NYMPH ALIN^. 235 



of spots common to both wiugs smaller than on upper side, without 

 bluish tinge, whitish, in brown rings ; hind-margins varied irregularly 

 with whitish-grey, particularly at apices and anal angles ; two dark- 

 brown, lunulate streaks, more or less distinct and continuous, border 

 hind-margins, the streaks in hind-wing occupying the same position as 

 on upper side ; fringes duller than on upper side. 



The $ in colouring and pattern is like the $, but a little duller 

 and paler ; while her hind-wing is considerably broader and more 

 rounded, being less acuminate at the anal angle. 



Var. a. ($ and ?). 



Eather smaller. Common rufous band considerably paler, inclin- 

 ing to ochreous-yellow along its inner portion ; the stripe from costa 

 of fore-wing which forms part of the band not, or but very slightly, 

 violaceous. Fore-iving : the cellular bluish stri^ and the hind-mar- 

 ginal lunulate blue streaks less developed and sometimes indistinct. 

 Under side. — Basal areas more uniform in colour, being less varied 

 with paler stri« ; common discal band much paler and more developed, 

 approaching in character towards the same feature in P. Pelasgis 

 (Godt.) 



It seems not improbable that this variety, which occurs near Grahamstown, 

 in Kaffraria, and iu Natal, in company with the typical form, is the result of 

 unions between Arcliesia and Pelasgis,^ all the points in which it differs leadincr 

 towards the distinctive characters of the latter. 



The under side in true Archesia presents much variation, some examples 

 exhibiting slight bronzy reflections, and others inclining to a reddish tinge in 

 parts. A c? taken by me at Greytown, in Natal, in March 1867, has all the 

 under side of a warm ochreous-brown varied with ferruginous ; and a similar 

 but rather darker ^ has reached me from the Lydenburg District of the Trans- 

 vaal, where it was taken by Mr. T. Ayres. 



I am inclined to include as a further variety of Archesia the Precis Stand- 

 ingerii of Dewitz ^ from Angola, Avhich differs chiefly in the larger development 

 of all the blue markings of the fore-wing and smooth unstreaked pale- 

 brownish colouring of the under side. I have not, however, seen any Angolan 

 examples; but I note that Mr. Druce {Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1875, P- 4o8) 

 includes, without comment, Archesia amongst the late Mr. Monteiro's collec- 

 tions in Angola. 



There are few handsomer or more conspicuous South- African butterflies 

 than P. Archesia. It is fond of elevated situations, and, more than any of 

 its congeners that I have observed, delights to bask or repose on rocks or 

 large stones. Colonel Bowker has noted that it sometimes congregates under 

 rocks, and is often met with in small rocky caverns in deep forest kloofs. It 

 visits flowers pretty frequently nevertheless, and, though wary, is a bold insect, 

 and not difiicult to capture. Commoner in the summer, it yet is to be found 

 in the winter months, and I recently met with good specimens at Grahams- 

 town as late as the end of June. As far as known, the species does not come 

 farther westward and southward than Knysna, where a single specimen was 

 taken by Miss Wentworth (now Mrs. Muskett) in the year 1861. 



^ Mr. A. G. Spiller has noted in the Entomologist for January 1S82, that he had taken 

 these two species in copuld. 



^ Nov. Act. Acad. Leop.- Carol.- Deutsch., xli. pars ii. n. 2, p. 193, tab. xxv. n. 15. 



