THB COMMON BTfTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 127 



most of tile yeai''. The \vet-season insects have the black border 

 very broad and the white markings narrow • the dry-season specimens 

 are characterise^ by a large extension of the white area. Some 

 specimens have the underside with a decided yellowish tinge as in 

 Taruciistheophrasius. The foodplant is Zizyphus rugosa, " Churn" 

 or " Torn " iti the Vernabulai", an extensive scandent shrub, climb- 

 ing over large trees at times in the dimp forest regions of the Western 

 Ghats in Bombay, with clustei's of small greenish-white flowers and 

 three-veined, roundish leaves, very thorny and a general nuisance to 

 the wayfarer in the jungles ; the young leaves are brown in colour 

 as a rule,, saw-e^ge and with the veins prominent underneath. The 

 fruits are white when ripe and edible, having a somewhat insipid 

 taste and a mealy consistency ; they are about the size of a marrow- 

 fat pea biit are ovoid instead of round. 

 ■ . , '■■■'.' 



The distribution of the insect is given as Sikhim, Malda, Eohil- 



kuud ; Orissa; Western and Southern India: Bombay, Poona, 

 Kanara, the Nilgids, Travancore ; Ge^'lon ; Assam ; Burma. 



The male and female are figured on Plate G, figures 47 and 47a. 

 Both > are good except that the undersides are, not pure enough 

 although specimens with a yellow shade are not uncommon. 



159. Castalius ethion, Doubleday and Hewitson. — Male. Upperstde: iore 

 and hiud wipgs : no hairs on the discs and no fringe of hair on the inner 

 margin of, fore wing, medially and obliquely crossed by a very broad, pure 

 white band that is broadly edged on its inner and outer margins by dark 

 tjhihing b ne and does not extend on the fore wing above vein (j, just above 

 vein 3 it projects outwards for a short distance whence the inner margin 

 of its dark blue edging is carried obliquely to vein 6; whence it runs 

 dowa parallel to outec margin to inner margin ; the extreme bases of the 

 wings black ; the costal margin of the fore and the terminal margins of 

 both fore and, hind vvings broadly black : on both wings a light iridescent 

 blue sufiusion from base outwards. (Jnderside: snow-white. Fore and hind 

 wings: the following jet-black markings: — Fore wing: two broad more 

 or leps parallel streaks from base e.s tended obliquely to the costa, 

 the outer of the two tl^e broader and apically curved inwards and, on 

 the costa, coalesqent with the inner streak ; costal margin very narrowly 

 .edged with black ; postdiscal, outwardly oblique, short bar, el'ghtly 

 claiyate pQSte|riorly. extends from the costa and vein 5; opposing this 

 there is between the dorsum and vein 8 a similar but erect quadrate 

 patch ; beyond these there is an inner and outer transverse, complete, 

 subterrtiinal se'ries of spots followed' by an anteciliary slender black line; 

 the spdtS of the, inner, subtierminal series quadrate large, of the outer 

 linear, the" posterior two of the former very large ; lastly, asingla detached 

 postdiscal spot in interspace 3 very close to the inner subterminal line of 

 spots. "Hiud wing: a curved short basal band not extended to the costa, 

 a spot touching it in the middle on the outer side (or a parallel bar) and 

 ji discal, tran'sverse band twice widely interrupted (or continuous), the 

 middle, portion shifted, outwards, the h^wer portion with a spot on its 

 outer margin joined to it ; subterminal and terminal murkings as on the 

 fore' wing. AntenftjB (ringed with white, club tipped orange), head 

 (frons WhitiB, friliged black), palpi, thorax and abdomen black; beneath: 

 the palpi^ thorax ^nd "abdomen with a mledian, longitudinal, white line. 



