272 Mr. P. H. Gosse on the Insects of Jamaica* 



closed wings against each other, in the manner common to the 

 genus. 



48. Thecia (sp. nov. near Pan, No. 2632, Br. Mus.). About 

 the end of March this Httle sombre species occurs ; playing about 

 the flowering plants and fruit-trees of the pastures, especially in 

 the lowlands. In Bluefields pasture I have observed it affect the 

 bushes of Cleome pentaphi/Ua, whose elegant long-stamened blos- 

 soms probably attract it, though it does not rest much on them, 

 but pursues its game of aerial play with its fellows in incessant 

 and unwearied pertinacity ; half-a-dozen or more whirling about 

 each other in the air with a rapidity of contortion that the eye 

 of the observer vainly attempts to follow. Often two or three 

 will begin to play around an orange-tree, and in a few seconds, 

 others which we had not seen before, coming from no one knows 

 where, suddenly join in the gambols, and thus the little group 

 increases to eight or ten, which after a while separate and di- 

 sperse as invisibly as they came. Their small size and great ra- 

 pidity of motion doubtless help to produce this efiect. They 

 delight in the full beams of the burning sun ; the hottest part of 

 the day is the season of their greatest activity; and even the 

 shadow of a passing cloud will spoil their play. 



49. Thecia (sp. nov.. No. 2635, Br. Mus.). 



50. Thecia Acis. A single specimen. 



51. Thecia (sp. nov. near Hugo). A single specimen occurred, 

 but I have no note of the time or place of its capture. 



52. Thecia (sp. nov.. No. 2659, Br. Mus.). A very lovely little 

 species of a splendid silvery blue above, the apex of the wings 

 broadly black ; the under surface bluish white with many faint 

 lines. It occurred two or three times only in the month of June 

 on the Hampstead Boad ; each one was solitary, flitting among 

 trees or resting on leaves at a considerable elevation, at the edge 

 of the dark forest, itself out of the reach of the sun's rays. 



53. Thecia (sp. nov. near Herodotus, No. 2718, Br. Mus.). 

 Somewhat like the preceding above, but larger and much less 

 brilliant : the under surface is of a lively yellowish green, the 

 posterior wings bro^^m at the margin, with a white edge. This 

 species was still rarer than the former, but frequented the same 

 situation. 



54. Thecia (sp. nov.). Above with a general resemblance to 

 the former two, the size agreeing with the last ; the blue is very 

 rich, approaching a purple tint. The inferior surface has some- 

 what the same character as in Pan. It is very rare ; I met with 

 it but once or twice on the Hampstead Road in June. 



55. Polyommatus Cassius. This minute and delicate little 

 " Blue '' is exceedingly abundant in the pastures of the lowlands 

 and the guinea-grass pieces of the hill-sides. In company with 



