INTRODUCTION. Ixxi 



always feeding on the leaves of Anana muricata, Linn., a 

 plant introduced from the West Indies. I also met with the 

 larvae of Euplcea midamus, Linn., feeding both on an indi- 

 genous plant and on the oleander, which was imported from 

 Europe as an ornamental plant ; and at Manghasar the larvae 

 of Cyllo leda. Linn., were not uncommon on the South Ameri- 

 can pampas grass, which I grew in my garden for horse fodder. 

 " Among East Indian larvae I also observed the peculiar varia- 

 tions and resemblances, perhaps partly explicable by mimicry, 

 but always remarkable, which occur among larvae themselves. 

 Some, apparently without any rule, which produce allied 

 Butterflies, are very similar, while at other times those of 

 species which resemble each other very closely (such as the 

 European Acror.ycta tridens^ Esp., and A. psi. Linn.), always 

 exhibit great differences in their larvae ; and again other species 

 which are very distantly related, are produced from larvae which 

 resemble each other very closely. The larvae; of the closely- 

 allied Papilla memnon and P. polytes. Linn., differ only in size 

 and in their food plant. The little arrow-head shaped larvae 

 of Bombya waringi, Teysm., which we have just mentioned, 

 is exactly like a diminutive Sphinx larva, and the larvae of 

 the widely-separated Amathusia phidippus. Linn., and Lasio- 

 campa vishnou, Guerin, though of very similar form, differ 

 only in colour and food. Among the larvae of L. vishnou 1 

 once saw something which never occurred to me at any other 

 time ; on the whole length of the back some specimens (for 

 this larva varies extremely in colour and markings) showed a 

 beautiful mark which appeared like a stripe embroidered with 

 white and yellow floss-silk, while there was an abundance of 

 white and yellow hairs along both sides of the larva. Shortly 

 before they changed into pupae, the white and yellow colour 

 both of the stripes and of the long hair on the sides, changed 

 to violet, without this being due to moulting. 



