SATYPJN^. 115 



of the butterfly contained in the Collection of the British Museum from all the 

 warmer parts of the Old AVorld, specifying no fewer than twenty-eight recog- 

 nisable variations. In his British Museum Catalogue of Satyrid(je (issued in 

 1868), pp. 1-3, he reduced these Avith judgment to nine, at the same time 

 remarking, " I have found it utterly impossible to separate the above forms 

 specifically from one another ; slight differences in form and in the colouring 

 of the upper side are the only guides by which to distinguish the different 

 named varieties ; but even these are not constant. The true Leda, however, 

 appears to occur only in India and the Indian Islands ; but the slight variety 

 Ismene (including Mycena and Arcensia) has a much wider range, being found 

 in India, Java, Australia, and Africa. The (?) Taitensis of Felder links this 

 form to Solandra ; the latter and Banlcsia appear to exist only in Australia 

 and Africa, whilst Pliedima seems to be strictly confined to Australia." 



As supplementing this account, I may mention that I have captured at 

 D'Urban, I^atal, true Leda, indistinguishable from the type inhabiting Con- 

 tinental India, and have received other specimens from the same locality, one 

 of which precisely agrees with Cramer's figure of Leda (pi. ccxcii. a, under 

 side) from India. In May 1879 Colonel Bowker forwarded a considerable 

 number of specimens taken near D'Urban ; these exhibited every variety of 

 tint and marking on the under side, and one of them (a '(J) was quite like 

 Cramer's figure of Arcensia (c on the same plate), while another $ , except for 

 a little more fulvous on the upper side, closely agreed with Cramer's figures of 

 Ismene (pi. xxvi. ff. a, b). In some of the Natal and Madagascar examples, of 

 both sexes, the fulvous covering is very largely developed on the upper side, 

 extending almost to the bases of the wings. Throughout the several varia- 

 tions, the $ always has the fore-wings more angulated than those of the $ . 



The specimens which I met with in Mauritius (see Trans. Ent. Soc. Loud., 



1866, p. 336) correspond pretty nearly with Natalian examples, including 

 typical Leda, with scarcely a tinge of rufous on upper side, and with the 

 under-side ocelli largely developed, and others with a very rufous upper side, 

 and the under-side ocelli obsolete. 



I found this butterfly rather scarce near D'Urban during the summer of 



1867, only taking a few individuals in the month of February; but it is 

 evidently numerous there in some seasons, the late Mr. M'Ken and Colonel 

 Bowker having sent down many specimens. Shade-loving habits are car- 

 ried to their farthest point by this Melaniiis, which rests among the dead 

 leaves, which its wonderfully-variable under surface so closely resembles, in 

 the darkest parts of woods, and seldom moves during the daytime unless 

 roughly disturbed. On one wet and gloomy day, I took a specimen sitting out 

 in the open on the bare mould of a flower-bed ; but, as a rule, it is only about 

 sunset that Leda begins to fly heavily about near the ground. In Mauritius, 

 where the species was abundant, I observed these butterflies chasing each other 

 at dusk until it became too dark to see their movements any longer. In 

 Moore's Lefpidojptera of Ceylon similar habits are recorded of Leda by Mr. 

 Hutchison, who notes that it " flies at dawn and dusk of the evening, rarely 

 by day" (p. 15). When aroused in the daytime, Leda seldom keeps on the 

 wing for more than a few yards' distance, flying in a most irregular, flapping, 

 heavy manner, and settling again on the ground or on dead leaves. 



Localities of Mdanitis Leda. 

 I. South Africa. 



E. Natal. 



a. Coast Districts. — D'Urban. 



h. Upper Districts. — Estcourt {J. M. Hutchinson). 



F. Zululand. — St. Lucia Bay {Colonel H. I'ower). 

 K. Transvaal. — Upper Limpopo {F. C. Selous). 



