Observed in a tour through India and Ceylon. 69 



and Argynnis lathonia, and hero I took two specimens of 

 Pamassius hardivickii, Gray, one worn, the other in beauti- 

 ful conditiou ; it is a lovely creature, but the under-side has 

 a curious resemblance to oiled paper. Delicate looking 

 though it be, it is strangely tenacious of life. The con- 

 currence of a" Clouded Yellow," a "Queen of Spain," and an 

 "Apollo " was very suggestive of the Alps. All too soon the 

 path plunged again into the now somewhat scrubby forest 

 to come out finally, at near 11,000 ft., on to the grassy, 

 flower-bedecked plateau in which the mountain culminates. 

 The Lha To, or rude altar of the degraded form of 

 Buddhism that is prevalent in " The Hills," crowning the 

 highest peak, reminded one of the High Places of Baal. 

 The troops of butterflies seemed almost to rejoice in the 

 glorious panorama of "The Snows" spread far around. 

 The brilliant Argynnis lathonia was common, and the 

 dingy Vanessa kashmirensis quite abundant — probably 

 the more distant of yon white peaks to the left arises from 

 its name-place, Kashmir. Colias fieldii was also in large 

 numbers, a female exhibiting a symmetrical injury to the 

 hind-wings very suggestive of a peck by a bird. Precis 

 orithyia was there too, but Aulocera swaha was conspicuous 

 by its absence. Of a humming-bird moth, much smaller 

 than ours, Rhopalopsyche nyctcris, Koll., I netted three 

 specimens, one at the flowers of a delphinium. Herbula 

 ccspitalis, Schiff., reminded me of home. The Blues were 

 represented by Cyaniris singalcnsis, Moore. A male Terias 

 hecabe was of the wet-season form. I noted that this 

 species is very easy to catch, and is brilliant on the wing ; 

 also that when settled on a shrub or flower it is usually 

 extremely conspicuous, but not so when it chooses as its 

 resting-place a certain low plant with oval leaves fading to 

 a yellow tint ; then the rounded form of the wings greatly 

 aids its concealment. An old friend, Euxoa corticea, Schiff., 

 was taken flying in the sunshine. I had several exciting 

 chases after a big yellow Swallow-tail, and eventually 

 secured one — my first Papilio ! It proved to be our 

 machaon, L., var. asiatica, Men. Here, as in Japan, it scorns 

 fens and dykes, glorying in mountain tops. 



On the way down to Narkanda several Pyrameis indica 

 disputed the path with our party. 



The great resemblance to European forms presented by 

 the bulk of the butterflies seen in this expedition cannot 

 fail to strike the reader. 



