issi.] 245 



The flight of the fire-fly is somewhat flickering and uncertain, it 

 seems to move about in an objectless sort of way, the light dis- 

 appearing and re-appearing at intervals of less than a second, though 

 sometimes they show the light for longer periods, and, occasionally, I 

 notice that it is not extinguished at all. When running up a pane of 

 glass, the alternations of light and darkness are very rapid, five or six 

 times in a second. When two fire-flies happen to fly side by side 

 for a short distance, their light is not simultaneous, nor is it, either, 

 if only a dozen or so are scattered over one bush, to do it properly 

 a whole congregation is required, then they sit down altogether, do 

 not move, and produce and extinguish their light in unison, apparently 

 for the fun of the thing. 



Elopura, Borneo : 



12th Decemler, 1880. 



DESCRIPTION of a NEW SPECIES OF LYCMXIDM FROM PENANG. 

 BY W. L. DISTANT, V.P.E.S. 



lOLATJS (PUELISA) GIGANTEUS, 11. sp. 



Above, brilliant cerulean-blue. Anterior-wings : costal margin, to about one- 

 third from base, broadly hoary-grey, remainder of costal margin, apical third and 

 outer margin, dark fuscous. This dark fuscous portion occupies rather more than 

 one-third of the wing, commencing at costa it is curved downwards past end of cell, 

 gradually narrowing and terminating near posterior angle on inner margin. Pos- 

 terior-wings bi-caudate, with the outer margin broadly dark^fuscous, terminating at 

 anal angle with a lunulate fuscous spot, irrorated with blue scales, outwardly mar- 

 gined with white, followed by the dark line separating the fringe, which is white. 

 Tails fuscous, bordered with white fringe. Abdomen and inner margin of wings 

 hoary and pilose. 



Beneath, smoky-grey, both wings crossed by a submarginal narrow dark fascia, 

 commencing about mid-way between end of cell and margin, which is sharply defined 

 outwardly, and evanescent inwardly, waved, but entire on anterior-wing, but deeply 

 sinuate towards apex of posterior-wing ; a pale marginal border containing eomo 

 obscure lunulate marks on anterior, and a double row of smoky sub-lunulate marks 

 on posterior-wing ; a black spot faintly margined with blue before base of first tail, 

 and a larger spot of the same colour at anal angle. Fringe of the anterior-wmgs 

 concolorous, of the posterior white. Exp. of wings, 52 mm. 



Hab. : Penang. 



This fine species, which I have lately received from the above 

 locality, was not known to me when collecting there a few years since. 

 The only other specimen which I have seen is a mutilated one, without 

 locality, which has been in the collection of Mr. E. Moore for the last 

 twenty years, and which he tells me frequently excited the interest of 

 himself and the late Mr. Hewitson. PurJisa is the name of a genus in 

 ' MS., which Mr. Moore has proposed for the reception of this species. 



Selston Villas, Derwent Grove, East Dulwich : 

 March, 1881. 



