218 RHOPALOCEUA AFRICA AUSTRALIS. 



blackish, and occasionally wholly brown, presenting a totally 

 different aspect to that of the male. The under-side, on the 

 contrary, differs but very little in the two sexes, and an 

 examination of it almost invariably suffices for identifying 

 the male and female of a species : it is commonly of some 

 soft shade of grey or brownish, marbled or streaked with 

 transverse darker or paler lines, or with rows of white-ringed 

 spots, and is not unfi-equently ornamented with very brilliant 

 metallic dots, usually on the hind-wings. The various 

 Genera present considerable diversity of habit, some preferring 

 to settle on the bare ground, others on low plants, some 

 sporting about bushes, and others delighting in the topmost 

 sprigs of lofty trees. The majority are not strong or rapid 

 in flight, and all settle at very short intervals, but Loxura, 

 the species of Lyccena which approach Thecla, and many of 

 the Genus Zeritis, are very swift in their movements. Nearly 

 all, if not the whole, of the Butterflies of this Family, when 

 settled, have a singular habit of rubbing the erect hind-ivings 

 against each other, so that their upper-surfaces press together 

 in a manner resembling that of the blades of a pair of scissors 

 when repeatedly opened and shut. The hind-wings are often 

 moved backwards and forwards when half-expanded, and 

 in either case the action is so marked that it at once stamps 

 the butterfly as a member of the Lyc^nid^. 



This Family comprises more South African species than 

 any other, no less than fifty different kinds being already 

 known, comprising eleven Genera. Many are very common, 

 and would seem to be generally distributed, such as Lyccena 

 Palemon, Lingeus, Boctica, Telicanus, Messajius, &c., Chryso- 

 phanus Orus, Zeritis Pierus, Protumtius, &c., but others, 

 such as Loxura Alcides, lolaus Silas, Zeritis Alphceus, Thero, 

 Perion, Sec, are decidedly local in their habitats, and by no 

 means commonly met with. 



Genus LOXURA. 



Loxura, Horsf. 

 Myrina, Godt. 



Imago. — Eyes smooth : palpi remarkably long and stout 

 (especially the last joint), scaly, slightly hairy beneath at 

 base, separate, not rising above forehead, but horizontally 

 porrected ; antennce short, very stout, very gradually thicken- 

 ing to extremity. Thorax very long and stout, with 

 conspicuous elongate, tufted pterygodes. Fore-wings very 

 slightly dentate, bluntly angulated below apex. Hind-ivings 

 more distinctly dentate ; the submedian nervure produced to 



