CHAR AXES JASIUS. , 155 



as the projecting angles, two of which are prolonged 

 into tails. Beneath, the anterior portion of all the 

 wings is rust -red, marked with spots and transverse 

 stripes of olive-brown, encircled with white ; beyond 

 this there is a white band of a satiny lustre, bordered 

 externally on the upper wings with dusky lunules ; 

 the space beyond these lunules is fulvous, traversed 

 by a band of slate-grey, with a series of black spots, 

 inclining to triangular, on the inner side of it. Be- 

 yond the white band on the secondary wings there 

 is a row of ferruginous spots, succeeded by an olive- 

 coloured space bearing a row of violet-blue points ; 

 the posterior band similar to that on the upper side. 

 Head and thorax rust-brown ; abdomen dull brown, 

 with greyish hairs ; antennas black, proboscis shining 

 rust-red. 



The female scarcely differs in appearance from the 

 male, except in having the under side of the hinder 

 wings finely sprinkled in the middle with blue points. 



" The Jasius butterfly is one of the largest, rarest, 

 and most beautiful of the European diurnal Lepi- 

 doptera. It occurs in the southern countries of 

 France, for example, in the neighbourhood of Lyons, 

 the Isles d'Hieres, near Toulon and Montpellier; 

 also in Italy, Sicily, Corsica, some parts of Northern 

 Africa, and in Asia Minor. Lefebure de Cerisy of 

 Toulon has payed considerable attention to the 

 metamorphoses of this fine insect. The caterpillar, 

 which in its early stage is green, becomes after- 

 wards of a yellowish hue, and its skin is as it were 

 shagreened and transversely plaited. Its head is 



