BUTTERFLIES OF THE CENTRAL PROVINCES. 159 



russets, browns, subdued yellows and greys. No two that I have seen 

 are exactly alike. Some are most lovely in their rich variety of tints, 

 while others are pale and insignificant looking. They are crepuscular 

 in their habits, coming out in the evening and dancing about like 

 elves, as has often been described. The singular habit they have of 

 mounting into the air until lost to sight has some reason for it no 

 doubt, but what that reason may be has not been discovered. They 

 are gluttons for sweetened mhowa refuse, and can be caught with 

 the fingers while feeding on it. They, as well as Mycaleses and 

 Lethes, are fond of ripe fruit : a guava on the verge of rottenness 

 has a great fascination for them. They can also be easily caught 

 when drinking toddy, and many other butterflies share this taste. 

 You can often find many at ( the foot of the palms that have been 

 tapped, and from which the juice drops down to the ground. The 

 shape of the wing in M. ismene is more falcate or sickle-shaped than 

 in M. leda. They are easily caught if they can be detected on the 

 ground. 



M. leda is a smaller butterfly and not so highly coloured as 

 M. ismene, and appears during the rains ; while M. ismene comes 

 out during the dry season. One would suppose them to be different 

 butterflies altogether, but this is not the case ; they are only seasonal 

 fonns, as Mr. de Niceville has proved by breeding one form from 

 eggs laid by the other form. Various other genera of the Satyrinas 

 present the same phenomenon, and as a rule those that appear during 

 the rains are smaller, with more even wings, and the ocelli on the 

 underside more prominent ; whereas those that appear during the dry 

 season are larger, with the outline of the wing more varied, and the 

 ocelli obsolescent. It would appear the reason is that during the hot 

 months the caterpillars find it difficult to procure sufficiently rich 

 proper food, and so the result is a smaller and less highly-coloured 

 butterfly, while in the rains the supply of food is ample, and the 

 result is a more highly-coloured and larger butterfly. I have reared 

 the caterpillar on the blades of green rice during the rains. It is 

 green with a longitudinal yellow stripe and a curious forked tail. 

 The pupa is green and suspended in a sort of slight cradle made of 

 the blades of rice. 



19. M. bethami, de Niceville. — A description of both the dry and 



