NYMPHALIN^. 223 



close to anal angle ; costa and hind-margin closely hatched with very- 

 thin, minute, short, transverse lines ; occasionally this hatching is want- 

 ing on hind-margin, when there is an irregular black streak closely 

 bordering hind-mai-ginal edge. Hind-iving : more or less broadly 

 clouded with black at base, the black occupying most of discoidal cell, 

 at extremity of which is a subovato black spot ; this spot is occasion- 

 ally united to basal black by a thin black line along discoidal nervule ; 

 near and parallel to hind-margin a row of six ocelli similar to those of 

 fore-iving, but much larger (except the ocellus next anal angle, which 

 is always small, and sometimes very minute), situate between nervules 

 from first subcostal to submedian nervure ; macular streak of fore-wino- 

 continued across this wing in a more lunulate form, dusted v/ith bluish 

 scales, and ending in a thickly blue-dusted mark at anal angle ; speci- 

 mens possessing the exterior hind-marginal streak in fore-wing have it 

 likewise bordering hind-marginal edge of hind-wing. Cilia of both 

 wings hoary-greyish, with tufts of longer hairs on dentations of hind- 

 wing. Under side. — Paler or darker dull ochreous-hroivn {rarely pale 

 gregish-ochreous), the markings of upper side narrowly and faintly 

 reproduced in slateg-black. Forc-iving : no basal black ; some short, 

 strong, imle-ycllovjish hairs on costa near base ; stria in discoidal cell 

 outlined only with slatey-black, but darker than ground-colour, ocelli 

 mostly indistinctly marked, not blue-centred, but with a few, nmmte, 

 pale-yellowish hairs springing from their centres ; at anal angle, and 

 more rarely at apex, . is a whitish- violaceous tinge. Rind-wing : a 

 small slatey-black spot in discoidal cell ; an irregularly- waved slatey 

 streak, crossing wing before middle, closes cell ; a similar, but more 

 regular stria beyond this, and continuous of the third stria in fore-wing, 

 extends nearly to anal angle ; ocelli very indistinctly defined, much 

 smaller than on upper side, rather conspicuously tufted in their centres 

 with pale-yellowish hairs ; similar, but longer, hairs are scattered over 

 base and margins of wing, but are most abundant and longest on i7mer 

 margined portion covering ahdovien ; a bluish tinge at anal angle. 



A specimen with very pale under side, in my collection, has the 

 ocelli much distincter and bluer than above described, without any hairs 

 in their centres ; these hairs are indeed almost universally wanting, 

 except a few near bases of wings. 



$ Without the rich purple lustre of ^ ; but markings quite similar 

 to those of the other sex. Ocellate spots in both wings larger, and, as 

 a rule, comparatively with more Hue. Under side. — Quite like that 

 of^. 



This species is very variable as regards both depth of colouring and inten- 

 sity of marking. The ocelli of hind-wing are particularly so, being in some 

 specimens so enlarged as to form a broad continuous submargiual band. 



In its robust structure and thick, partly hairy wings, no less than in its 

 colouring, this Precis is not at all unlike tliat section of the allied genus 

 Vanessa which is represented by the well-known V. Polycldoros (Linn.) 



I am iiiiormed by Mrs. Barber that the larva feeds on "a large brown- 



