Col. C. Swinlioe on new Indian Butterflies. 363 



the second cliscal spot ; sometimes, but not always, there is a 

 very minute spot immediately below the first discal spot. 

 Hind wing without markings, the patch of velvety hairs on 

 the hind wings of the male reddish at their base. 



Underside slightly paler ; spots on fore wing as above, the 

 lowest discal spot in the female largely suffused, the outer 

 half of the two lowest interspaces in the fore wing of the 

 male pale and shining, the inner half in both sexes blackish, 

 with a patch of brown raised scales in the centre of the sub- 

 median vein in the male. 



Expanse of wings, $ $ lj% inch. 



Sikkim, 1889. 



Allied to B. scopidifera, Moore (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1883, 

 p. 532) ; differs in both sexes in having three instead of two 

 subapical spots, in having three instead of two discal spots in 

 the male, which are differently shaped, and differs very mate- 

 rially in the female. This insect is included by Mr. de 

 Niceville as one of the varieties of B. oceia, Hewitson. The 

 descriptions of the so-called variations of B. oceia by Wood- 

 Mason and de Niceville in Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, 1881, 

 p. 258, are to me incomprehensible — B. oceia, Hew., is a 

 Philippine insect. Hewitson's type, now in the British Mu- 

 seum, which I have carefully examined, is from the Philip- 

 pines, and is not an Indian insect ; above this type Hewitson 

 appears to have put several Indian Hesperids which are of 

 two if not three different species, and none of them correspond 

 with the type. If any one will examine the type of Nilasera 

 amantes, Hew., in the British Museum incorporated collec- 

 tion, with the insects Hewitson placed over that name in the 

 Hewitsonian collection, also in the British Museum, he will 

 understand in what manner Hewitson failed sometimes to 

 recognize his own species. There are several other instances 

 of a similar kind in the Hewitsonian collection. If Wood- 

 Mason and de Niceville's contention be correct that this insect 

 is so very variable as they state, then it must stand as B. 

 scopidifera, Moore, because it is not B. oceia, Hew. ; but it 

 appears to me that B. scopidifera as described by Moore, 

 his B. unicolor, and the insect I have now described as B. 

 sikkima are all good species of constant characteristics ; they 

 vary a little, but not more than Hesperids usually vary, and 

 I can show a satisfactory series of all three species. 



13. Parnara astigmata, n. sp. 



£ . Upperside blackish brown. Fore wing with two semi- 

 diaphanous, yellowish-white, confluent spots at the end of the 



