646 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIX. 



leaf, during the heat of the day, occasionally taking a short flight to 

 return to the same spot ; these are generally the aristocracy : the 

 largest and most powerful insects of the group ; they do not frequent 

 flowers but nourish themselves on the saps of trees and fruits. Such 

 are Charaxes and Eulepis, Euthalia, Pantoporia and Apatura. 

 Others, weaker of flight, hardly ever rise beyond the bushes and small 

 trees, a story lower down, where they enjoy the sun, basking on 

 leaves in the same way. Neptis, Atella, Cupha, Ergolis are some of 

 these: they visit flowers, but in a desultory way. A third section, 

 consisting of such insects as Vanessa, Junoni'i^ Hy polimnas inhabit 

 the ground floor and prefer sunning themselves sitting on a bare patch 

 of earth or on the leaf of a creeping plant. These last are, notwith- 

 standing their lowly habits, very strong and quick on the wing and 

 often rise to considerable heights in the air in prolonged flight ; they 

 are the commonest of the Nymphalines of the plain country and are 

 often seen at flowers ; the foodplants of their larvse are low herbaceous 

 weeds and plants that exist throughout wide areas and have been 

 extensively spread by cultivation. The weakest fliers are Byhlia and 

 Ergolis with vein 12 of the forewing swollen at the base, Cuplia and 

 Neptis. The style of flight is various, diff'ering with the group the 

 butterfly belongs to. Charaxes has a flight like iJiscophora lepida : 

 a succession of powerful skips or jerks up and down, the wings being 

 brought to meet over the back between each ; it basks with wings 

 completely closed or very slightly opened. Vanessa, Junonia, &c., 

 have a similar but less powerful flight, the wings being moved much 

 faster and never brought to meet completely over the back between 

 the strokes ; in basking these are held half open, fully displaying the 

 colour and pattern of the upperside, which is hardly ever the case 

 with Charaxes. Byhlia, Cupha and Ergolis have a flight like Juvonia 

 but much weaker, and bask similarly or even with the wings com- 

 pletely open. Euihalia, Athpna, Neptis, Moduza, Cz/r^sizs always hold 

 the wings horizontal or inclined downwards slightly in flight, sailing 

 along between each stroke with them in the latter position, moving 

 them little above the horizontal at any time ; they bask with them 

 wide open though, like all butterflies except some Skippers, they will 

 close them altogether in dull weather or in rain. 



Basking butterflies are nearly alv/ays found to be males. The 

 temales have work to do and confine their attention altogether to the 



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