Ii6 NYMPH ALID.E. SATYRIN^. MYCALESIS. 



uniform vinous-brown, with a narrow purple-white discal band crossing both wings, and two 

 marginal lunular lines. Forewing with four ocelli, the three upper ones small, all encircled 

 by a single purple band, some specimens having a small lower fifih ocellus, which is also 

 encompassed within the single purple band. Hindwiug with seven ocelli, the second and 

 third upper and the seventh the smallest, all being encircled by a single purple band." 



The ocellation of the forewing on the underside exhibits in this country in addition to 

 the variations above noted, many of those detailed in the description of M. mineiis. The form 

 in which the upper ocellus has a smaller one below it, and the lower ocellus a smaller one 

 above it, and either all four enclosed in one band or enclosed in pairs by two bands, is very 

 common in Northern India. There are also sometimes five ocelli, owing to the appearance 

 of a minute ocellus beneath the fourth ocellus. The presence of the small ocellus on the 

 upperside of the forewing does not accompany any particular disposition of the ocelli of the 

 undeiside, but is common to all, and the gradations from a spotless upper surface, to a 

 distinct though small ocellus on the forewing are regular and complete. 



M. blasius has a slightly different geographical distribution from that of M. mineus. It 

 is common in Burma and North-East India, but has not been found in the Andamans or 

 Nicobar Islands, though it was included, apparently erroneously, in Moore's list of the Butter- 

 flies of the South Andamans under the name of M. samba * On the other hand it has a more 

 westerly range in continental India, being common in Oudh as far as Lucknow at any rate, 

 and we have a single specimen from the Punjab. It is also found in Ceylon and in the extreme 

 south of the peninsula, but we are unable to say yet whether it, like M. mineus, is found along 

 the Eastern Coast. Mr. de Niceville has taken it commonly in Calcutta throughout the warm 

 months, and Mr. Wood-Mason took it in Cachar in May and June. In Ceylon it is " found at 

 all times in the western and central provinces ; plains and up to 2,000 feet elevation on 

 grassy land. Flight short and slow, along edges of forest-paths and grass land, settling on 

 tufts of grass." — (^Htiichison^ 



The figure shews the upper and undersides of a male specimen taken at Calcutta, and 

 now in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. 



In the next species under the name 71/. milieus, Linnncus, we have included three forms 

 that have been named as distinct species — M. drusia, Cramer, M. justina, Cramer, and the 

 oritrinal M- miiicus. Regarding the distinctions between these supposed species great dif- 

 ferences of opinion have been shown by various writers. In 185 1, AVestwood, in the Gen. 

 D. L. (vol. ii, p. 393) placed both drusia and justina as probable varieties of M. tnineus ; 

 in 1857 Horsfield and Moore in the Cat. Lep. Mus. E. I. C. (p. 231) placed M drusia as a 

 distinct species, giving M. justina as a variety, and M. viineus as a synonym of the latter, with 

 a mark of interrogation ; in 1868, Butler in the Cat. Lep. B. M., Satyridie (p. 135) placed 

 M. justina as a variety of AT. mineus, and M. drusiz as a distinct species with the following re- 

 jTiark (p. 134) : "It seems improbable that this is a variety of M. mineus as the position of tlie 

 central band and the ocelli of the underside are quite different. It is just possible that Cramer's 

 figure is from a broken specimen, which might account for these differences ; but there is still a 

 distinctive character in the dark colour of the ocellus-irides and the different form of the 

 mari'inal lines. Mr. Moore has considered some specimens oi AI. tnineus to represent M. drusia." 

 In 1 87 1 Kirby, in his Synonymic Catalogue of Diurnal Lepidoptera (p. 89) also retains Af. 

 </;7/^/rt as distinct, giving Af. justina a.s a. variety of M. mineus; and again in 1880 Moore, 

 in his Lepidoptera of Ceylon, keeps M. mineus and Af. drusia as distinct species, and 

 describes and figures both ; but as he figures A/, drusia with a yellow fascia on the underside 

 and only four ocelli on the hindwing, while he describes it as having a greyish-white fascia 

 and the hindwing with seven ocelli ; and as he figures A/, tnineus with a narrow bluish-wliite 

 fascia, and describes it as having a prominent broad yellowish-white transverse discal band, 

 his work only adds to the obscurity in which the point is involved. 



' Proc. Zool. Soc. Loud., 1877, P' i^3- 



