne Timor, le Congo, etc." mineuses occnpent le premier rang, comme dans la plupart des Saporta, loc. cit., 2ft2. PROBABLE FOOD-PLANTS OF TERTIARY CATERPILLARS. 73 A species of Delias, however, to which genus Collates has been specially compared, is stated to feed, not upon a leguminous plant, but upon Dioscorea, one of the Yam family; and the presence in Aix of a species of a closely allied group, Smilax rotun- diloba Sap., is announced by Count de Saporta. It is not improbable, therefore, that Smilax rotundiloba was the food-plant of the larva of Collates Proserpina.1 The fifth Aix species is Thaites Ruminiana. It is most nearly allied to Thais of the present day, though it bears certain relations, as we have seen, to neighbor- ing genera. Thais feeds principally at least upon Aristolochia2 and so, too, do Ornithoptera, Archon and some genera of swallow-tails; indeed, this seems to be a favorite food-plant with insects of this character. Parnassius, however, feeds on Sedum, Telephium, Sempervivum and Corydalis, especially on the first-named, one of the Crassulacese ; but nothing very closely allied to this is specified by Sa- porta from Aix; neither, also is Aristolochia, but it has been found not only in Radoboj 3 in the Mayencian, but also, according to Heer, at Hohe Rhonen in Swit- zerland, which belongs to the Aquitanian, and has at least one plant (Laurus pri- migenia Ung.) in common with Aix. It seems, therefore, highly probable that either Aristolochia nervosa Heer, A. Aesculapi Heer, or a distinct species of the genus will yet be discovered at Aix,4 and may then be considered, as with little question, the food-plant of Thaites Ruminiana. If it be deemed hazardous to ven- ture such an opinion, attention is called to the two following passages; the first is from the introduction to Heer's paper on the fossil insects of Aix:5 "Dass indessen auch AVeiden oder Pappeln [Populus] sich vorhanden, durften der Bythoscopus muscarius und die Aphrophora spumifera [Homoptera] anzeigen, deren analoge Icbende Arten besonders auf den Blattern und Zweigen dieser Baume sich umher- treiben." The second is a note in the errata to the translation of Heer's work on the Climate and Vegetation of the Tertiaries6 by Gaudin: "Le Poacites ciliatus 1 Since this was written, Count Saporta writes me : ''Le genre ne saurait dtre mise en question, depuis qne nous avons entre les Smilax est nn des genres tcrtiaires les plus frequents. J'ai anssi mains tine superue empreinte de Radoboj (Aristolochia vemista signalcS dans le dc§pot voisin de St. Zacharie ((Stage Tongrien infc- Sap.), qui denote line forme voisine des Arintoloches & feuilles rienrc [and therefore but slightlymore recent]) unc fenille qui m'a persiftantes et demi-coriaces, comme VA.reticulata Nutt. de Vir- paru devoir se ranger parmi les Dioscorees." ginie." Saporta, loc. cit., 342-3. » An old writer in Fuessly's Magazin, writing from Italy, says I venture to give one more extract from a recent letter re- nourissant de Capparis. Lea Capparis ont du existcr, mais leur ceiveil from Count Saporta, although he writes : — "je vous ecris feuilles sont difflciles ii distinguer k cause de Pabsence de carac- n'ayant sous les yeux ni mes livres ni mes collections, ce qui en- tires dtffdrentiels ; leur forme et leur nervation pen visibles doivent levcra ncceasuiremcnt un pen de precision u quelques-unes de mes les falre confondre avec boaucoup d'nutres. II me scmble pourtunt ruponscs." que des Capparis ont etc signals soit & Kadoboj, soil a Hoering "II est Men plus difficile de justifler par des exemples tinis en Tyrol, depOt un pcu plus anciens [TougrianJ, mais en 1'ab- de la nature des pluntes la presence a KadoboJ d'un insecte se seiice de mes livres je ne eaurais vous 1'afllrmer." 76 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. Populus latior Br., P. mutdbilis Hecr., P. Heliadum Ung., Betula Dryadum Brongn. and B. prisca Ett. Three species of Ulmus are also recorded from the same place. Excepting in a single case, there is then no difficulty in finding, in the veiy beds in which the butterflies occur, remains of plants, which in all probability served them as food during the lai-val stage; and even in this single instance, a plant not far removed from those upon which species of the genus now feed, occurs in the same strata. PRESENT DISTRIBUTION OF BUTTERFLIES MOST NEARLY ALLIED TO FOSSIL SPECIES. To discuss this question propei'ly we must consider the butterflies of each geological horizon separately. BUTTERFLIES OP THE LIGURIAN (Upper Eocene). The nearest living ally of Neorinopis sepulta is, with little doubt, Neorina Lowi, which, like the other members of the genus, is found in the Indo-Malayan region. The same is strictly true of the species of Zophoessa, Debis and Lethe, with which we have been obliged to compare this fossil. Coelites has also been used in comparison, and most of the species of this group belong to the same region, although one is described by Felder from Celebes on the confines of the Austro-Malayan region. "We have also pointed out (as Butler has done, but in incorrect points) its relation to Antirrha3a, a Brazilian genus, but this is too distant to be given much weight. The closest allies of N. sepulta are to be found in the Indo-Malayan region. The same is true, but not to so striking a degree, of Lethites ReynesiL We have compared this also to Debis, Lethe and Neorina, and especially to the two former; and all three of these genera, which are certainly its nearest allies, PRESENT DISTRIBUTION OF ALLIED SPECIES. 