Further Notes on the Eggs of Butterfiies. 429 



enough reflected light from the sunlit ground or other 

 leaves below to make the egg's detail easily visible. 



The eggs of Pyrameis cardui (blue-green), Antanartia 

 schoeneia (grey-green) and Eurytela hiarbas (glassy, 

 slightly yellowish green) are all less contrasted with the 

 leaves of their respective food-plants than are the eggs of 

 the Danainae and Acraeinae. They do not at once catch 

 the eye as these latter are apt to do, and, by the careless 

 searcher or when not looked at directly, may often be 

 passed over. Yet, searched for well, even these are very 

 fairly visible, and I have noticed that the eggs of Antanartia 

 are somewhat particularly so when laid beneath a leaf. 

 In hairiness (shared with Byhlia) the Eurytela egg resembles 

 that of its food-plant at Chirinda. This certainly aids 

 in such concealment as it enjoys, yet, when the egg is 

 detected, this same hairiness gives it great distinctiveness. 



A very beautiful egg, if a small one, is the clear cut-glass 

 egg, just tinged with green, of Hypolimnas misippvs, in 

 fair contrast to the leaf of Portulaca. A curious egg is that 

 of Pseudacraea lucretia, a half-sphere with a bubbled or 

 honeycombed appearance due to the occupation of the 

 whole exposed surface by closely packed depressions. 

 It is perhaps less in contrast with the peculiar russet 

 or silvery underside of the leaves of its food-plants 

 {Chrysophyllum spp.) than a considerable proportion of 

 butterfly eggs are with the coloration of theirs. The 

 green egg of Char axes ethalion, which, with the Pseudacraea 

 egg, seemed to be the most readily taken by the ants, 

 matches the green of its food-plant (Albizzia) better than 

 any egg I know, especially just at first. Later it develops 

 its ring, a dark brown one, and it then looks not very 

 unlike the extra-floral nectaries of Albizzia chirindensis. 

 I have not examined those of typical Albizzia fastigiata, 

 its food-plant in Natal; In any case the resemblance, such 

 as it is, is unlikely to have been the result of selection, as 

 the ring is a common feature of Charaxes eggs, and even 

 enemies that are easily deceived or are looking carelessly 

 would learn to distinguish the egg from the nectary by 

 its different position on the leaf. I have seen one or two 

 broods of C. ethalion (out of a large number) in which the 

 eggs were yellow instead of green. 



The strong ringing of the egg of Papilio dardanus is 

 perhaps a httle more notable, though a tendency in that 

 direction occurs in other Papilionine eggs at Chirinda. 



