SAIS. 131 



Genus XIII. SAIS. 



Sais Hiibn. 



Heliconia Latr., God*. 



Mechanitis Fab. 



Head small, covered with scales only. 



Eyes prominent, nearly round. 



Maxillae longer than the thorax. 



Labial Palpi very small, scarcely rising above the forehead, scaly ; dorsal tuft very slender. First 

 joint stoutest, thickest at the base, much curved, about three fourths the length of the second, 

 which is curved, subcylindric, compressed, tapered towards the af>ex; third joint somewhat 

 pyriform, rather pointed at the apex, about one tenth the length of the second. 



Antenna; more than three fourths the length of the body, very slender, thickening insensibly 

 towards the apex, where the articulations are but little thicker than at the base. 

 Thorax nearly round. 



Anterior Wings elongate, subtriangular ; the anterior margin slightly curved, twice the length of 

 the outer, which is rounded ; inner margin about four fifths the length of the anterior, more or 

 less emarginate. Costal nervure terminating beyond the end of the cell. Subcostal nervure 

 emitting its first nervule a short distance before the end of the cell ; its second about at an equal 

 distance beyond it ; its third about midway between the second and fourth ; this last rather 

 further from the apex than from the third ; the fifth nervule reaching the outer margin a short 

 distance before the apex. Upper disco-cellular nervule wanting ; middle disco-cellular directed 

 obliquely inwards ; the lower one obliquely outwards, uniting with the third median nervule, 

 which is bent at an obtuse angle at the point of junction. Internal nervule slender, running 

 into the submedian nervure. 



Posterior Wings elongate, obovate ; the anterior margin nearly straight towards the base, especially 

 in the males. Precostal nervure bifid, the inner branch directed immediately to the base of the 

 wing, the other outwards, not curved. Costal and subcostal nervures united to the origin of 

 the precostal, thence running close and almost parallel to one another for their whole length 

 (closer together in the males than in the females), the former terminating on the costa, not far 

 from the apex. First subcostal nervule straight, terminating at the apex ; second subcostal 

 nervule in the males thrown off from the nervure at a right angle, then bent outwards at nearly 

 the same angle, where it is joined by the upper disco-cellular nervule. In the females the 