77 arc strictly confined to the Indo-Malayan region. It is, however, also related, but in a secondary degree, to Enodia, Cercyonis and Maniola, which are genera apper- taining to the north temperate zone of both hemispheres. Collates Proserpina finds its nearest living representatives in the genus Delias, which also is strictly confined to the Indo-Malayan region. Thyca and Prioneris are closely related, the latter of which is limited to the same district and the former to the Indo-Malayan and Austro-Malayan regions. Thaites Ruminiana is represented in recent times by the genus Thais, which is confined to the Mediterranean district, within which Aix lies. An allied genus, Archon, is also restricted to the same region. Sericinus, however, and Eurycus, with which we have been obliged to compare it in many points, are found only in the East, the former in China, the latter in Australia; while on the other hand, Parnassius, a genus it quite as much resembles, is limited to alpine and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere. The relations of Pamphilites abdita are very different. I have searched care- fully for very closely allied forms among East Indian Urbicolas ; but, while it doubt- less is not far removed from some of them, its more intimate relationships are certainly with insects from tropical America and especially with Pansydia and Carystus. Three out of the five Aix butterflies, therefore, find their nearest living allies in the Indo-Malayan region, one is most closely related to forms now found in tropical America and one is at home in its own resting place. BUTTERFLIES OF THE AQUITANIAN (Lower Miocene). Thanatites vetula is the only butterfly yet found from this horizon, and this is closely related to Thanaos, a genus belonging to the north temperate zones of both hemispheres, but vastly more developed in the new world, which has at least four times as many species as the old, some of them extending into the subtropical regions. The genera adjacent to Thanaos are purely American, although tropical or subtropical, and therefore the Aquitanian butterfly looks toward subtropical North America for its relatives of the present day. MEMOIRS A. A. A. 8. 12 78 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. BUTTERFLIES OF THE MAYENCIAN (Middle Miocene). Only a single one of these butterflies, Mylotlirites Pluto, belongs to an extinct genus. Its nearest living representatives are to be looked for in the genera Mylo- thris and Hebomoia, the former of which finds its highest development in torrid Africa, while the latter is confined to the Lido-Malayan and Austro-Malayan i-egions. The other two belong to modern genera, Eugonia (E. atava) and Pontia (P. Freyeri). These two genera are very similar in their distribution, spreading, like Thanaos, above referred to, over the north temperate regions of both hemispheres. Eugonia, however, is represented equally in Europe and America, while Pontia is considerably richer in species in the Old World than in the New; yet when we look into the distribution of the neighboring genera we shall find a result somewhat similar to the case of Thanaos. Taking into consideration, in the one case, the present distribution of the genera Hypanartia, Polygonia, Papilio and Hamadryas,1 and on the other of Neophasia, Tatocheila and Leptophobia, we shall find that the largest development of these groups of genera has been in the New World rather than in the Old, but in those parts of the New "World which lie on the tropical confines of the temperate zone. Two of the more recent species of fossil butterflies are therefore at home where they are found, although the present development of the group of genera to which they belong finds its fullest expression in America; while the third species follows most of those from the lower tertiaries in seeking its allies of to- day in the tropics of the old world. Undoubtedly the material at our disposal is, as we have already remarked, far too meagre to present any generalities of importance, so long as they are unsup- ported by external proof. This aid we can claim in considering the facts we have presented concerning the present distribution of the genera of butterflies most nearly allied to those once living in the neighborhood of Aix. The careful re- 1 1 use these genera in the sense indicated in my Historical Sketch of generic names. Proc. Am. Acad. Arts, Sci., X, pp. fll-ifi:',. PRESENT DISTRIBUTION OF ALLIED SPECIES. 