PREFACE. i 



phenomena of Entomology may here be studied in life — yet little has been done beyond 

 attaching a name to each different form or species ; and even in this preliminary ground- ,voik 

 the greater portion of the labour has been carried on, not by Englishmen, but by foreigners. 

 The larger number of our Indian species have been named by French, German or Russian 

 naturalists, while not one per cent, have been named by English naturalists in this country. 

 The few among our countrymen out here who have taken up the study have worked under 

 difficulties sufficient to dishearten the most ardent student ; and the usual result has been that 

 their laboriously collected observations and notes have either been lost altogether, or rendered 

 comparatively useless owing to difficulties in identification of the species observed, or to omis- 

 sion of some detail, the importance of which could only be known to skilled zoologists. 



The reason for this state of affairs is obvious. No attempt has hitherto been made to bring 

 the study of the science within the reach of the public in this country. The published 

 information regarding Indian Butterflies is scattered over numerous works, many of which are 

 out of print, and are either not to be bought at all, or else only at prices beyond the means 

 of private individuals. The older books deal with Butterflies from all parts of the world, and 

 the more recent papers regarding the Butterflies of particular localities, such as the " Butterflies 

 of Malacca," by Butler, the "Butterflies of Tenasserim," of the " Andamans and Nicobars," 

 of " Bengal," of the " North- West Himalayas," &c., by Moore, consist of bare and incomplete 

 lists of names, with descriptions of a few new species ; and, while amply fulfilling the special 

 object with which they were published, are of no use whatever to the general public, except to 

 the few who, having access to good museums and libraries, have at hand the means of supple- 

 menting for themselves the information given. 



It has been well nigh impossible under such circumstances for collectors of Butterflies 

 in this country to name their own specimens, and our knowledge of Indian Butterflies has 

 been limited to the contents of such of the more important collections as have been from 

 time to time sent to the Museums of Europe for study and description ; but the contents 

 of the smaller collections have, for the most part, been left unrecorded. It is probable that 

 there are, comparatively, few species in this country still unnamed ; but that something in this 

 direction still remains to be done is proved by the fact that, since it became known about 

 a year and a half ago that this book was under preparation, nearly fifty new species have 

 been discovered by naturalists in this country — a number far exceeding that of all the species 

 hitherto named by working naturalists in India. 



But in the matter of scientific observation of habits and life-history we repeat that very 

 little has been done. To get this we must be mainly independent of foreign help — we must 

 depend on our own exertions. No one collector, however zealous, and no single observer, 

 however accurate and persevering, can exhaust the subject even in a single locality. It is by 

 the combined efforts of the many that progress will be secured. The study in this country 

 has hitherto, as we have shown, lacked the stimulus and interest that a knowledge of the 

 nomenclature, and a record of what had previously been discovered, would have supplied ; 

 and it is to supply this want, and to secure the co-operation of all those who take an 

 interest in the matter, that a descriptive handbook is required. It has been no small 

 encouragement to us to find that, in the comparatively short time that has elapsed since 

 this work was commenced, we have received hearty sympathy and help from naturalists 

 all over the country, who have not only redoubled their exertions in collecting and observ- 

 ing, but have generously assisted us with specimens, notes, and valuable advice, while several 

 gentlemen, not previously interested in the subject, have undertaken to collect in various 

 localities. Professor J. Wood-Mason, Deputy Superintendent of the Indian Museum, 

 Calcutta, has also in view of this publication thoroughly re-arranged and investigated the 



