As many of our butterflies have an extended range, some of them were originally described from other countries, and when captured here were named as new species; so that a good deal of confusion has existed in the proper identification of some of our common species as to whether they were Australian or only varieties of foreign species. In 1805 Donovan figured some of our commonest species in his “Insects of New Holland.” After Kirby’s “Catalogue of Rhopalocera” was published in 1871, Masters compiled and issued a list of our Australian species. In 1878 Semper published his list of Australian species; and in 1891 Miskin produced his “Catalogue of the Australian Butterflies,” in which he included and described some new species (No. 1, Annals of the Queensland Museum); this remained our working list until Waterhouse published his “Catalogue of the Rhopalocera of Australia” as No. 1 Memoir of the New South Wales Naturalists’ Club 1903. In Waterhouse’s list a great many changes have been made in the genera and species; a number of our well-known names have vanished, with very little explanation; for example, _Pieris teutonia_, our common white, appears under the name of _Belenois java_; this is unavoidable to a certain extent in bringing Catalogues up to date, but is very confusing to beginners in the work of classification. For a list of the writers upon, and references to our butterflies, the student is referred to Waterhouse’s Catalogue. I am indebted to Messrs. Anderson and Spry for notes on the life histories of some of the southern species described in their “Victorian Butterflies” (Melbourne 1893). Family 1. Brush-footed Butterflies. NYMPHALIDAE. This group comprises a number of large or medium sized butterflies that are known as “Fritillaries,” “Emperors,” “Admirals,” and many other popular names in England, and are generally brightly coloured; many have a very wide range over the world. The fore-legs of both sexes are imperfect, the male with one or two, the female with four or five tarsal joints. The larvae are usually spiny, or clothed with hairy warts; and the pupae are suspended by the tail. Sharp places them in eight sub-families, four of which are well represented in Australia.