79 searches of Count Saporta upon the rich flora of this region at the same epoch, points to very nearly the same results as are here indicated. In his Examen des flores tertiaires de Provence? when writing of the characteristics of the Aix flora, Count Saporta says (page 150) that about one-fifth of the families represented in it are now strangers to Europe; that fifty-one genera have an exotic and more or less tropical aspect, and that forty out of seventy-four, or about one-half, if not exclu- sively tropical, inhabit the warmer parts of southern regions, or, in small numbers, temperate extra-European countries. The result is still more striking, if species are considered, of which there are at least eighty whose individual analogy with living species is sufficiently clear to yield results of great probability. "De ces especes," to use his own words, "12 seulement correspondent a des especes de 1'Europe moyenne, 6 a des especes de 1'Europe meridionale, 18 en tout. Les especes cor- respondant a des formes de 1'Amerique septentrionale ou des regions dlevees de 1'Amerique tropicale, sont au nombre de 10; celles qui repondent a des formes de 1'Amerique tropicale s'elevent a 9 ... ; 3 correspondent a des especes du Cap et 2 a des especes des iles Atlantiques et de la Barbaric; 14 representent des formes particulieres aux Indes ou aux iles de PArchipel indien et 30, enfin, cor- respondent a des formes australiennes. Le groupe australien est done le plus considerable, si on les prend isolement. En les reunnissant, on voit que sur les 80 et quelqiies especes, 28 a 30 seulement correspondent a des formes habitant aujourd'hui 1'Europe et 1'Amerique du Nord, en y comprenant meme les parties meridionales de ces continents; tandis que 57 au moins, soit 60 en nombre rond, representent des formes tropicales ou subtropicales, et dans ce nombre 40 au moins, c'est-a-dire la moitie du nombre total se rapportent au Cap, aux [151] Indes ori- entales ou a 1'Australie ; de sorte que le caractere dominant de cette flore est encore Austro-indien, quoique dans une proportion deja decroissante par rapport a 1'age precedant." This was published in 1861, and would accord entirely with what we know of the butterflies of Aix and their nearest allies. But eleven years later, after study- ing the great amount of material which had meanwhile accumulated, Saporta seems 1 Heer et Gaudiu, Climat du pays tertiaire, pp. 133-171. 80 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. to have reached different conclusions, for in his Revision de la Flore des Gyjjses d'Aix he states that the affinities of the eocene vegetation of Aix are with south- eastern Asia and with Africa, and lists of analogous species are given, showing that twenty-two Aix species are to be compared with similar types in Asia, and forty with those of Africa. So that African forms much surpass the Asiatic in the eocene flora of Aix. This is particularly true, he says, with reference to the region of Africa between Abyssinia and the Cape of Good Hope. "C'est la evidemment le pays qui nous offre le tableau le plus rcssemblant de ce que devait etre le midi de la France, et c'est aussi vers ce meme pays, ne 1'oublions pas, que nous avons ete ramenes par I'examen des autres elemens de la flore, specialement par la proportion relative des deux grandes classes et des families predominantes." l The African element seems to be almost altogether wanting in the eocene butterflies, while the Asiatic predominates. In a chart accompanying Count Saporta's paper, however, he represents the present limits of the principal genera noticed in the flora of the gypsum of Aix by means of colored lines. These lines cluster remarkably along the southern borders of Asia and extend over a large part of Africa and across the ocean to America, and particularly toward the southern United States and the Antilles. Based on the distribution of these principal genera alone, the flora of the southern border of Asia would show a closer affinity to that of eocene Aix than would that of any equivalent belt in Africa; and if we may suppose that our relics of butterflies represent the principal genera then existing, we should trace a somewhat similar chart, but for the entire absence of African types ; for subtropical American types mingle with those of the Mediterranean district and especially with those of the Indo-Malayan region. Count Saporta shows in his memoir just quoted, as before, that the relations of the eocene flora of Aix to that of the present Mediterranean basin were more restricted than its relations to exotic types, but in a letter to me he writes : " Ces affinites [les affinites presumees de la flore d'Aix] sont d'une part avec la region Mediterranean, de 1'autre avec 1'Afrique et les Indes orientales. Les affinites miocenes avec 1'Amerique sont postericures." These later American affinities are, however, foreshadowed among the plants and also, as we 1 Ann. Sc. Nut., [5] Dot., xv, 322. PRESENT DISTRIBUTION OF ALLIED SPECIES. 