62 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST, SOCIETY, Vol, XXVIII. 
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A latons, L. (=lathonia, Auctt.) 
Buxton notes having taken it at Menzil, 2,000 ft., 30th March 1919, 
common but worn. 
Genus MELITAMA, Fab. 
M. trivia, Sehitf., Sub-sp. persea, Koll. Seitz. 1, 66d. 
In the Brit. Mus. and by Lt.-Col. W. H. Evans, this form is classed under 
trivia, Schiff., but Lt.-Col. Bingham (F. Br. Ind. Butt. Vol. 1, p. 453), described 
it as a race of didyma, Esper. trivia and didyma, like all forms of Melitea, vary 
greatly and are both widespread. 
Key: Bright tawny with scalloped black marginal band and small black 
spots above. 
Underside apex of f.w. cream dotted with black, hindwing cream-white 
with broken curved bands of tawny and small black spots, the terminations 
of veins prominently black. Female, larger than male and hindwing beneath 
more cream tinted. 
Usually rather scarce where it is found, though in March ones one may 
secure a dozeninamorning. The dry-season or June-July brood is apt to 
be scarcer in collections than the other owing to the excessive heat, the 
forbidding region where it occurs preventing much collecting. For these little 
butterflies seem to delight in the hottest sunshine, with a temperature even in 
the shade of 120° F. ; and the males being very small are particularly difficult 
to follow with the eye in the glare and with perspiration streaming over one’s 
eyelids. Indeed with a prospect of getting possibly a few little Melitea, 
or very likely none, for one’s trouble, the collector needs to be an enthusiast 
to go out into the heat and glare on these stony hills in June or July. These 
butterflies must no doubt find dew or flowers of some sort on these seemingly 
bare hills where they can renew the moisture of their small bodies in this 
awful heat, where almost their only companions seem to be the large spiny- 
tailed lizards (Uromastix loricatus}. 
The habits of Persea here are like those of the race on the N. W. Frontier 
of India on the Jebels or low hills at 400 to 600 feet elevation in Mespotamia, 
the males settle on the stony ground at the crests of the ridges, now and again 
rising to sport with some passing butterfly, and again settling with wings 
spread to the sunshine. 
Usually when put up they soon settle again near the same spot. Being 
small they are not very easily seen when settled; so on coming up to a 
hill-crest it is best to watch the sky-line when a Meliiea may be seen 
to rise up to meet some rival and settle again on the ground, where the net with 
tail and held up may be dropped over it. If the end of the net is not held up 
the butterfly is apt to damage its wings against the stones. Females are much 
the rarer, end may be met with unexpectedly: perhaps settled on the ground 
near a camp, or at a flower. Freshly emerged examples were taken on 16th 
March 1919; on 21st May worn specimens only were taken. The previous 
year some in fresh condition were taken on 27th June. 
An autumn brood, such as occurs on the N. W. F. of India, is probable also 
in Mesopotamia. Females were seen flying along the sides of stony ridges without 
settling, while the males kept often settling, about the crests both in Meso- 
potamia and on the North West Frontier of India, where too a mated pair were 
taken settled on the ground of the summit with a second male hovering about 
them. So these stony hill-crests would appear to be their mating places, the 
males waiting there to waylay the females as they come by. Lt.-Col. 
Watney took this Sp. at Baghdad far from any hills on April 19th, 1919. A 
pale form var robertsi, Rutt., also occurs on the N. W. F. of India. 
