1878 ] 9 



montha in the same region, eight in the country immediately north and 

 east of Mount Camaroons, and four on the Cross Eiver, north of the 

 Old Calabar country, without ever capturing a single specimen of P. 

 Antimachus. "When "West Africa is better explored than it is at present, 

 we may come to know something more than we do now regarding the 

 habits of this interesting species ; but, until then, what we do know 

 leads me to conclude that it is not only one of the most local of African 

 butterflies, but also one of the rarest. 



Surrey House, Forest Hill : 

 May, 1878. 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OP BUTTERFLY FROM THE 

 SANDWICH ISLANDS. 



BT IS". C. TL'ELT, T.L.S. 



The Eev. T. Blackburn has sent over a new butterfly belonging 

 to the family Lyccenidce, specimens of which were placed in Mr. Hewit- 

 son's hands to be figured and described. Unhappily, the state of 

 Mr. Hewitson's health makes it very uncertain when he will be able 

 to finish his work, so he thought it better that I should publish a short 

 description of this species at once. 



HOLOCHILA BlACKBUENI, 01. Sp. 



Expands yf — IjV'- Shape of Thecla r'ubi, except that the costa of the fore- 

 wing is not abruptly arched near the base, and that the abdominal edge of hind-wing 

 slopes more regularly towards the anal angle, which is rounded, so that the incipient 

 lobe which exists in rtibi is wanting ; the hind margins of the wings are also quite 

 entire. 



(J . Above deep purplish-blue, in certain lights very dark olivaceous-brown 

 (almost black). LTnder-side exactly like riibi, except that the whitish cilia are 

 narrow and unspotted, and that the pale grey space on the inner margin of fore-wing 

 is not tinged with brown. 



$ . Above, fore-wing shining purplish-blue, with very broad costal and outer 

 border black ; hind-wing black, with a patch of a similar blue to that of fore-wing 

 occupying nearly the abdominal half of the wing, but not quite reaching either the 

 abdominal margin, or the anal angle. Under-side as in <J . 



Thorax and abdomen (in both sexes) above, black, below, whitish ; slenderly 

 clothed on both sides with fine white hairs. Antennae slender, black, white-ringed, 

 club tinged with brown. Type B. M. 



This species is altogether a more slender insect than T. rubi, not 

 only in the thorax, but also in the texture of the wings. The green 

 scales of the under-side (of a rather different shade to those of rubi) 

 are very delicate, and most of the specimens sent showed signs of much 



