94 Dr. G. B. Longstaff’s Notes on the Butterflies 
butterflies in the rainy season ; the harder it rained, they 
said, the more insects there were in the short interludes 
between the showers. 
On the high ground I got little; Vanessa kashmirensis, 
Pyrameis indica and cardui, none of them common, also 
a brilliantly-coloured beetle, a species of Cassida. I saw a 
school-boy catch Colias fieldit and a tailed “blue.” At 
Jalapahar, 7500 feet, I got a female Huphina nadina, 
Luc. [=vremba, Moore]. 
The only chance was to go down into the valleys, but it 
takes long to descend, and as the butterflies are for the 
most part only “at home” from 10.0 a.m. to 2.0 p.m., one 
does not get many hours’ collecting ; moreover, from those 
precious hours there are deductions to be made for cloudy 
times, and for the shadows of woods, and the still deeper 
shadows of lofty mountains. 
My first expedition, lasting three days on horseback, 
was to the Tista valley, lying to the east of Darjiling. 
December 17th, we went to Pashdk, about 17 miles, 
sleeping at the Public Works Department rest-house, 
about 2300 feet above the river, and about 3000 feet 
above the sea. 
When we got down to about 4000 feet above sea-level 
insects began to get fairly numerous, although it was late 
in the day for butterflies. Vanessa kashmirensis was 
common, and with them were several Pyrameis indica. I 
secured two of the handsome White Hiposcritia lalage 
[=argyridana, Butl.], both females. Several Veptis astola, 
Moore, were seen, mostly worn. At a shady turn of the 
road I got Lethe rohria, F., an exgeria-like Satyrid butter- 
fly ; close by Arhopala areste, Hew., flashed azure in the 
sunlight, but a specimen of another beautiful Lyczenid, 
Spindasis vulcanus, F., was badly battered. Of <Abisara 
flegyas, Cr., and A. fylla, Doub., | netted one each, and a 
large bee, Bombus funerarius ?, Smith, a 2%, tempted me to 
catch him. 
In the wood in which the rest-house stands Iycalesis 
indistans, Moore, was in abundance ; this is a typical shade- 
lover; when kicked up from the herbage it flaps about 
three yards, like Epinephale janira, L., and then settles on 
dead leaves or on the earth. Some of them had a slight 
“ist,” but this did not seem to be a marked habit, possibly 
because this position is not so advantageous in shade as in 
sunlight, though the habit was first noticed in Melanitis, 