81 have seen, in the Pamphilites of eocene Aix. They appear again, and very de- cidedly, when we reach the miocene itself, for the affinities of the butterfly from Rott, and two of the later butterflies from Radoboj (where first we meet with truly modern types), are certainly with America in the first instance, and secondarily with the whole north temperate zone. "While the last of the Radoboj butterflies shows still the remains of the earlier affinities of the Aix flora in finding its nearer existing types in Africa and southeastern Asia. The results we reach in consider- ing the Aix butterflies are not, however, in accordance with those drawn from the insects of the same locality by Professor Heer. He writes:1 — "A Radoboj, ... on rencontre une plus forte proportion de formes tropicales [than at CEningen] Cette faune des insectes s'harmonise parfaitement avec le flore de Radoboj qui, ainsi que nous 1'avons prouve precedement, a un caractere plus meridional que celle d'CEningen; ce qui s'expliquerait par sa plus grande anciennete. Comme il resulte des recherches de M. G. de Saporta qu'Aix appartient a 1'etage ligurien, on devrait s'attendre a y rencontrer encore plus de formes tropi- cales q'u a Radoboj. C'est tout le contraire, si bien qu'en m'appuyant sur la faune et en voyant que Aix avait 10 especes en commun avec Radoboj et 4 avec CEnin- gen, j'avais rapporte pr(5cedemment les terrains d'Aix a la meme epoque que ceux de Radoboj et je les avais ranges dans le Mayencien. Quatres genres ont disparu. . . . Tous les autres genres vivent encore dans la Provence, mais ce sont, comme a CEningen, presque tous des genres qui occupent une aire geographique tres vaste. . . . On ne peut pas dire que la faune des insectes d'Aix contredise positivement 1'idee que cette localite avait un climat sous-tropical, cas presque tous les genres que Ton y a observes jusqu'a present s'etendent jusque dans la zone sous-tropicale, neanmoins cette faune ne fournit que bien peu de preuves positives, tandis que, comme M. de Saporta 1'a demontre, la flore est riche en formes meridio- nales." It should be remarked, however, that the insect fauna of Aix is as yet little known; that these observations of the learned Zurich Professor were founded upon "Climat du pays terliare, ed. Ghudin, p. 205. 82 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. a material exceedingly meagre, in comparison with the present vast accumulations of the museums of Marseilles, Paris and Aix; we may hope soon to become familiar with them through the careful researches of M. Oustalet; and these will show that the beds of Aix are, perhaps, even richer in fossil insects than those of CEningen. The American affinities of the Rott butterfly are in entire harmony with what is known of the other insects of the lignites of the Rhine, where, says Professor Heer:1 — "On retrouve egalement des types americains, qui appertiennent a 1'Ame- rique tropicale et sous-tropicale." As to the flora of Radoboj, Professor Heer writes in the work just quoted (p. 96) : "Les plantes de la zone temperee sont representees plus fortement qu'a Sotzka," and of the latter place he says (p. 95), after speaking of types of the temperate zone: "Cependant ces especes se trouvent fort a 1'arriere-plan en com- parison des formes tropicales et subtropicales, parmi lesquelles predominent . . les formes indo-australiens; neanmoins les formes americains, loin d'y faire defaut, sont representees par des types assez nombreux et nettement accuses." As a whole, therefore, the affinities of the tertiary butterflies seem to be precisely what we should have anticipated from a study of the vegetation of the period. "We close this portion of our subject with a tabular view of the results we have reached in considering the affinities of the tertiary butterflies with living types, in which the countries, where the living allies of the fossil forms are now found, are placed in the right-hand columns according to the degree of affinity of their inhabitants to the tertiary species against which they are placed. "Loc. cit., p. 205. GENERAL RESUME. 83 Alx — Upper Eocene. NAMES OF BUTTERFLIES. DEGREE OF AFFINITIES. FIRST DEGREE. SECOND DEGREE. THIRD DEGREE. FOURTH DEGREE. Neorinopis sepnlta. Indo-Malayan. Austro - Malayan. S. American. Lethites Reynesii. Indo -Malayan. North temperate Zone. Collates Proserpina. Indo-Malayan. Anstro-Malayan. Thaites Ruminlana. Mediterranean. Chinese and Australian. Subarctic and Alpine. Pamphilitcs abdita. Tropical America. Indo-Malaynn. Rott-lower miocene. Thanntitos vettila. Subtropical North America. North temperate Zone. Radoboj — middle mio- cene. Eugonia atava. Subtropical temperate America. North temperate Zone. Pontia Freycri. Subtropical temperate America. North temperate Zone. Mylothrites Pluto. African. Indo-Malayan, Austro- Malayan. GENERAL RESUME, WITH NOTICES OF UNDETERMINED FORMS. Nine well authenticated fossil butterflies are now known, all from the Euro- pean Tertiaries ; five of these have been found in the gypsum beds of Aix in Provence, southern France, belonging to the Ligurian, a division of the upper eocene ; one in the lignites of Rott in the Rhenish Provinces of Prussia, belonging to the Aquitanian, or lower miocene; and three in the marls of Radoboj in Croatia, Austria, appertaining to the Mayencian or middle miocene. Our present knowl- edge, then, places the apparition of butterflies towards the end of the lower terti- aries. 