132 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HLST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



on the undersides of the leaves and is attended in a desultory way 

 by ants of the genus Prenolepis. It is sluggish, moving but slowly 

 and does not easily fall, except when full-grown, when disturbed ; 

 then, of course, it is much more conspicuous and cannot hide in 

 axils and similar places. The pupa is formed often on the under- 

 side of a leaf and is firmly attached by the tail and a body-band. 

 These larvae are very much parasitized b}^ small chalcid wasps which 

 pass over into the pupa whence they emerge in due course. The eggs 

 are also similarly treated by micro-ichneumons. Some larva3 also are 

 attacked by fungus and rot in the end. The butterflj' has similar 

 habits to Gastalius ethion, though it is far commoner than that 

 species and inhabits drier localities. It is a good flier though not 

 very strong ; quick enough on the wings though it does not as a 

 rule go in for extensive flights ; it rests on the upper surfaces of 

 leaves and basks in the sun with its wings half open : it is fond of 

 the sun and prefers light to shade. When at rest for the night it 

 keeps the wings closed over the back like most of its relations and 

 may be caught on grass-culms, &c., on cold mornings with the 

 fingers in that position in open places. The insect has a wide 

 range, being found throughoiit India except in desert tracts ; 

 Ceylon ; the Andamans and Nicobars ; Assam ; Burma ; and into 

 the Malayan subregion as far east as the island of Timor. 



Figures 46 and 46a of Plate G are fairly good representa- 

 tions but have the undersides too yellow ; they should be pure 

 white. The blue on the upperside of the male is, perhaps, too 

 dark. 



Note : — On examining- the covering- of the body of the larva under the mi- 

 croscope, the star-topped hairs are seen to be tubercular, thick-stemmed, cylindri- 

 cal, branched into triangular teeth at the top (the star), the stem sometimes short, 

 sometimes non-existent ; from the centre of the star is extruded a transparent 

 body shaped like a triangular paper bag -with one side open, sometimes like a 

 spear-head ; these bodies can seemingly be -withdrawn inside the tubercle at will ; 

 the stars are very numerous on the bioad, dorsal colour-band, nearly non-existent 

 laterally on the body where they are reduced to low tubercles with small extruded 

 bodies like the others ; the stars very thickly crowded occasionally on the dorsal 

 band, the tubercles scattered on the sides ; the star-tubercles on the dorso-ventral 

 margin longer-stemmed ; the long, simple hairs of the dorso-ventral fringe 

 jointed-looking, occasionally minutely and siaarsely feathered, all from cylindrical 

 tubercles which are often minutely and sparsely spined. 



16, Genus — Lampides. 



There is only one insect belonging to this genus, namely Lampides boeticus, 

 the most widely spread of all the Lyccenidce except Everes argiades. It exists 

 throughout the whole of the old world : Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia 

 and the Hawaiian Islands. The eyes are hairy. Body slender, short. 

 Palpi directed straight out in front in the female, directed upwards in the 

 male, second joint overreaching the head by half its length, clothed with 

 long, appressed scales ; third joint long, slender and naked; legs slender ; 

 antennsB with a lengthened, grooved pointed club. The butterfly represent- 

 ing the genus is known in England as the Long-tailed Blue but it is rare 

 and difhcult to get there. The transformations are known and will be 



