TME COMMON B UTTEEFLIES OF THE PLAINS. OF INDIA. 123 



lays her eggs there, knowing they will be well looked after. The 

 full-grown caterpillars are led down to the earth or into a crevice 

 in the bai-k of the ti*ee or into a hole by their protectors at the end 

 when they are ready to pupate — at least it looks as if they were for 

 they are always accompanied by mapy ants which climb all ovei- 

 them, ride on them and show every sign of attachment to them. 

 Even in the pupal stage they are still attended and befriended. 

 The larva is sluggish and not easily alarmed. It eats the leaves 

 both below and above, but more generally above, in broad 

 lines and patches ; never, however, eating right throvigh so 

 as to make a hole. Wherever there is one, there are generally 

 dozens. The plants it has been found on are Loranihus (Mistletoe) 

 of various species, (Loranfhacea') ■ Zkyphus of several species 

 {Wiamnaceie) ;, and a few others. The pupation is normal, the 

 attachment being hy the tail and a body-band. 



The butterHy is rather a weak flier and often rests on the up- 

 persides of leaves with its wings widely separated, basking in the 

 sun; when in absolute repose it closes them over the back as usual. 

 It does not like excessive sunlight and is found only in the regions 

 of heavy rainfall of Sikkim, Orissa and Southern India. It is 

 plentiful in the jungles of the Western Ghats of Kanara in Bombay 

 where it occurs, but it cannot exactly be called common even there. 

 The larv£e and pupag are always much easier to find than the butter- 

 fly which, probably, keeps to the thick jungle and higher parts of 

 the trees, although it has never been seen flying with the strong- 

 winged, basking species of butterflies on the tops of hills where, in 

 parts of Kanaia, the piled masses of rock enable one to get on a 

 level with the tree-tops. 



The habitat of the species is Sikkim, Orissa, Southern India in 

 Peint in Nasik, Kanara and the Nilgiri and Anamalai Hills, 

 Assam, Khasia Hills. 



15. Genus — Castalius. 



"This genua cat) not be separated from Tarucus by the venation or by 

 structure and is, in fact, linked to it by coloration through Castaliu)- 

 aiianda, de Niceville, a slightly aberrant form," says Colonel Bingham. 

 It is better in the genus 'I'urucus and has now been placed there. The 

 antennie are not quite the length of the fore wing, the club being long, 

 gradual and slightly bhint at the apex ; palpi pointing nearly straight 

 forward or shghtly up, densely clothed anteriorly with scales but not 

 fringed ; third joint of the antennae long, needle-like and naked ; body 

 comparatively weak ; eyes haired. The eyes are smooth in Taructis theo- 

 phrastus and anatiiiashnt haired in T. jilinius. Thelarvse of all of these, both 

 genera; are very similar and so are the pupre. The former are all covered 

 with a dense clothing of thick-topped hairs which give the surface a shining, 

 frosted' a^pearanfce — except anavda where the hairs are, some of them, 

 terminated by a drop-shaped thickening, instead of with a star or flat- 

 tened lend.' Castalius, as a genus, is sprea,d over Africa, India and the 

 Malayan Sub-region. The transformations of the three spticie& described 