84 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. As a general rule the specimens thus far discovered are in a fair state of pres- ervation, and especially are those parts preserved which enable us, with consider- able confidence, to determine their exact affinities. Three of these insects belong to the highest family of butterflies, Nymphalcs, four to the Papilionidge, and two only to the Urbicolse. If it be considered probable that the lowest of these fami- lies was the oldest, we can reasonably account for the scarcity of its members in the tertiary strata by the fact that their almost universally robust and muscular frame enables them to maintain flight when they have lost all but the merest stubs of wings. They would thus seldom meet their end by falling into pools of water, or if at last they did, it would be with fragments of wings whose affinities could not be traced. This supposition would be strengthened on noticing that one of the two fossil forms classed here, Thanatites vetula, belongs to a group of genera which comprises the very feeblest flyers in the family; and by the further consideration that two of the three fossil Nymphalids belong to the weak-winged Oreades. Eugonia, as well as Pamphilites, were doubtless strong and bold flyers; while the genera of Papilionidae were moderately endowed. To proceed further in the analy- sis of their structural relations, two of the three Nymphales belong, as we have said, to the highest group of butterflies, the Oreades, represented now by the dark brown butterflies of our meadows; the remaining one to the Praefecti, a group of gaily attired butterflies with angulated wings like our common thistle butter- fly, the cosmopolite. Of the four Papilionidaa, three belong to the Danai; two of these three to the group Fugacia, represented by our common yellow brimstone butterflies; the third to the Voracia, or white butterflies of the garden, so destruc- tive to cabbages and other cruciferous plants. The fourth Papilionid belongs to the lower subfamily Papilionides ; not, however, to that group which contains our swallow-tailed butterflies, but rather to an allied tribe, represented in America only by the Parnasii of the Rocky Mountain region. The two Urbicolse are divided between the Hesperides and Astyci, the former closely related to the dingy, sylvan hesperians of early spring, seldom seen but by the naturalist; the latter to the tawny, brisk little skippers busy around the flowers in June. But a single family of butterflies, then, is unknown in a fossil state, — that of GENERAL KESUME. 85 Rurales; and since this comprises, in the main, insects of exceedingly delicate structure and of small size, their absence is by no means unaccountable. Yet, as we shall see further on, there are intimations of the presence of some of their caterpillars in amber, and an obscure and doubtful reference to a fossil Polyom- matus from the beds of Aix. If we enquire where the allies of these nine fossil butterflies are now living1, we must seek for those of four of them in the East Indies; for those of three of them in America, and especially in that part lying on the confines of the tropical and north temperate zones; for those of one of them in the north temperate zone of both Europe-Asia and America; and for those of one in the Mediterranean dis- trict; for those of two only, therefore, out of the nine, or less than one-fourth, in the region where the fossils were discovered. Analyzing this point still further, we notice that three out of the four species whose living allies are to be sought in the East Indies come from the older deposits of Aix, and that only one of the two remaining Aix species shows special affinities to American types; we thus find here, as among other insects and among the plants, a growing likeness to American types as we pass upward through the European tertiaries. The study of the floras of the European tertiaries has proceeded so far that in most cases we are able to find, in the very beds where the butterflies occur, plants which we may reasonably judge to have formed the food of these insects in their earlier stages. In but a single instance is the family of plants, upon which it was necessary, or almost necessary, to suppose the caterpillar fed, entirely absent from tertiary strata; and since this family is the Cruciferae, which in its very nature could scarcely have left a recognizable trace of its presence, the exception has no force. After presenting these facts, for convenience sake, in a tabular form, we will pass on to the enumeration of those fossils which have been referred to butterflies, but whose exact position is still unsettled. MEMOIUS A. A. A. 8. 13 86 FOSSIL BUTTEKFLIES. Parts of wings preserved. Perfect wings of one side. Both fore-wings nearly perfect, superimposed. Upper half of one fore-wing. Both fore-wings nearly perfect. Two fore-wings superimposed. One fore-wing nearly perfect, but neunition obscure. All the wings ; those of one side nearly perfect. All the wings, but superimposed and very obscure. One fore-wing perfect . Bt CO a eg » CV. So • i| I S a 2 a! H O co ti si h ~ IS u o m • 9 C it f a S 1 x - S a< 1 CO Si o CO HI S B Ou O O ~ o . •a § j CO 1? S| l! £ (Nymphalet). Neorinopis sepultaBu Letbites Reynesii Scud Eugonia atava Scudd (Papilionidal. Mylothrites Pluto Scud Collates Proserpina Scu Pontia Freyeri Scudd Thaites Ruminiana Ilee ( UrbicolcK), Thanatites vetula Scud Pamphilites abdita Scuc CO W H EH t) co co O fe O H M > PQ UNDETERMINED FORMS. 