186a] 175 



The most gaily-adorned species of these lively aud attractive crea- 

 tures is the Epicalia Ancea of Linnseus, known originally as a native of 

 Dutch Guiana, but since found in various places on the banks of the 

 Amazons, although unknown in other parts of America. The wings 

 are of a rich deep black colour, the anterior pair being adorned by a 

 belt of light blue, and the posterior by a broad belt of tawny-orange ; 

 whilst the under-surface is of a pale green, marked with a few brownish 

 lines and spots. This is the colouring of the males, the females differing 

 in wanting the orange belt of the hind- wings, and in having an additional 

 smaller blue streak near the tip of the anterior pair. During the first 

 few weeks of our explorations in the forests near Para, at the mouth of 

 the Amazons, no single object gave greater pleasure to Mr, Wallace and 

 myself than this handsome insect, shooting like a meteor athwart the 

 paths of the palm swamps, and settling on the broad glossy leaves of 

 the wild banana and other plants. It was exceedingly wary, and we 

 never succeeded in capturing one, when settled, if we had to walk a 

 few steps to reach the place where it sat. The slightest movement 

 was sufficient to startle the creature, and no course remained but to lie 

 in wait near a favourite spot, with net in position, so as to strike the 

 instant a specimen alighted. In course of time we thus obtained a 

 large series ; sometimes capturing half-a-dozen in the course of a 

 morning's walk. 



I subsequently met with Epicalia Ancea, far in the interior of the 

 country, 1800 miles distant from Para, and there had the pleasure of 

 discovering a new allied form, — the Ejncalia Sewitsonii, which differs 

 in the male sex by having belts of blue both on the hind- and the fore- 

 wings, without the tawny-orange belt. This, however, is a widely 

 distinct species. "What I have to speak of now is a third kind, which 

 so closely resembles E. Ancea as to have been always confounded with 

 it. I frequently noticed this third form whilst collecting in the forest, — 

 at least, the male of it : it differs from E. Ancea in the tawny-orange 

 belt being abbreviated, and Avider in the middle than at the two ends ; 

 the same belt in E. Ancea being of equal breadth throughout. This 

 peculiarity is so slight that I never dreamt of considering the form as 

 more than an accidental variety, — that is, as appertaining to one indivi- 

 dual, or a few of a brood of the type form ; especially as it occurred in 

 the same parts of the forest as E. Ancea, flying, in fact, in company 

 with it. My friend Dr. Felder, of Vienna, however, on receiving from 

 me, two years ago, a specimen mixed up with a small series of E. Ancea, 

 confidently pronounced it a distinct species, aud figured and described 

 it as such, under the name of E. Batesii. I could not agree with 



