Rhopalocera from the Australian region. 153 
Ialmenus evagoras, Don. 
The larve of this beautiful butterfly live in society 
upon the ‘ Wattle” (Acacia). On October 4th, 1884, I 
found, upon a small branch of ‘‘ Wattle,” at Paramatta, 
near Sydney, one pupa, a larva upon the point of 
changing, and a number of small larve, from tiny 
individuals just hatched to others nearly half-grown. 
This was evidently an early brood. At the same place, 
on February 9th, 1885, there were many of the perfect 
insects on the wing, and upon some young ‘“ Wattle” 
bushes, from two to three feet high, I noticed several 
clusters of pupe-cases, one batch of fifteen which had 
not emerged, and numbers of larve of all sizes. The 
larve and living pupe were attended by scores of small 
black ants, which continually ran backwards and forwards 
over them, and, as far as I could see, caused them no 
annoyance. The ants were attracted by some sticky 
saccharine matter which exuded from both larve and 
pupe, and gave them a bright and varnished appearance. 
Upon placing my face close to these nests I fancied that 
I could detect a faint and rather sickly aromatic odour. 
Many of the butterflies were setting on the twigs among 
the larve and pupe, and did not seem to be at all 
disturbed by the ants, although they flew away when 
I approached too near, but upon passing again in an 
hour’s time they had renewed their old position. They 
are evidently rather sluggish in their habits, and do not 
appear to wander far from their food-plant, and from the 
above I should say that there are a succession of broods 
from spring to autumn, and that young bushes are 
selected in preference to older ones. 
The larva a few days old is pale reddish brown, 
inclining to greenish upon the back, and with its whole 
surface covered with a few pale-coloured hairs ; tubercles 
small, but plainly visible; head shining black. 
The full-grown larva is 15 to 18 mm. long, sub- 
cylindrical, tapering to each extremity, and of a shining 
smoky greenish hue, in some individuals almost black ; a 
pale yellowish green and somewhat interrupted stripe 
encloses the spiracles, and widens out considerably upon 
tenth and eleventh segments; a pair of blunt, double, 
fleshy, dorsal spines on second to tenth and on twelfth 
segments, those on third, fourth, and twelfth segments 