87 In the earliest accounts that we have found, including all those in the last century, the generic term Papilio was used for all Lepidoptera, and therefore we cannot be certain whether butterflies or moths are meant. Ehieber's plates, even, are so inferior that they afford no additional aid; but those of Sendel possibly repre- sent, as we have noticed in the Bibliography at the commencement of this memoir, the early stages of butterflies preserved in amber. The only other direct references to butterflies preserved in amber are the following : Gravenhorst,1 in his enumera- tion of amber insects, gives under the Lepidoptera forty specimens referable to Tineas and Tortrices, and besides these "mehre Raupen, siimmtlich, wie es scheint, Schildraupen, denen des Papilio W. album ilhnlich." The probable nature of the ancient forest yielding amber renders it unlikely that any butterflies in their per- fect state would be found in it. As a rule, butterflies are eminently fond of the light. This has already been remarked by Menge:2 — "Das fehlen groszerer schmet- terlinge im bernstein deutet auf einen finstern undurchdringlichen urwald, den die kinder des lichts gemiedcn haben." Yet as some Theclas do feed upon coniferous trees, it is not impossible that the onisciform larvse, referred to by Gravenhorst, may belong to this group. As far as we can discover, no further reference is made to them, excepting by Giebel and Bronn in some of their lists and enu- merations of fossil insects. The writings of Berendt, Menge and others, all bear testimony to the great rarity of Lepidoptera in amber, and most of those which have been discovered belong to the lowest two families, above referred to. Dr. Hagen informs me that he has himself seen specimens of large butterflies in amber, but that these proved to be falsifications, recent European insects like Pieris rapce, etc., having been enclosed between slabs of amber, which were then fastened together and the edges roughened, all in so clever a manner that one would not suspect them to be spurious. These specimens were manufactured many years ago, and it is not impossible that it is to one of them that Hope refers in 1836, as found in the collection of Mr. Strong, though why he should quote Berendt as authority I cannot discover. Heer, in the introduction to the lepidopterous portion of his "Insektenfauna 'Arbeit. .ScMesisch. Ciesellscli. VnUirl. Kiiltur, 18.11. !;i-«. * Priiginmni I'etriscliule Danzig, 1856-56, 4°, p. 30. OO FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. der Tertiargebilde von CEningen," says (p. 175) : "Karg erwahnt zwar eines sehr schonen (Eninger-Schmetterlings, der nach Zurich gekommen sein soil. Allein hier findet sich dieser nicht und die Angabe verliert noch mehr an Werth, wenn wir beriicksichtigen, dass Karg das Thier nicht selbst gesehen hat." Karg's memoir in the "Denkschriften der Schwabischen Gesellschaft der Aertze und Naturforscher," T. I, I have been unable to examine. Boisduval, in his final report upon Neorinopis sepulta, remarks that Count Saporta had written him that many years previously he had sent to the Paris Museum a "Polyommate fossile" from Aix. Count G. de Saporta, in reply to my inquiries concerning this specimen, says that his father can give me no further information concerning this specimen; nor could M. Oustalet and myself, in our search through the fossil insects of the Jardin des Plantes, discover any such relic. In a recent number of "Nature" (No. 266), Mr. E. J. A'Court Smith writes of the discovery at Gurnet Bay in the Isle of Wight, of an insect bed in which were found, among other things, "a variety of flies, butterflies, and one or two grasshoppers;" no further information has yet been published concerning these relics, and my inquiries upon the subject have not, as yet, elicited any definite response. NOTICE OF INSECTS WHICH HAVE BEEN EEKONEOUSLY REFERRED IN RECENT TIMES TO BUTTERFLIES. 1. Cyllonium Boisdnvalianum WESTW., and C. Hewitsonianum WKSTW. These two insects were figured by Westwood in the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London for November, 1854, the former (reproduced in our fig. 2) on PI. XVH, fig. 17; the latter (reproduced in our fig. 3) on PI. XYHI, fig. 27. Of the former he makes the following remarks:1 "PI. XVII, fig. 17 represents a number of fragments of delicate tegument, covered with minute punc- ' alld 1O°kS' &S he himself P^ontina oolitica Butt. corrected sketch of the ..euration. confesses, "exceedingly anti-lepidopterous." In the first place, the wing is much narrower than depicted by him; and at the extremity of a vein (the submedian vein of Butler's sketch) there is a slight but decided bending inward of the membrane, as very frequently occurs at the line of demarcation between the middle and inner area of the wing in all or nearly all the lower suborders of insects, but never, so far as I am aware, in Lepi- doptera. What he has given as a simple costal vein is neither swollen at the base nor simple, but has two inferior branches near the middle of the wing, united near their origin by an oblique cross vein. Branching of the costal vein is unknown in Lepidoptera; but if it should be claimed that this might be the subcostal, just as much difficulty will be encountered with the structure and re- lationship of the veinlets below, which must then be considered as belonging INSECTS ERRONEOUSLY REFERRED TO BUTTERFLIES. 