48 MEMOIRS NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. vol. xii, 



Ocellus of fore wings in persephone, 3 by 4 mm. 



Ocellus of hind wings in preusii, 12 by 10 mm. 



Ocellus of hind wings persephone, 14 by 11 mm. 



Ocellus of under side of hind wings, 4 by 4 mm., in both varieties. 

 Normal N. dione 9 , from Sierra Leone (Schaus collection). One 9 . Head not so broad 

 as in N. cytherea, body and wings lemon-yellow, tibiae and tarsi brown; thorax in front deeper 

 ochreous. Antennas nearly simple, the distal vestiges about one-half as large and long as the 

 basal, the latter not so large and long as in N. cytherea and the antennae rather more simple and 

 slenderer than in that species. 



Fore wings a little more produced toward the apex; the hind wings with the outer edge 

 not so full and rounded; the apex and inner angle more rectangular than in N. cytherea. The 

 wings are lemon-yellow; a basal reddish discoloration; basal lino purplish brown, deeply 

 zigzag, with three large scallops Extradiscal line not scalloped, brown, not edged with white 

 on the inside. An obscure submarginal reddish shade. Ocellus round (7 by 7 mm.) with a 

 subtriangular clear center encircled by a much narrower ochreous ring than in N. cytherea, suc- 

 ceeded by a brown circle, than a pale lilac, and an outermost brick red circle. 



Hind wings lemon-yellow; a basal dusky lilac zigzag shade, and extradiscal line brown, 

 excurved and touching the outer limit of the round ocellus, which is larger (10 by 9£ mm.) than 

 on the fore wings, but with a smaller central clear spot, and a wider outer circle than on the 

 fore wings. The ocelli differ from those of N. cytherea hi being roundish instead of oval, and in 

 the narrower ochreous circle and in the outer circle being lilac red. 



Under side of the wings: Those of the anterior pair with no basal line; ocelli nearly as 

 above, but those of the hind wings smaller and less distinct. The wings are thickly dusted 

 with lilac, and on the hind wings is a submarginal broad zigzag lilac shade. 



Expanse of fore wings, 9 113 mm. 



Length of a fore wing, 9 62 mm. 



Breadth of a fore wing, 9 34 mm. 



Length of a hind wing, 9 40 mm. 



Breadth of a hind whig, 9 29 mm. 

 My 9 agrees with Sonthonnax's figure of N. dione, except that the basal lines on both 

 wings are more distinct, and the ocelli are all rounder than hi his figures. 



As stated by Sonthonnax, who has materially reduced the number of nominal species to 

 synonyms of N. dione, this species is "extremely polymorphous and polychromatic." We do 

 not yet know enough about the local variations to state what are such. My <? JV. preussii is 

 certainly the same as N. wahlbergii in the Schaus collection, and as figured by Herrich-Schaeffer. 

 N. persephone is only a dark reddish variety of wahlbergii. N. butleri is a bright yellow form 

 without brown scales. The ocellus of the hind whigs "is quite large, yellow in the center, 

 bordered with black, red and rose" (Sonthonnax). N. emini has the middle zone of the fore 

 wings reddish brown, the rose color disappears on the basal line, the ocellus of the fore wings 

 is rounded lunate, while that of the hind whigs is very large, oval, yellow in the middle and 

 inclosing a small lunate clear spot, beyond are black, red, and an outer rose circle. N. gueinzi is 

 plainly only a variation, yellowish rust-red brown, without the submarginal scalloped shade 

 in either pah of wings; the ocellus of the fore wings is small; that of the hind wings large; the 

 yellow center encircled by only two rings, a blackish one and another roseate one, with no 

 trace of the red ring present in N. emini. 



Geographical distribution. — The species ranges over equatorial and southern Africa, from the 

 western to the eastern coast, while N. cytherea is confined to Cape Colony; it is most com- 

 monly met with from Sierra Leone to the Congo region; it is quoted from Madagascar, Ashanti, 

 Congo, and Port Natal (Walker in Brit. Mus.) ; the Madagascar example is pale fawn color. 

 N. var. wahlbergii is from Lake Tanganika (Oberthiir) ; var. emini from [Central Africa] ; var. 

 gueinzii from Port Natal (Walker) ; var. persephone from Camerons (Neumoegen coll. hi Brook- 

 lyn Museum) . 



