Ill] OLD-WORLD MIMICS 23 



to be more oily and less easily dried up. In general 

 colour scheme they vary a great deal. Some, such as 

 Danais chrysippus (PI. IV, fig. 1), are conspicuous 

 with their bright fulvous-brown ground colour and the 

 sharp white markings on the black tips of their fore 

 wings. Others again such as Danais septentrionis (PI. I, 

 fig. 3), with a dark network of lines on a pale greenish 

 ground, are not nearly so conspicuous. Of the Euploe- 

 ines some have a beautiful deep blue metallic lustre (cf. 

 PI. II, fig. 4), though many are of a plain sombre 

 brown relieved only by an inconspicuous border of 

 lighter markings (cf. PI. I, fig. 10). 



Both Danaines and Euploeines serve as models for 

 a great variety of species belonging to different groups. 

 Danais septentrionis (PI. I, fig. 3) is a very abundant 

 species in India and Ceylon, and in the same region 

 there are several other very similar species. Flying 

 with them in Northern India are two species of Papilio, 

 P. macareus and P. xenocles (PI. I, fig. 4), which 

 resemble these Danaids fairly closely. In Southern 

 India and Ceylon one of the two forms of Papilio clytia 

 (PI. I, fig. 7) is also regarded as a mimic of these 

 Danaids. In the same part of the world there is a 

 Pierine of the genus Pareronia, whose female is very 

 like these Danaines on the upper surface (PI. I, fig. 1). 

 The male of this Pierine is quite distinct from the 

 female (PI. I, fig. 2). 



The common Danais chrysippus (PI. IV, fig. 1), 

 found in this region, has been described as probably 

 the most abundant butterfly in the world, and serves 



