Feb., '02] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 37 



reverse of a hard and strong leaf, that can keep it from the 

 rains and its enemies, which are chiefly the birds. Having 

 chosen the spot, they lay a long silk net, made by themselves. 

 This being finished, they each choose a place side by side and 

 remain very quiet, without taking food, about two days, and 

 the third day they are suspended vertically from the extremity 

 of the abdomen, and then, by means of the belt which they 

 make with very fine threads, become suspended horizontally. 

 Once the insect is in this position, it removes its caterpillar 

 garment and begins its chrysalis life. The chrysalis is about 

 18 millimetres in size, of a dark-red color, black-spotted. Two 

 or three months, according to the time of the year, the Eumcetis 

 debora remains in a chrysalis state, and when this time is up, 

 on a warm morning, between nine and ten, it breaks the 

 an tero- superior part of the cover in which it was closed, and 

 the butterfly comes out in such a state of weakness that it can 

 hardly stand. 



At this moment the colors of the butterflies are opaque and 

 the wings are folded against the body. 



The animal gets a very bright aspect by the action of the 

 sunbeams, spreads its wings and commences to fly slowly. 

 Two hours after, it enjoys full movements, expelling through 

 the anus a yellowish liquid of a particular odor, and rushes 

 into the world of adventures. 



The male, after accomplishing the copulations, flies about for 

 a time, and the female, once fecundated, hunts anxiously for a 

 Cycad to deposit its eggs in, dying some hours after. 



The EumcBus debora, in its perfect state, is a Lepidopteron, 30 

 millimetres long, with its four round wings of velvet aspect, 

 bright black color, full of numerous and symmetrical golden 

 spots, on its inferior side, and blue and green, with metallic 

 reflections, on the superior part. The posterior borders of the 

 wings are fringed with a very fine white flounce that takes a 

 tint intensely black on the abdominal region. This is also of 

 a very black color and is covered with thin filiform scales. 

 The thorax shows on the back, a blue spot, with golden re- 

 flections. The head shows two great compound eyes bordered 

 by a circle of white, and small scales and two soft and flexible 

 antennae. The palpi (lips) are prominent. 



