1878.1 29 



amples altogether absent ; usually distiuct and well marked in female. 

 Inner margin o£ hind-wings of female at extremity of transverse band 

 finely dusted with orange. Expanse, 5 — 6^ inches. 



As illustrative of the habits and nature of the habitat of this 

 species, I extract from a letter recently received from our correspon- 

 dent in Jamaica, the following interesting account of the capture of 

 the specimens now in the Surrey House Collection : 



" I lost no time in trying to obtain news of the classical object of 

 which I was in quest ; but, though there was a doctor who had been 

 resident in the neighbourhood for fifteen years, and a clergyman who 

 had also been stationed there for some time, neither had seen it, or 

 could give me any information as to its havmts. One Negro boy of 

 whom I enquired, informed me that it was found near a certain river. 

 For this I accordingly started early one morning ; but though I searched 

 in all directions and the likeliest places, I could find no trace of 

 Homerus. At last, and just as I was beginning to despair of finding 

 it, I caught sight of a fluttering mass of unusual proportions about 

 twenty yards ahead of me, and presently recognised the object of my 

 search. The difiiculty now was to catch it, for it was hovering round 

 a mango tree on the bank of the river. I advanced cautiously, and, 

 on my approach, it sheered off a little, but soon returned to a position 

 within reach of my net, when, with one fortunate stroke, I secured 

 my prize. I leave you to imagine my feelings when I found the 

 glorious creature fluttering inside my net. For three successive days 

 I wandered for miles up the same stream, seeing a specimen occa- 

 sionally, but getting no chance of making a capture, and I reluctantly 

 decided to try another part of the island. Before doing so, however, 

 I made one more visit to the stream, along which I walked to a place 

 where a waterfall came down the face of a very high rock, with a 

 narrow gorge between. Here I rested, thinking what a paradise it 

 ought to be for butterflies. Gigantic trees quite overshadowed the 

 river, and the undergrowth was rank and luxuriant. Presently, to my 

 great delight, I saw, just above my head, a mass of blue and gold 

 sailing gracefully along : then another ; and, after going a little w^ay, 

 one wheeled round and came up the bank low down, just hovering over 

 the leaves for a second, but before he could fly further I had him safe 

 in my net ; and ere I left that place, I had succeeded in capturing 

 several fine specimens. 



" Regarding the habits of this species, I observed that few speci- 

 mens were on the wing before noon. T\\ey then all come doivn the 

 river (chiefly on the same side), hover over leaves of trees, principally 



