A LIST OE THE BOMBAY BUTTERFLIES IN THE SOCIETY'S COLLECTION. 41 



connected with the necessity so often imposed on them of travelling 

 in search of fresh pastures. I do not think birds eat them, but 

 they are the victims of a dipterous parasite, in appearance not 

 unlike a house fly. Immediately after the caterpillar has become 

 a pupa, the larva? of the parasite, of which there may be half a 

 dozen, undergo the same change within its shell and the beautiful 

 bright yellow pupa at ouce turns black. 



101. Nephfronia gaea. — This is very common in Bombay at the 

 close of the monsoon and for some time after. It frequents lanes 

 and hedges, especially where there is water and plenty of verdure. 



102. Pontia xiphia. — This comes out about the close of the rainy 

 season and continues all through the cold months. About shady 

 lanes and hedges it is sometimes very abuudant, flying low and 

 settling constantly. I think it occurs throughout the Presidency, 

 wherever there is sufficient moisture and vegetation. 



103. Caiopsilia. — This perplexing genus is poorly represented 

 m the collection, and I must annotate on it as a whole, never having 

 been able to form an opinion for myself as to how many distinct 

 species there really are (I mean in nature, not in museums). Pyranthe 

 keeps itself quite distinct, laying its eggs on a small annual shrub 

 (Caisia, occldcntalis) ; but the lai'ger species fly high and fast, are 

 indistinguishable on the wing- and appear to feed indiscriminately 

 on several leguminous trees, and as the larva? resemble each other 

 strongly, it is almost impossible to settle anything by breeding 

 unless one could induce the insect to lay its eggs in captivity, which 

 I fancy would be difficult. 



This genus differs from all the preceding in one point of attitude, 

 namely that, when at rest, it sits upright with wings firmly closed. 

 The habit of migrating westwards has often been noticed. I have 

 observed these migrations in September, and always I think in the 

 face of a strong west wind. 



104. Terias laeta. — This species, though by no means so abun- 

 dant as the next, is common enough about Bombay at the end of the 

 rainy season and for some time after. It varies little compared 

 with the next. 



105. T. hecabe. — Till someone arises with leisure and abilty to 

 rescue this genus from the chaos into which it has been plunged 

 by reckless species-making, everything which is not laeta must go 

 as hecabe. I am disposed from my own observation to believe in 

 a third species, smaller and more dusky than hecabe, which swarms 



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