95 to the median vein; in no Lepidoptera can any such irregularity be shown, nor so disproportionate a magnitude of the area covered by the median nervure and its branches; a branched internal vein and cross-veins, which probably united all the longitudinal nervures at no great distance from the outer border (but which can only be certainly predicated for the lower three median interspaces), place this insect wholly beyond the pale of the Lepidoptera. It is but fair to say that Mr. Butler, having examined the original after he had in his possession a tracing of fig. 8, denies the existence of the cross-veins; there is one point, however, which an unprejudiced examination of the fossil cannot fail to show; that Butler's "fourth branch" of the subcostal1 arises not from his third branch, but from his upper dis- coidal vein; if he can reconcile either this or the points already referred to (on the supposition that his sketch is otherwise an accurate one) with the neuration of any group of butterflies, the writer will be the first to acknowledge it. As our only purpose in this place is to deny the lepidopterous character of Palaeontina, it is unnecessary to say anything in defence of the view we have expressed of its homopterous affinities; the superior position of the cell, the posi- tion and character of the lower cross veins (which we believe really traversed the entire wing), with their origin at the indentation of the lower border, suggest such a relationship, although there are not a few points in which it differs somewhat strikingly from living types. The discovery of a fossil in the cabinet of the Rev. Mr. Brodie, which was found in England at the same or nearly the same horizon, as P. oolitica, and which seems to be a pupa case of one of the Cicadida of rather unusual size, renders my suggestion more worthy of credence. At the conclusion of his latter paper Mr. Butler draws attention to the fact that Messrs. "Westwood and Bates had expressed their agreement with his views. It should, however, be borne in mind, that, so far as appears from any facts which have been published, these gentlemen, whose well considered views upon the sub- ject would unquestionably be of great weight, expressed this assent only upon a brief evening examination of a very obscure fossil in a poorly lighted hall, and before any one had questioned its lepidopterous character. i In this case he counts from the tip of the wing, in reverse order. EXPLANATION OF PLATES. 97 EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. [My best thanks are due to my courteous friend Mr. Augnste Sallti, for his kind agency in securing an artist for the engraving of these plates. Owing, however, to the distance at which the work was done, a few errors have unavoidably occurred, which, to prevent misapprehension, are mentioned below.] Plate 1. Fig. 1. Eugonia atava. Copied from Hcer, Insekt. Tert; OEning., il, pi. xiv, flg. 3 (}); " 2. Lethites Beynesii. Drawn by S. H. Scudder (\). " 3. Euijonia atava. Copied from Charpentier, Nov. Act. Leop.-CaroU, xx, ph xxii, flgi 4 (}). " 4. Euyonia j.-allnim. Neuration of fore wing; drawn by S. H. Scudder (j). The second superior subcostal nervule is carried too far toward the tip of the wing. " 5. Lethites Iteynesii. Fore wing; drawn by S. H. Scudder ($•). " C. Eugonia j.-album. Markings of the upper surface of the fore wing; drawn by S. H. Scudder (j). " 7. Eugonia atava. Neuration of tip of fore wing (f ) ; copied from Heer( Insekt. Tert. CEning., ii, pi. xiv, fig. 3'. " 8. Neorinopis sepulta. Markings of the upper surface of the two wings, restored; drawn by S. H. Scudder (^). The drawing represents the general effect of the fore wing as darker than the hind wing, and in so far is inaccurate. " 9. The same. Neuration of the two wings, separated ; drawn by S. H. Scudder (f ). " 10. The same. Neuration of the two wings, as seen in the fossil; drawn by S. H. Scudder (j). The engraver has unfortunately made the lines of the hind wing the heavier, as if it lay uppermost; they should have been the lighter. " 11. The same. Right hind leg; drawn by S. H. Scudder (^). " 12. The same. Left hind leg; drawn by S. H. Scudder (f). " 13. The same. Drawn by S. H. Scudder (|). The spot of the medio-submedian interspace of the fore wings has not been well rendered by the engraver. " 14. The same. Copied from Lefebvre, Ann. Soc. Ent. France [2], iJc, pi. iii, II, flg. A (|); " 15. The same. Copied from the same, flg. C (|). " 16. The same. Copied from the same, flg. B (\). " 17. The same. Copied from Boisduval, Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr., ix, pi. 8 (|). Plate II. Fig. 1. Zophoessa Sura. Neuration of the wings; drawn by G. Willis (|). " 2. Mylothrites Pluto. Copied from Heer, Insekt. Tert. CEning., ii, pi. xiv, flg. 4 (•{•). " 3. Zophoessa Sura. Markings of the upper surface of the wings; drawn by G. Willis (|). " 4. Delias Pasithoe. Neuration of the wings ; drawn by G. Willis (|). " 5. Collates Proserpina. Neuration and markings of fore wings; drawn by S. H. Scudder (f). The tip of the costal nervure has been extended too far toward the apex of the wing. " 6. Lethe Dyrta. Neuration of the wings; drawn by G. Willis (+). " 7. Mylothrites Pluto. Neuration of the wings ; after a drawing obtained through Mr. Brunner de Watten- wyl (|). The second superior subcostal nervule on the left wing should join the nervure midway between the bases of the first and third nervules. 