BUTTERFLIES OF THE CENTRAL PROVINCES. 323 



suspicion of a faint black border at the apex and outer margin of 

 the forewing. Its forewing is of a pointed and elegant shape. I 

 only possess one specimen captured by myself at Saugor. 



99. Nepheronia gcea, Felder. This is a beautiful creature. 

 The male is of a delicate pale blue, the wings bordered and the veins 

 defined with black. The female is paler blue, with all the black 

 markings deeper and broader. Underneath, in good specimens, there 

 is a sheen on the wings like mother-of-pearl. Some specimens have 

 the hind wing suffused with yellow. This variety has been called 

 N. hippia. The female is a good mimic of D. limniace. This 

 butterfly frequents shady woods and glades, and seems to have paths of 

 its own. I have often watched the males with their elegant flight 

 flitting along through the mazes of the jungle, and have noticed that 

 they invariably return the way they went, repeating the trip over 

 and over again. The females are less active, and prefer resting in 

 shady nooks and corners. This lovely butterfly is like the 

 embodiment of some sweet, shy, wood-nymph clad in the colours 

 of a waterfall deep hid among the sequestered shades of its own 

 wild domain. 



100. Delias eucharis, Drury. This is a well-known, common and 

 distinctively-coloured butterfly. The ground-colour is pure white 

 with all the veins clearly marked with black, especially on the fore. 

 ■win°\ A short distance from the outer margin of the wings there 

 is a black line forming a sort of inner border. The female has all the 

 black markings darker and more distinct. In some specimens the 

 dark markings almost cover up the white, so that the butterfly looks 

 as if it were almost black. Underneath, the veins and inner line are 

 all clearly defined in both sexes. The forewing has the apex suffused 

 with yellow, which is more distinct in the female than in the male. 

 The hindwing is also suffused with yellow as far as the inner border, 

 and it is further adorned with a border of brilliant scarlet spots 

 bordered internally with black, the shape of the petals of a 

 flower, the broad ends pointing inwards. D. eucharis is a very 

 early riser and may be seen, before any other butterfly begins to 

 stir, making its way with a slow flapping flight through the topmost 

 boughs of high trees. It is easily captured, and can be seen almost 

 the whole year round. 



