^'YMPHALIXiE. 



333 



a series of short sub-sagittate contiguous dark-ferruginous marks, and 

 (close to anal angle) by a black curved line ; the liind-marginal yellow 

 lunulate spots are surrounded by bluish-white, preceded by a series of 

 blue-black thin lunules, only conspicuous near anal angle ; between 

 end of white band and anal angle a space is greenish-tinged and sub- 

 ocellate, bounded internally by a pale-yellow lunule. 



$ Duller and ^mler throughout, es'pedally as regards the common 

 discal hand, the hind-marginal spots, and the basal darh-ferruginous. 

 Fore-wing : spots traversing discal band larger, more suffused. Hind- 

 iving : discal band extending narrowly and obscurely to inner margin ; 

 submarginal bluish spots larger, — a small additional one above third 

 median nervule. Under side. — As in ^, but the markings generally 

 somewhat fainter. 



The $ figured by Mr. Butler (loc. cit.) shows the under side mark- 

 ings as brighter and stronger than in the $ ; especially well marked 

 are the fuscous spots bounding externally the discal band in the fore- 

 wing, and even more enlarged are the dark-ferruginous acuminate 

 markings bounding it in the hind- wing. This may very probably be 

 the normal appeai-auce of the ^, as I have only received one example 

 of that sex. 



C. Felias is in the upper- side colouring and pattern not unlike 

 C. Bruccanus, Butl., though everywhere paler, and with only the 

 basal area suffused with ferruginous ; but on the under side is at once 

 separated by its very much duller markings (scarcely silvery any- 

 where), and greyish (instead of ferruginous and fulvous) hind-marginal 

 area. 



This is the only South- African CJ/araxes known to inhabit the open moun- 

 tainous western tracts of the Cape Colony. Specimens have reached me from 

 Genadendal ^ (Rev. G. Hettarsch) and Montagu (Mr. L. Taats), and I noticed it 

 in Bain's Kloof in January 1876. Having heard from Dr. D. R. Kannemeyer 

 that the species occurred abundantly at Montagu, I visited that locality in 

 January 1876, but did not succeed in taking any examples, although I saw 

 four daring my two days' stay. I found that, as my correspondent reported, 

 the butterfly haunted the " Wagenboom " {Protea grandiflora), sitting close 

 until accidentally distui-bed, when it darted away with great rapidity, and 

 would settle on some distant bush of the Wagenboom — not returning to its 

 former station, as is the habit of many species of Charaxes. Dr. Kannemeyer, 

 however, who had a very much more intimate acquaintance Avith Pelias than 

 I enjoyed, noted that it commonly showed a preference for some particular 

 twig, genei-ally a withered one ; it was most prevalent at the end of November 

 and beginning of December. Mr. Taats took it, in the same locality, " flying 

 about willows, February." I think it very probable that the larva feeds on 

 the Wagenboom, and that the butterfly will be found all through the moun- 

 tainous country where that fine shrub or small tree prevails. 



^ I was much interested at finding an example of this butterfly, labelled " Genadendal," 

 among the remains of the Burchell Collection, preserved in the Hopeian Museum at 

 Oxford. 