98 FOSSIL BUTTERFLIES. Fig. 8. Neorina Lowi. Neuration of the wings; drawn by G. Willis (^-). " 9. Lethe Dyrta. Markings of the lower surface of the fore wing; drawn by G. Willis ({). " 10. Debts Sinorix. Neuration of the wings; drawn by G. Willis (|). " 11. Zophoessa Sura. Markings of the lower surface of the fore wing; drawn by G. Willis (f). " 12. Pontia Protodice. Neuration and markings of the upper surface of fore wing ; drawn by S. H. Scudder (}.) " 13. Neorina Lowi. Markings of the upper surface of the wings; drawn by G. Willis (j). This was drawn for the pattern of markings only; the neuration is faulty. " 14. Debis Sinorix. Markings of the upper surface of the wings; drawn by G. Willis ('). " 15. Mylothrites? sp. Copied from Heer, Insekt. Tert. (Ening., ii, pi. xiv, flg. 5 (}). " 16. Pontia Freyeri. Copied from Heer, Insekt. Tert. (Ening., ii, pi. xiv, flg. 6 (j). " 17. Mylothrites Pluto. After a drawing from the original, furnished by Mr. Brunner de Wattenwyl (|). " 18. Pontia Freyeri. Drawn from the original under the direction of Mr. Brunner de Wattenwyl (]). Plate III. Fig. 1. Thaites Buminiana. Neuration of the wings, restored; drawn by S. H. Scudder (|). " 2. Thais Bumina. Neuration of the wings; drawn by S. H. Scudder ({). " 3. Thaites Buminiana. Markings of the upper surface of the wings, restored ; drawn by S. H. Scudder (f). " 4. Thais Bumina. Markings of the upper surface of the wings ; drawn by S. H. Scudder (|). " 5. Parnassius Smintheus. Markings of the upper surface and neuration of the wings: drawn by S. H. Scudder (}"). " 6. Thaites Bitminiana. One of the wing-covers (patagia) ; drawn by S. H. Scudder (^ ). " 7. The same. Portion of the palpi; from a camera sketch by S. H. Scudder W). " 8. The same. Antenna; drawn by S. H. Scudder 0). " 9. The same. From a camera sketch by S. H. Scudder (}•). " 10. The same. Drawn under the camera from the reverse of flg. 9, by S. H. Scudder (?). " 11. Thanaos Juvenalis. Drawn in the position of flg. 12 by J. II. Kmerton (j); flg. 11 a, the palpus, denuded (f). " 12. Thanatites vetula. Drawn in outline by an artist in the employ of H. Woodward, Esq., of the British Museum, and filled in by S. H. Scudder (*^). Incorrectly named Thanatites Juvenalis on the plate. " 13. Carystus Lucasii. Neuration of fore wing. Drawn by G. Willis ({). • " 14. Parnphilites abdita. Markings of the upper surface of the fore wing; drawn by S. H. Scudder (f). " 15. Pansydia Mesogramma. Neuration and disposition of spots on the fore wing ; copied from Poey, Cent. Lep. Cuba, 2« Dec. (|). " 16. Thanatites vetula. Copied from Heyden, Palseontogr., viii, pi. i, flg. 10 (±?). Incorrectly named Thana- tites Juvenalis on the plate. " 17. Pamphilites abdita. Markings of the upper surface of fore wing; drawn by S. II. Scudder (\). " 18. The same. Neuration and disposition of the spots on the fore wing; drawn by S. H. Scudder 0). " 19. Carystus Lucasii. Markings of the upper surface of fore wing; drawn by G. Willis (j). LIST OF WOOD CUTS. 99 LIST OF WOOD CUTS. Fig. 1 (p. 50). Mylothrites Pluto. Outlines to show the disparity in size of the two insects referred to this species by Heer ; drawn by S. H. Scudder ; engraved by S. S. Kilburn. " 2 (p. 89). Cyllonium Boisduvalianum. Copied by photography from Westwood, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. Loud., x, pi. xvii, flg. 17; engraved by H. Marsh. " 3 (p. 89). Cyllonium Hewttsonianmn. Copied by photography from the same, pi. xvili, p. 27; engraved by H. Marsh. " 4 (p. 90). Palceontina oolitica. Copied by photography from Butler, Lep. Exot., pi. xlvili, flg. 1; engraved by H. Marsh. " 5 (p. 90). The same. Copied by photography from the same, flg. 2; engraved by H. Marsh. " 6 (p. 92). The same. Copied by photography from Butler, Geol. Mag., [2] i, pi. xix, flg. 4; engraved by H. Marsh. " 7 (p. 92). The same. Copied by photography from the same, flg. 5; engraved by H. Marsh. " 8 (p. 94). The same. Drawn by S. H. Scudder; engraved by S. S. Kilburn. ERRATA. Page 19, line 4; for voiced read voici. " 29. The first three lines form a part of the quotation from Butler, and should have been but single-leaded. " 51, note; for Daveai, read Danui. " 58. line 9; for before the cell, read before the tip of the cell. " 62, line 13; for fig. 2, read flg. 11. Memoirs Amer. Assoc.Adv. Science I. Plate I. 1,3, 7 E-ufionia. atava. lj.,6 EuSonia, J- album. 2,5 Lethites Reynesii. 8 17 Neorinopis sepulta. Memoirs Amer. Assoc. Adv. Science. I. Plate II. Dcbray sc i, 3, LI ZopKoessa, Sura. 2,7,17 Mylothrites Pluto. 4., Delias Pasithoe. 5. Collates Proserpina 6,9 Lethe Dyrta. 8, i3 Neorina Lowii. 10, i(^ DeLis Sinorix. 12 Pontia Protcdice. i5 Mylothrites ? 16, 18 Pontia. Freyeri. sS)45s A-:ll/f. N9 717084 Qll American association A73 for the advancement of science. Memoirs of the American association for the advancement of science. LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS