COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 467 



sunning itself in the cheqnered light that filters through the dense 

 canopy overhead. It sits with its wings closed, very rarely partially 

 opened, for a considerable period at a time and does not, retum 

 constantly to the same place after a flight as do many species of 

 Nymphalines. It is fairly strong on the wing and does not descend 

 to the ground. The female is not often seen except when engaged 

 in laying eggs. The distribution is South India from Travancore to 

 Mysore and the Nilgiris but the insect is plentiful on the Belgaum 

 ghats and probably further north. The larva feeds upon Palmece or 

 Palms as Canes, Betel-nut or Supari Palm, the Fish-tailed or Sago 

 Palm, the Wild Date, Cocoanut Palm, &c. 



Sub-family— MORPHINE. 



Genus -DISCOPHORA. 

 Males — 



A. Upperside purplish-brown suffused with indigo- 



blue towards the cases of the wings. Exp. 

 3-7L"-S"o" c celinde. 



B. Upperside brown, not suffused with blue. 



a. Upperside foiewing with spots in two rows. 



anterior three of inner row blue, large, 

 oblique. Exp. 3-l"-4" lepida. 



b. Upperside fore wing in three or four trans perse 



rows. Exp, .S -5"- 4" .. tulUa. 



Females — 



A. Upperside forswing with distinct, preapical, 

 • oblique, broad band. 



a. This preapical band ochraceous yellow ., celinde. 



b. This preapical band bluish-white lepida. 



B. Upperside forewing without distinct preapical band 



or at most the anterior spots of transverse discal 



series obliquely placed tullia. 



D, celinde is from " the Lower and Eastern Provinces of Bengal " in 

 India, and from Sikhim, extending eastwards ; D. tullia from Bengal 

 and North Kanara, also extending eastwards from Sikhim ; D. lepida 

 only occurs in Southsrn India, but is found outside the limit in Ceylon. 

 Mr. De Niceville stated that D. hdlia had been taken in Calcutta 

 itself; but all three species are probably true jungle insects, keeping 

 altooether to the hills thouirh occurrincr there at elevations as low as 

 800 feet above sea level. It is certainly the case with D. lepida. 

 The males of all three species have a sex-mark on the disc of tbe 



