NYMPHALID^. NYMPHALIN.E. HESTINA. 57 



of which the outer one is triangular ; above these three indistinct spots, the middle one some- 

 .mes wanting ; between the lower median nervule and the submedian nervure two vittre united at 

 the base t e upper one followed by a round spot ; above these between the nervules 1" ut 



thre soots o'fwr- 7Tl '"'' " "","'''' ^'^ °'"" '''^' ^"^^^^"^"y' ^^^ -"^ f«"-ved b; 

 three spots, of which the lower are somewhat lunulate, the upper ones more rounded ; four round- 



^^IT "" i' T"' '"' "'"' ''' '"'^^ "^^'" ^''' '""^^ --Sin is glaucous, the apex tin" I 

 with brown. ^^«^z..«,o.castaneous, darker in the female than in the male, witk seven whiSh 

 subd.aplja„ous vjtt. placed between the nervules. all, except the innermost, followed b^ a 

 round white dot. beyond which the ground-colour of the wing is slightly darker; towards th^ 

 outer margin a series of indistinct whitish spots, sometimes nearly obsolete. C^Iof both 

 wings spotted with white. Underside. Forr.mnor black with strong blue reflections the 

 apex broadly chestnut, slightly bronzed towards the disc ; the markings as above but clearer 

 with two additional spots on the costa near the base, //hidzcj/,^,^ paler than above, the white 

 portions more or less irrorated with chestnut scales; on the margin a distinct series of whit- 

 ish lunules. //eaci, tJiorax, and abdomen black, clothed with grey hairs ; head above, and 

 thorax below, spotted with white ; abdomen below grey. Palpi black, spotted with white 

 Antenn<z black. This species, which much resembles Papilio agesior and Banais tytia has 

 the cells of both wings open." {Doubleday 1. c.) The female has '« the wings broader than the 

 male and the ferruginous outer margin on both sides of the hindwing lacks the series of very 

 dark brown lunules between the nervules which are present in the male." {dc Niccville, 1. c.) 



// tiama is common in the Eastern Himalayas extendhig as far westwards as Kumaon 

 where however it is rare, and eastwards across the Brahmaputra into the Kiiasi and Na-a Hills 

 and the mountain ranges of Upper Burma. It is the largest of the Indian species, and con- 

 spicuously differs from all the others, not only by the castaneous hue of the hindwing. but in the 

 sharply lunulate character of the spots in the discal series, and the corresponding dentation of 

 the streaks preceding them. It most nearly resembles the typical species from China H 

 «...//«/,.. but differs from it in not having a submarginal series of red rounded spots towards 

 the anal angle of the hindwing. The female is much less often seen in collections than the 

 male, though at low elevations in Sikkim in the late autumn it is very common, flying or soarin- 

 about m open spaces on the borders of forest and exactly mimicing Danais tytia, botli in 

 appearance and habits. The Indian Museum, Calcutta, possesses this species from Nepal, 

 Sylhet, Khasi Hills, Sibsagar {S. E. Peal), Naga Hills, and specimens obtained by the Yunan 

 Expedition. 



The figure shows both upper and undersides of a female from Sikkim in the Indian 

 Museum, Calcutta. 



In the second group three species have been described, but owing to the characters on 

 which they are separated not having been recorded, and the great rarity of two of the species 

 the exact extent of the group is still undetermined. It probably embraces two distinct species 

 only. '^ 



The first species, iTl persimilis, was described by Westwood in 1850, and his description 

 relates to the male insect only ; the female has since been discovered, and is now well known • the 

 male IS very constant in the extent of the pale markings, but the female shows considerable 

 variation in this respect. 



_ In 1858 Moore described another species under the name ol H. mena, the description also 

 being that of a male insect; but no reference, whatever, was made in it to ^. /^W/;> no,' 

 were the characters stated in which H. mena was considered to differ from //. persimilis \Z 

 species however, appears to be a good one, its large size and the character of the fo'rewin^ 

 referred to above in the key to the species of Hestina being sufficient to warrant its sepam 



Agairi in 1869, Butler described and figured a species under the name of ff -dla • fl,<, 

 specimen described being also a male. It is said to be most nearly allied to H. menaXuX 



8 



