NOTES ON CHARAXES JASIUS. 193 



has some African suggestions. Nothing, indeed, is so striking, as 

 regards the habitat of the larva, as the selection, not perhaps 

 invariably, but so usually as almost to justify that word, of the very 

 warmest available spots. The plants selected are on the southern 

 slope of the hill, not too near the top, and even close down to the 

 sea ; they must not be in the shade of any other tree or bush ; they 

 must have a back ground of protection from the north, either of the 

 Arbutus itself, or of other trees, rocks, etc. ; a thinly-leafed bush 

 standing alone is never tenanted. The larva is almost always on the 

 south side of the tree, low enough down to have the upper part of the 

 tree as a protection and shelter. The larva usually rests on the 

 upper surface of a leaf, or of several leaves fastened together, by the 

 silken carpet with which it clothes their surface, and which is neces- 

 sary to give it firm foothold, and so commonly do these leaves so 

 slope as to give an almost vertical exposure to the sun, that that may 

 be described as the normal position. The larva appears to rest a good 

 deal during the day, basking in the sun ; though those I had in 

 captivity were so comparatively sluggish, owing to cold and want of 

 sun in a room, that a short exposure to the sun often roused them 

 up and made them eat actively. To feed, they often appear to prefer 

 to go to a neighbouring spray, not interfering with the normal 

 appearance of their own. The larva does not appear to change its station 

 often, sometimes, possibly, not at all, during the whole larval exist- 

 ence ; but, often near a larva, a previous station can be found with its 

 leaf clothed with silk ; nor does the larva travel far to pupate —those 

 on sprays in bottles never wandered further than the next spray to 

 select a place to suspend themselves, nor, except when first brought 

 home and thus severely disturbed, had they any tendency at any time to 

 wander, so that a spray in a bottle sufficed for them, without the 

 necessity for any cage or confining agency. Of course, I cannot be 

 certain of their habits when young, but I fancy they are the same. 



Protective resemblance. — Exposed in this way, one would 

 suppose them to be very obvious on the trees, and no doubt when 

 once one has trained the eye as to what it has to look for, they are not 

 difficult to find. Still, the leaf on which the larva sits is usually 

 surrounded by others, and the way in which the larva, seen from 

 whatever direction, exactly imitates some aspect of leaves or buds 

 under the dift'erent efi'ects of light and shade, renders it possible 

 for an untrained eye, in many instances, to look at it, and for it, for 

 some time before seeing it. The yellow lateral line resembles the mid- 

 rib of the leaf, seen from above or below according to light ; the colour 

 and apparent texture of the skin are the same as of many leaves. 

 The extraordinary head, with its coloured jaws and spines, suggests in 

 many aspects the little group of buds at the extremities of the branches. 

 One has often to look a second time at certain leaves and branches, 

 as well as at the buds, to be sure that they are parts of the tree and 

 not a larva. The curiously coloured circles on the back of the 

 abdominal segments 3 and 5, which are more brilliant with their blue 

 and yellow than anything on an Arbutua leaf, nevertheless produce 

 exactly the effect of certain little rings of fungus or decay, that are 

 very common on the leaves. 



In the mimicry of larvc'e, it is to be noted that the larvye do not so 

 often exactly imitate the thing mimicked, as some particular aspect 



