BUTTERFLIES. 145 



here the greater number of the species are black and scarlet above, 

 though some are marked with blue, green, or yellow. The under 

 surface varies ; several species are marked nearly as in Callicore, 

 but more heavily, while in others the under surface of the hind 

 wings is covered with alternate stripes of black and yellow. 



Gyncecia Dirce, Linn., is a very common and widely distributed 

 butterfly in South America, where it is fond of settling on the 

 trunks of trees with its wings raised, like Ageronia and several 

 other allied genera. It is a robust insect, and measures upwards 

 of two inches across the wings. The fore wings are triangular 

 and obtusely pointed, owing to the hind margin being rather 

 oblique ; and there is a projecting lobe on the lower part of the 

 hind wings. The upper side is uniform brown, with a broad 

 yellow band running obliquely across the fore wings. On the 

 under side the transverse band is paler, and the whole of the 

 wings are beautifully striped and reticulated with brown and 

 grey. 



The species of Pandora, Westw., are large insects, expanding 

 about three inches. The hind margin of the fore wings is more 

 or less concave, but the hind wings are not dentated. They are 

 black, with a brassy-green band beyond the middle on all the 

 wings; towards the base they are darker green, intersected by 

 numerous rather broad black lines. The under side of the hind 

 wings is red. They inhabit the west of South America, and their 

 flight is very rapid. 



Ageronia, Hiibn., is chiefly remarkable for the crackling noise 

 which several species make with their wings during flight. The 

 butterflies are tesselated with black and grey, green, or blue, ac- 

 cording to the species; they measure upwards of two inches in 

 expanse, and the wings are slightly dentated; but the hind margin 

 of the fore wings is hardly concave. 



The genus Didonis, Hiibn., includes a few brown butterflies, 

 expanding about two and a half inches. The fore wings are 

 rounded, and the hind wings dentated ; the latter are marked with 

 a conspicuous red submarginal band, and are spotted with red at 

 the base beneath. 



The genus Megalum, Blanch., includes several brown or tawny 

 species, with black transverse lines running across both pairs of 

 wings. In another section, represented by M. Corinna, Latr., the 

 species are brown, with a broad tawny band across the fore wings 

 and a large blue blotch at the base of the hind wings. The species 



K 



