126 SOUTH- AFEICAN BUTTERFLIES. 



bearing two slender tails {the longer on submedian nervure, the other 

 on first median nervule), and a dentation (rarely a short third tail) on 

 second median nervule ; anal angle more or less prominently lobed ; 

 costal nervure not reaching apex, but first subcostal nervule terminat- 

 ing there ; in $, near base and costa (partly overlapped by inner 

 margin of fore-wings), a circular polished space, large or very large, 

 blackish or greyish, with a paler shining centre. 



Zegs as in Myrina, but very much more slender ; the femora not 

 hairy, and the first tarsal joint of the hind pair not swollen. 



Pupa. (/. Silas, Westw.) Very thick, rounded ; the back very con- 

 vex, with a slight prominence on the thorax and second abdominal 

 segment ; posterior region rather suddenly narrowed ; anal extremity 

 truncate and slightly expanded. Attached with silk by the tail only, 

 horizontally on the under side of a leaf. 



lolaus, as characterised above, seems a tolerably distinct genus, 

 distinguished from Mijrina by the wide separation of the radial 

 nervules of the fore-wings at their origins, in addition to its much 

 more slender structure in all respects, and constant possession of more 

 than one tail on each hind-wing. The curious and conspicuous sexual 

 badges in the $ appear not to exist in eight Indian and Malayan 

 species catalogued by Hewitson {loc. cit.), but are constant in the 

 African species, with the exception of /. Pallcnc (Wallengr.) 



To the thirty-five species on record by Messrs. Hewitson and Kirby, 

 I consider that Myrina Greta, Hewits., from Congo, and M. Pallene, 

 Wallengr., should be added. Nearly all of these lovely butterflies are 

 blue above, intense as a rule in the ^, but duller and mixed with 

 whitish in the ^, with the apical part of the fore- wings black, while 

 beneath they are shining-white or yellowish- white, sometimes tinged 

 with grey, with one or two transverse sti*eaks of black, crimson-red, 

 ferruginous-red, or orange-ochreous, usually common to both fore and 

 hind wings. 



There are eight known South-African species. The finest is I. Silas, 

 which is characterised by the very deep metallic-blue upper side of the 

 $, and brilliant white under side, with a single crimson and black line, 

 of both sexes. The rather larger but paler /. Trimeni is known only 

 from the Transvaal. /. Sidus, a smaller butterfly, is of remarkable 

 beauty, azure-blue above and beneath greyish-white, with two very 

 pronounced crimson streaks. In /. Boidceri both sexes are white- 

 spotted on the disc of the fore-wings above; /. Miniosce is of a rather 

 dull blue, and on the under side is grey ; /. Aiihnamdcs has the under 

 side banded with orange-ochreous edged with black ; and the aberrant 

 /. Pallcnc is all cream-colour with a black edging, and beneath with 

 two transverse black streaks. 



The perfect insects rest on the twigs and leaves of shrubs or small 

 trees, quite in the manner of Thccla, taking brief but rapid flights — 

 usually in chase one of another — and occasionally visiting flowers. The 



