54 tKe entomologist. 



the upper side, and dull purple-brown on the lower. It frequents 

 the small open glades of woods, and rests with its wings folded, 

 thus concealing the showy upper side. 



Taygctis euptychicUa is a brownish black butterfly on both 

 upper and under side, the latter having a few inconspicuous 

 ornamental spots along the edge. 



Eunogyra satyriis, Westw., is almost jet-black and plain on 

 the upper side, black and somewhat unassumingly ornamented 

 on the under side. 



Most of the small butterflies frequenting thick woods are dark 

 brown and inconspicuously marked. My experience was that the 

 thicker the wood the fewer and smaller the butterflies it con- 

 tained. Tiie borders and large openings in woods are very 

 favourite places for them, and the brighter coloured ones love to 

 bask in the bright sun and flowers. On certain low scrub in full 

 bloom I used to see clouds of butterflies of various kinds hovering 

 and settlmg, chiefly whites and yellows. 



Among the protective devices made use of there are some 

 remarkable ones. I observed, at Santos, a white moth with 

 peculiarly rounded wings, and when at rest with its wings fitted 

 closely against the surface it presented a striking resemblance to 

 a round splash of bird excrement. There was also a greyish- 

 white Ciirculio beetle, which, when alarmed, curled itself up and 

 lay quite still, with its legs folded. The round body then 

 resembled the excrement of a gallinaceous bird. The wonderful 

 resemblance which the " stick msects" bear to dry twigs is very 

 familiar to all. They are numerous at Santos, and of various 

 species. 



The metallic lustre butterflies of Brazil are sun-baskers. 

 Many South American butterflies suck the juices of ripe and 

 decaying fruits. Such are the large blue Morphos. The im- 

 mense owl butterfly, so called from its extraordinary resemblance 

 to an owl, of the markings of the under side of its wings, with 

 its large staring peacock eye-spots painted on its lower side, and 

 the beak represented by the lower part of the body, is a crepus- 

 cular flyer, coming out from its concealment under the bushes 

 about SIX o'clock in the evening, and flying up and down over 

 the woodland streams. It is frequent near what used to be 

 White's Hotel at Tijuca, a lovely suburb of Eio Janeiro. The 

 wood moths are mostly sombre in coloration, and suit the dark- 

 ness of the thick woods and scrub. There are some very large 

 moths of a brownish black colour, with a subdued pattern in 

 various shades. These harmonise well with the dry bracken 

 and other ferns, among which they conceal themselves during 

 the day. 



A circumstance for which I was not prepared, and much 

 surprised me, was the large proportion of species of black 

 butterflies in Brazil. These have generally red and white orna- 



