7 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



regards the colour of the upper surface of the wings) in Asia, 

 Africa, and America, but none possess the characteristic 

 silvery markings on the under surface. Several of these are 

 adorned with transverse rows of spots, which are sometimes 

 ocellated on the under surface. 



Ethiopian Region. 



There are only two genera of this group found in Africa, if 

 we except Argynnis itself, the South European species of 

 which extend to the African coast of the Mediterranean. 



One of these, Lachnoptera^ Doubleday, contains a few 

 species confined to Africa. The best known of these is the 

 West African L. iole (Fabricius), in which the sexes are very dis- 

 similar, an unusual character in the present group. The male 

 is tawny above, with a marginal black line, a festooned sub- 

 marginal line, and within it a row of black spots. The hind- 

 wings are slightly angulated, and have two festooned sub- 

 marginal lines, and no marginal line ; the apical half of the 

 hind-wing has a large dark patch, by which this Butterfly can 

 be at once distinguished from any other, and there are two 

 black spots towards the anal angle. On the under surface 

 the colour is yellowish-tawny, and on the hind-wings the dark 

 patch has disappeared, but there is an interrupted row of black 

 spots across the wings, more or less distinctly pupillated with 

 white, and edged within with a pearly-grey band. The female, 

 which was originally described by Hewitson, under the name 

 of Harma hecatcea^ is brown, with the outer half of the 

 wings white nearly to the hind-margin, the white space being 

 bordered and intersected with brown lines. There are four 

 brown spots on the hind-wings, on the white band, two 

 towards the costa, and two towards the anal angle. The 

 under side is pearly-grey, with a slight pinkish lustre, and 

 marked with brown and tawny lines on the hind-wings ; there 

 are three eyes towards the costa, and two near the anal angle, 



