AXtOCERSES. 63 



et'ylus, Hewitson, Illustr. Diurii. Lepid. p. 49, no. 



i, pi, 21, figs, i, 2, 4 (1866) ; Distant, Rhop. Malay, p. 



285, pi 20, figs. 5, 6 (1885); Staudinger, Exot. Schmett. 



i. p. 282, pi. 96 (1886). 



This species, which expands from i^ to i^ inches, is 

 common throughout the Indo-Malayan Region, from India to 

 Celebes. The male is of a deep blue, with rather narrow 

 black borders, and a black patch of scales at the end of the 

 cell , the fringes of the hind-wings are white ; towards the 

 anal angle is a black spot bordered with white. Under side 

 greenish-grey, with a double dark line at the end of each cell, 

 followed by a common brown stripe, edged on both sides with 

 paler brown, and angulated towards the anal angle of the hind- 

 wings, where there are two rather long slender tails, on each 

 side of the base of which are two black spots, more or less 

 surrounded with white and orange. The female is brown 

 above, with a sub-marginal row of black spots partly surrounded 

 with orange, white, and black towards the anal angle of the 

 hind-wings. The under surface is nearly similar to the 

 male. 



GENUS AXIOCERSES. 



Axiocerses, Hiibner, Verz. bek. Schmett. p. 72 (1816). 

 Ckrysorychia, Wallengren, Lepid. Rhop. Caffr. p. 44 (1857); 



Trimen, South African Butteiflies, ii. p. 161 (1887). 

 This genus includes a few African Butterflies of small size, 

 measuring from an inch to an inch and a quarter a.ross the 

 wings. They are rather stout, hairy insects, of a brown or 

 black colour, with more or less of the surface of the wings red 

 or orange. The fore-wings are sub-triangular, and the anal 

 angle of the hind-wings is produced into a lobe. The under 

 surface of the wings is more or less varied with small metallic 

 golden or silvery spots. 



