337 
the Lepidoptera o f St. Helena. 
margin is a very narrow, faint, ochreous line. In the female 
the fore wings are of a slightly darker brown, with a conspi¬ 
cuous straight narrow transverse antemedian band of a whitish- 
yellow tint; the letter-like marking almost as distinct (though 
not so raised) as in the male. Hind wings smoky brown, 
rather paler and more transparent near to the base. Thorax 
with a broad, central, pale yellowish band; body rather 
darker than the posterior wings. 
Like S. scintillulalis , the present species may be defined, 
essentially, as occupying the higher districts of the island, 
which are characterized by the presence of the various arbo¬ 
rescent Composite known as the u cabbage trees ; ” and 
although it may be met with as low down as Oakbank and 
Plantation, it is not before we reach the great central ridge 
that it becomes absolutely abundant. In the vicinity, how¬ 
ever, of Diana’s Peak and Acteon, as well as along Stitch’s 
Ridge and the Cabbage-tree road, it may be said to swarm, 
flying, when disturbed, out of the masses of fern and other 
vegetation which hang about the rocks almost everywhere ; 
and I should say that there is scarcely a Lepidopterous 
insect in those elevated regions which is, on the whole, more 
common. It is very readily distinguished, at any rate the 
male—the dark, rich, brownish-black hue of the anterior wings, 
which is mainly relieved by a straight, transverse, yellowish 
antemedian band, in conjunction with the pale dorsal stripe of 
the same hue which extends throughout, the centre of the 
thorax, rendering it easy to recognize. 
Genus 24. Hellula, Guen. 
Hellula undalis , Fab. 
Widely spread over the low and intermediate districts of 
the island ; but I am not sure that I observed it so high as 
the central ridge ; indeed I think that Plantation is about its 
upper limit, so far, at least, as my own experience is con¬ 
cerned. In the neighbourhood of Jamestown I do not recol¬ 
lect that it was very abundant, though I certainly met with 
it in the Botanic Gardens and at Maldivia ; but at Cleugh’s 
Plain it appeared to be common, and at Plantation tolerably 
so. It frequents open grassy places, as well as weedy spots 
about gardens and cultivated grounds, being soon aroused 
into flight in the daytime. In all probability it has been 
naturalized at St. Helena: at any rate it possesses a consi¬ 
derable geographical range ; for it is not uncommon, I believe, 
in some parts of Europe, and I have taken the species abun.^ 
dantly in the less-elevated regions of Madeira. 
Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 5. Vol. iii. 
24 
