on South American ^Butterflies. 9 



beam of' light. It is the species with the snowy white fringes 

 which I liave always seen thus occupied. 



Panara Borsaciis was very common at Altar do Chao on the 

 Tapajos ; it occurs at Ega also, hut much more rarely. Its flight 

 is rapid and short, always near the ground, settling invariably on 

 the under surface of leaves, with the wings horizontal. I see 

 no difference whatever between the Ega and the Tapajos spe- 

 cimens of this species. 



Calydncs. — The metropolis of ihe Calydnce is Altar do Chao, or, 

 to speak more physical-geograp])ica11y, the dry forests of the sandy 

 region of the lower Tapajos ; ascending the Tapajos they dis- 

 appear, but are again in great numbers as to individuals (but 

 some of the species wanting) at Villa Nova, which is very similar 

 in physical character to the Tapajos region. At Obydos I believe 

 I did not meet with more than one species ; at Ega and Barra 

 they are almost unknown ; at Ega, in fact, I have only met with 

 one specimen of the species most generally distributed about the 

 country (not figured in Hewitson's plate). Strange to say, several 

 of the species occur at Tunantins, which fact I can only explain 

 by considering that the soil is of the same light and sandy nature 

 at this place as at Villa Nova, whilst at Ega and at Obydos it is 

 clayey. They frequent a peculiar sweet smelling inconspicuous 

 blossom on the borders of the forest ; these blossoms are found 

 at Ega, as well as the other localities. I have about thirteen 

 species ; they form a distinct and natural genus in the sub-family 

 Nijmphldi'mce, — identical, I think, in neuration with Ni/mphidi.uvi, 

 Analola, Tharops, Theope, Lemonias, EmesiSf Symmachia, Charts, 

 Mesene, Beotis, and many other genera. These sub-families only 

 confuse. The palpi are different from those of Nymphidium. As 

 to the legs, I do not think they will offer stable characters in the 

 family Erycinidce. The female of one species, Calydna Calamisa, 

 has the fore legs of a very peculiar form, the terminal joint of the 

 tarsi being very large and oval ; but I do not attach much im- 

 portance to this, as similar strange aberrations of form in the fore 

 legs are found without reference to other signs of affinity here and 

 there in this family, as well as in the Theclcv. All the Calydncc 

 have a short but excessively rapid flight ; the eye cannot follow 

 them in their movements ; they are found only in the very hottest 

 and dryest weather, when the herbage on the open campos is 

 withered by the inevitable daily sun for many weeks into a yellow 

 dust, and almost all other aninnal life is hushed into languid repose. 



