16 



Under Side. Palpi wanting. Feet yellow. Breast white. Anterior wings lighter coloured than 

 on the upper side. The white streaks are verj- conspicuous, and near the tips is another streak of 

 ash-colour. The eye at the tips is very discernible. Posterior wings lighter coloured on this side, 

 being chiefly ash-colour, with a brown streak longitudinally placed, verged at the bottom with yellow 

 and blue streaks. The ear-like mark is also very plain on this side. 



ACR^A HYPATIA. 



Plate XIII. fig. 1, 2. 



Order: Lepidoptera. Section; Diurna. Family: Heliconiidse. 

 Genus. Acr^.4, Fabr. Latr. God. Papilio (Helicon.), Drury. 



ACR-EA Hypatia. Alis oblongis integerrlmis fulvis, punctis plurimis margineque externo nigris, posticaium 

 eodem margine supra immaculato, subtus flavo maeulato. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 6 lin ) 



Sy.n. Papilio (Helic) Hypatia, Brui-y, App. vol. 3. Fabr. Ent. Syst. 111. \.p. 163. No. 504. Enc. Mith. ix. 



p. 232. (Acrsea H.) 

 Habitat: " Sierra Leone, Mr. Smeathman, 1776" (Drury's MSS.). 



Upper Side. Antennae black. Head yellowish. Thorax and abdomen brown ; the former having 

 two white spots near the neck, and two more at a little distance. The latter having several white spots, 

 jilaced in pairs down to the anus. Wings fine flesh-coloured ; anterior tipped with black, and verged with 

 the same colour along their anterior and external edges. They are also clouded with black next the 

 body, and have eleven distinct black spots on each, one of which next the tips is very long. Posterior 

 wings having a broad black fringe along the external edges, and eleven distinct black spots on each, 

 some of which are very small. 



Under Side. Palpi yellow brown. Legs black and yellow. Breast black, spotted with white on 

 its side. Wings nearly coloured as on the upper side ; the anterior being not quite so brilliant, nor 

 so strongly tipped with black. All the black spots on the outside of these wings are also seen here ; but 

 the black clouds next the body are wanting. Posterior wings next the body tinged with orange, and the 

 black spots are much larger and more cUstinct and numerous than on the outside. Black fringe on the 

 external edges, with seven white spots placed regularly, close to each other. 



According to Mr. Smeathman, this butterfly and that represented in figures 3 and 4 of 

 this plate, and indeed all the " Heliconii," are found in great numbers in those places 

 where they breed, and are observed to bask and sport as much as possible in the sunshine, 

 retiring towards sunset in great crowds to particular bushes. They breed chiefly in recent 

 plantations, and near towns in general, so that, comparatively speaking, few of them are 

 found in the ancient forests. Such however as inhabit them fly about the tops of the 

 highest trees, seeking the honey from their flowers, and are seldom seen below. 



