THE BUTTERFLIES OF THURSDAY ISLAND. 35 
castellated dwellings of the Termites. Some of them were from 
ten to twelve feet high, and eight or ten feet in circumference. 
They were evidently all inhabited, for several pinnacles we 
knocked off were swarming with ants. The galleries were full of 
vegetable matter, which apparently consisted of a mixture of bits 
of grass, grass-seeds, and wood-dust. The nests were composed 
of agglutinated sand, and were as hard as sandstone itself. It 
is astonishing how these little creatures can construct such 
wonderful dwellings. They must be several years raising one to 
a height of ten feet; for besides these large dwellings there were 
a number of smaller ones in course of erection, some only a few 
inches above the surface of the ground, but they had all an old 
weather-beaten appearance. ‘The galleries looked as if they had 
been lined with a dark reddish brown shining substance, though 
this might have been produced by the traffic of such multitudes 
of insects constantly running to and fro. 
The first butterflies we saw were Junonia orithya, which were 
fond of settling on bare patches on the ground, but they were so 
wary that they were very difficult to catch. There was a strong 
breeze blowing, and directly they took wing they were carried off 
at a great pace. Some of the Hucalyptus trees were in flower, and 
proved attractive to several species of butterflies, notably Papilio 
polydorus and Eurycus cressida, butterflies which are very similar 
in habits and appearance when on the wing. One evidently 
mimics the other, and they fly in a slow floating manner, and are 
seemingly easy to catch. However, to-day, in this particular 
locality, they were flying high out of reach among the topmost 
branches of the trees; occasionally one descended and crossed 
the opening to another tree. This afforded a chance, and a rush 
was made after it; and it was amusing to watch how easily 
it avoided the frantic strokes of the net, and reached its goal in 
perfect safety, while its would-be captor stood still beneath the 
tree, hot, panting, and probably with bruised shins, and, in bad 
French, blessed polydorus, who was again feasting unconcernedly 
aloft. By the way, has anyone noticed how closely Papilio 
anactus mimics Acrea andromacha in its flight and general 
appearance? I have, upon several occasions, mistaken the two ; 
the former flying in the weak straight manner of the latter, and 
the colours and pattern of both somewhat resembling each 
other. Among the grass were several species of Terias, 
