186 Mr. G. F. Mathew’s life-histories of 
looked for more, and, as there were only a few plants of 
Cladium growing in this locality, I was not long in doing 
so. The result of my search rewarded me with three 
more empty chrysalids and a full one, the latter evidently 
just on the point of hatching, as the wing-markings were 
plainly visible through the case, and the abdominal 
segments were much swollen. The larva which produced 
this chrysalis had spun the tips of the leaves together 
just in front of another chrysalis, completely imprisoning 
it, for when the lower one attempted to emerge it found 
its way blocked, and so perished miserably, and its 
remains were being devoured by some red ants, who had 
worked their way in through the lower end of the first 
cocoon. I fancy such a mistake as this does not often 
happen in nature. The next day the upper chrysalis 
produced a fine female, and, as I had not seen the species 
before, | was much pleased. 
A few days after this I was again in the same locality 
for fresh food, but had no net with me, and so, asa 
matter of course, saw several picta flitting about among 
the Cladium. There were two males and a female. The 
former frequently darted off and regaled themselves on 
the flowers of a neighbouring lantana bush, but the 
latter, I observed, was assiduously fluttermg among the 
lower stems of the Cladiwm, and, after watching her for 
a‘short time, I came to the conclusion that she was 
depositing eggs, and presently I saw her do so, and 
secured the egg. I subsequently obtained this butterfly 
in several other localities near Sydney, took many 
chrysalids and larve, and bred a nice series of them. 
There are a succession of broods from spring to autumn, 
and during the winter months the small larve hybernate 
low down among the stems of their food-plant in loose 
silken cocoons. 
The egg is deposited on the under side of the leaf, 
generally near its tip. It is somewhat orange-shaped, 
flattened at the base, and with a minute depression at 
the apex, and is finely ribbed, the ribs widening from 
apex to base. At first it is clear straw-yellow, changing 
to greenish yellow on the second day. About the sixth 
day an apical purple blotch and a waved purple stripe 
appears round the middle of the egg, and the whole turns 
to a dull lead-colour shortly before the emergence of the 
larva. The newly-hatched larva is pale yellowish green, 
