NYMPHALIN^E. 279 



Between the Inaria form and the ordinary $ very numerous grada- 

 tions appear, some examples retaining part of the apical blackish as 

 well as the white markings, others presenting the white markings only, 

 and some again exhibiting merely a part of the latter in varying 

 degrees of distinctness. 



The $ often presents a whitish suffusion on the disc of the hind- 

 wing, chiefly about the median nervure and its nervules ; this seems to 

 be more frequent in the Inaria form and the specimens more or less 

 approaching it. 



Laeva. — Fuscous-brown on back ; sides dull-greenish, with two 

 longitudinal dull-red streaks (of which the upper one is the broader) ; 

 all the legs red. Head dull-red, with two rather long, divergent, 

 spinose, black horns. Body beset throughout with blackish branched 

 spines, tinged with pale-red at their bases. Feeds on Fortulaca oleracea 

 and P. qiiadrifida (M. E. Barber). 



Pupa. — (Plate I. fig. 5.) Brownish yellow-ochreous, varied with 

 very dark-brown ; abdominal segments rather closely ringed with fine 

 fuscous parallel lines ; back of thorax irregularly patched with very 

 dark-brown ; wing-covers all dark- brown except for some ochreous 

 spotting near extremity. 



The above description of the larva is from a draAving sent to me 

 by Mrs. Barber in the year 1867; that of the yupa is from a specimen 

 I obtained at Maritzburg, Natal, in April of that year, and from two 

 others (which produced respectively a ^ and a $ of the Inaria form) 

 sent to me in March 1870 by Colonel Bowker from Maseru, Basuto- 

 land. One of the latter is represented in my figure. 



Judging from the figures given in Moore's Lcpido'ptera of Ceylon, 

 the Cingalese larva is of much duller colouring, the back and upper 

 sides being given as ochreous-brown, the lower sides very dark-brown ; 

 the head and pro-legs dull ochre-yellowish, and the spines of the body 

 almost the same colour but paler. The Cingalese ;^nqxi is also darker 

 and more uniform in colouring ; but the South- African one is variable 

 in this respect, a figure of Mrs. Barber's representing it as of a pale 

 greyish-brown without dark variegation. 



This well-known and widely-ranging species is generally distributed over 

 South Africa, except in the S."\V. of the Cape Colony, where it only occurs as 

 a straggler, a few examples even reaching Cape Town in seasons when the 

 insect is numerous. The ^ varies scarcely at all, except in size and in the 

 depth of the under-siu'face colouring, while the 9 > <^s above noted, is highly 

 variable within certain limits. Misi^ypus is a bold and active insect, frequent- 

 ing flowers in gardens and open spots, and often settling on the ground. The 

 latter habit is more practised by the $, wlio thus shows off his expanded 

 purple-ringed wings to much advantage. Colonel Bowker has noted, near 

 D'Urban, with what persistence a $ will continue to occupy one particular 

 spot. In one instance, when a $ so guarding a little space of about ten 

 yards square, and beating off other $ s who intruded, was captured. Colonel 

 Bowker found, the next day, that another $ had taken possession of the 

 vacant station. He suggests that possibly the presence of a ^ pupa almost 



