CiiAi". VII. MIMETIC RESEMBLANCES. 297 



The insects of Villa Nova are, to a great extent, the 

 same as those of Santarem and the Tapajos. A few 

 species of all orders, however, are found here, which 

 occurred nowhere else on the Amazons, besides several 

 others which are properly considered local varieties or 

 races of others found at Para, on the Northern shore of 

 the Amazons or in other parts of Tropical America. The 

 H3rmenoptera were especially numerous, as they always 

 are in districts which possess a sandy soil ; but the many 

 interesting facts which I gleaned relative to their habits 

 will be more conveniently introduced when I treat of the 

 same or similar species found in the localities above- 

 named. One of the most conspicuous insects peculiar 

 to Villa Nova is an exceedingly handsome butterfly, 

 which has been named Agrias Phalcidon. It is of large 

 size, and the colours of the upper surface of its wings, 

 resemble those of the Callithea Leprieurii, already 

 described, namely, dark blue, with a broad silvery-gi'een 

 border. When it settles on leaves of trees, fifteen or 

 twenty feet from the ground, it closes its wings and 

 then exhibits a row of brilliant pale-blue eye-like spots 

 with white pupils, which adorns their under surface. Its 

 flight is exceedingly swift, but when at rest it is not 

 easily made to budge from its place ; or if driven off, 

 returns soon after to the same spot. Its superficial 

 resemblance to Callithea Leprieurii, which is a very 

 abundant species in the same locality, is very close. 

 The likeness might be considered a mere accidental 

 coincidence, especially as it refers chiefly to the upper 

 surface of the wings, if similar parallel resemblances 

 did not occur between other species of the same two 



