WCP656

[1]

9 St Mark's Crescent,

Regent's Park, N.W.

Dec. 23rd 1866

My dear Sir

I must apologize for not having written to you before to thank apologize you for the Copy of your valuable work, the 2nd part of the Novara Voyage¹. I am sorry that the collection of Indian Lepidoptera is not now to be obtained² as the owner of it has gone to India and has left it with his relations. I will however let you know if any species you require are to be obtained in London. I find in your work one or two corrections to make; viz:³

Pieris helferi Feld = P. clemanthe Db.

P. wallaceana. Feld = P. rachel Bd. ♀︎.

[2] You have 3 species allied to P. perimale Don.

P. perictione P. perithea P. periclea

Do you possess a specimen of P. perimale? It is not in the English Collections or the figure is so bad that it is not to be recognised. Can you also tell me where is Fidschi Island?4

You describe several species of Terias which I do not possess from Celebes. T. zita, T. zama, and T. eumide. Have you any duplicates of these, and are they all distinct species?

I have now received in exchange from Mr. Semper⁵ a set of the Philippine Pieridae, which he can spare, but there are many still which I want. If you should at any time have duplicates [3] of the following species I sh[oul]^d. be glad of them.

Pieris georgina	Pieris nathalia
" aegis	" domitia
" phoebe	" zamboanga
" blanca	" zamora
" luzoniensis

Can you tell me where your P. zamboanga comes. Is not the specimen you figure a female rather than a male? I find the sexes of all the Pierides can be determined by examining the abdominal valves, which are always present & well formed in the ♂. P. Zamboanga seems to me to be near a species from N[ew]. Guinea & Aru wh[ich]. I consider the ♀︎ of P. celestina (athama Luc.)

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P. paulina Cr. = leis. Hubn. and = neombo. Bd. I consider to be all females of the wide spread albina Bd. wh[ich]. must include your galene and dorada. This seems [4] to be one of those widely ranging and wandering species whose constant migrations and intercrossings prevent any segregation of well marked local forms. There is a perfect transition of forms between neombo and leis.

Pieris affinis Voll. are all males! and have therefore no affinity with P. ithome but rather come near P. rachel & its allies. I can find no females of affinis in our collections.

Please notice that P. pactolicus Butler⁶ Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865. p. 455⁷ is from Borneo not Bogota. It is an oversight, the specimen being ticketed Borneo in the B[ritish]. Mus[eum]. & closely allied to P. coronis & P. eperia

With best wishes | Believe me | Yours very faithfully⁸ | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]