Note 41 — Chapter VII

Moreover, the investigation of a smaller area may also bring to light points of difficulty. In Ceylon, for example, P. polytes is common up to several thousand feet, while P. hector is rare at half the height to which polytes ascends. Nevertheless the H form of female is relatively just as abundant up-country where hector is rarely found as it is low down where hector is plentiful[41]. On the other hand, P. aristolochiae may be exceedingly abundant at altitudes where hector is scarce. Yet the A form of polytes is no more relatively abundant here than elsewhere on the island. All over Ceylon, in fact, the relative proportions of the three forms of female appear to be the same, quite irrespective of the abundance or scarcity of either of the models. As, however, we shall have to return to this point later, we may leave it for the moment to consider other features of this case of P. polytes.