the Lepidoptera of St. Helena. 223 
of Ascension, where it was met with (in 1860) by the late 
Mr. Bewicke. 
Genus 3. Pyrameis, Hiibn. 
Pyrameis cardin', Linn. 
This well-known and almost cosmopolitan butterfly is quite 
abundant in the island, and is to be met with equally from the 
level of the sea to the summit of the highest ridge; but 
perhaps it abounds most in the intermediate districts, at 
which elevation the flowers of a large yellow everlasting are 
frequently quite covered with it. At Woodcot, too, it seems 
very plentiful; and most of my specimens I reared from some 
caterpillars which were brought to me from there by Miss C. 
Whitehead. 
P. cardui occurs in the Canarian, Madeiran, and Azo¬ 
rean groups ; but the St.-Helena examples are decidedly 
more highly coloured than a series of Madeiran ones which 
are now before me. 
Fam. II. Lycseuidffi. 
Genus 4. Cupido, Schrank. 
Cupido bccticus, Linn. 
Judging from what one ordinarily observes in butterflies, 
the sexes of the present species seem, as it were, to have 
exchanged places with each other; for whereas the males are, 
in most instances, more particularly adorned with the richest 
tints, I find, after a very careful investigation, that in Cupido 
bceticus it is the females which retain the brightest colour. 
This very pretty species is certainly the most abundant of 
the few Diurnal Lepidoptera which have, as yet, been found at 
St. Helena; and it is one which occurs more especially at a 
rather high altitude. At West Lodge it absolutely swarms; 
I have observed the flowers of the common blackberry lite¬ 
rally covered with it. At Plantation I captured two or 
three of the males less than a third of the size of the ordinary 
ones; but they do not appear to possess any other peculiarity. 
C. bceticus has a very wide geographical range; and it is 
found also in the Madeiran and Canarian groups, in both of 
which, though especially the former, it is well-nigh universal. 
Although common in many parts of the continent of Europe, 
in England it is of the greatest rarity, having been taken 
merely once or twice on the southern coast. The larva, 
