116 D. Prain — Fauna of Narcondam and Barren Island. [April, 



cells in one or two rows on the trader-surface of slender twigs.* Its 

 sting is very sharp at the time ; fortunately the irritation passes off al- 

 most completely in half-an-hour or so ; unfortunately the nests are very 

 numerous on all the drier slopes where there is any jungle. 



Butterflies are not numerous in either island. On Narcondam one 

 species (Cynthia erota) is plentiful, and another (IlupJiina lichinosa) is 

 common ; the other species are, at least at the season of the writer's visit, 

 but poorly represented. On Barren Island all the species seen are, at 

 that season, particularly scarce. The writer collected on Narcondam a 

 few of most of the kinds seen, and during his visit to Barren Island he 

 had the pleasure of the company of Mr. R. Wimberley, of the Port Blair 

 Commission, whose ardour as a lepidopterist is well-known to his Indian 

 brethren. As Mr. Wimberley came on purpose to collect the butterflies 

 of Barren Island the writer paid but little attention to them ; he had 

 hoped that Mr. Wimberley might prepare a note, which could not fail 

 to be highly interesting, on the species he had collected. Mi*. Wimberley 

 has not seen his way to do this; he has, however, most obligingly 

 supplied the writer with a list of the species obtained by him ; this 

 list is given below verbatim. As regards the specimens collected on 

 Narcondam the writer has had the privilege of the kind assistance of 

 Mr. deNicevillc, who has most obligingly examined the small collec- 

 tion and named the species. f 



List of Butterflies seen on Barren Island. 

 (Prepared by Mr. E. Wimberley, Port Blair.) 



1. Hypolimnas bolina Linn. 3 two. 



2. Nacaduba co3lestis DeNicev. Several. 



3. Castalius (species, could not tell). 



* To the writer's perhaps prejudiced imagination it appeared that it preferred 

 making its nost on Capparis sepiaria to building elsewhere. The arrangement is 

 excellent ; an outlying sprawling branch hooks itsolf unobserved to one's log or one's 

 arm ; tho next movement sets the whole bnah a-shaking and boforo ono is aware 

 his head and face form tho point d'appui for a whole army of angry wasplets. Tho 

 nests, from their shape and situation, aro particularly difficult to see, and after 

 forming the firmest resolve to bo more wary next time, ono only knows that ho has 

 blundered into another nest when it is necessary to pick tho creatures off his faco 

 and From out his hair. So far from trying to obtain specimens our principal object 

 was to keep out of tho creature's way. 



f While thanking Mr. do Nicevillo for his kindness in naming this small collec- 

 tion, the writer would tako this opportunity of mentioning thai Mr. de Nioeville has 

 also kindly pointed out that the butterfly mentioned in Jour. As. Boc. Bang, lis, 

 pt. 2, p. 250, as fcoding on Calotropis gig write /, and as a recent introduction into the 

 Aii'lamans is not Danais genutia, as there stated, bul Van \\ chrysippus. 



