594 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVIII. 



for the nest is often to be found under the feeding plant. Also the 

 digging out of such nests often offei's a proof of the living together of 

 caterpillars and ants. In the whole series of ^4r<:/?/.s-caterpillars pu- 

 pation seems to take place in the nest of their visitors. Perhaps also 

 many species hibernate in the same place. Observations on this point 

 have not yet been published. The question of in how far the shelter 

 ascribed to the ants really exists would be greatly explained by such 

 observations. An especial attention should be devoted to the be- 

 haviour of the ants towards those butterflies which come out in their 

 nests. No observations exist on the behaviour of the species of ants to 

 those caterpillars which they do not normally visit ; thus the so- 

 called " international relations" of the Lyccenid caterpillars should 

 be studied in order to verify beyond doubt whether the friendship 

 between the ants and the caterpillars is limited to certain kinds only, 

 or whether, as in the plan-and shield-lice, it has a more international 

 character. So far any hint or information is wanting on the phylo- 

 geny of the myrmecophilous organs, as well as an anatomical exami- 

 nation of these or a chemical examination of the juice which comes 

 from them. " 1 



In order to facilitate the detection of our caterpillars I shall add 

 Trimen's description of the larva? of the Lyc&nidce : " They are 

 shaped like wood-lice for the most part, are extremely sluggish, and 

 look in many cases more like a coccus or some vegetable excrescence 

 than caterpillars. Some of them are smooth, many clothed with a 

 short down, some with fascicles of short bristles or regularly disposed 

 tubercles, and a few hairy generally. Several are regularly corru- 

 gated dorsally, and others prominently humped in one or two places." 

 They are usually coloured like the leaves, buds, flowers, and seed- 

 pods on which they feed, and are for other reasons not easily seen. 

 Most of them feed on the young leaves, buds, and flowers of trees, 

 bushes, and low-growing plants ; three genera of Indian Lycamuhc 

 {Lampides, Virachola, and JJeudori.v) feed on the interior of fruits 

 of several different species ; lastly some feed upon the seed-pods of 

 leguminous plants ; these latter larvae have very long necks, so that 

 they can reach far into the interior of the pods with their mouths 

 and thus scoop out the contents, while the greater portion of their 

 body remains outside. (DeNiceville.) 



1 Viehmeyer, 1. c. 



