BUTTERFLIES OF HONG KONG AND JAPAN. 208 



tcalkeri, Rehomoia glaucippe, and Huphiiia nerissa, all tropical 

 species. 



The manner in which H. glaucippe emerges from the 

 chrysalis is very remarkable, if all butterflies of this species 

 emerge in the same way as the one did which I watched coming 

 out, in a breeding-cage. The pupse of this species are very 

 bent back in the middle, so that in the pupal stage the legs of 

 the insect are, as it were, in the air, the back of the unformed 

 butterfly being downwards, when the pupse are attached to a 

 vertical object. Whilst I was looking at the chrysalis in 

 question, the butterfly began to emerge. After all its legs and 

 wings had been withdrawn from the pupal case, it lay still for a 

 few seconds with the body in the pupal case, the legs being free 

 and pointing upwards. But there was nothing above the insect 

 which it could catch hold of in order to enable it to get a 

 purchase and withdraw the body from the case. _ The way in 

 which the problem was solved was very interesting. After a 

 pause of a few seconds in order to take breath, as it were, the 

 insect suddenly gave a great heave by contracting and expanding 

 its body quickly, and out it came, backwards, falling right over 

 and making a complete back somersault. As it fell it seized the 

 lower extremity of the pupal case with its legs, and there it 

 remained and dried its wings, as if turning heels over head 

 backwards was the easiest possible thing for emerging butter- 

 flies. What happens if they miss the empty pupal case is, I 

 suppose, that they catch hold of the nearest leaf or twig and 

 hold on to that. 



On page 108, vol. ix. of Seitz's ' Macro-Lepidoptera of the 

 World,' it is stated that the earlier stages of Leptocircus curius 

 are unknown. I have bred many of these butterflies, of the 

 variety loalkeri, so the following account may be of interest : — 



The egg is laid singly on the upper side of the climbing 

 plant Illigera cordata, which is very local in Hong Kong. The 

 egg is round, and pale shining green. The newly emerged 

 caterpillar is dark olive-brown. Until a quarter grown it remains 

 the same dark greenish brown colour, with a greyish white 

 stripe along the spiracles. The legs are greyish white. As is 

 usual in many " swallowtail " caterpillars the anterior segments 

 of the young larvae are swollen, so that looking at the caterpillar 

 from above it has the exact shape of a tennis racket, the 

 swollen segments being very flattened out sideways. The young 

 caterpillar eats irregular patches ofl" the thick upper surface of 

 the leaves. It begins to feed at the edge of a leaf when about a 

 quarter grown. When full grown the larvae are one inch in 

 length, of a dull dark apple-green colour, the skin being rough 

 like shagreen. The head is pale yellowish green, and on the 

 neck are four small circular shining blact dots. A whitish 

 line runs along the spiracles, and the legs are greyish white. 



Q 2 



