BUTTERFLIES OF MESOPOTAMIA 351 
extended inwards to the innerside of the discoidal spot, which merely appears 
as a white semi-circle. Soar 
An egg, glistening pearl-white, seen laid on March 24th by a 2, which was 
then netted, on the tip of a small bud in the centre of a group of buds in a young 
flower-head of a yellow crucifer like mustard. 
On the 27th March this egg had become orange-coloured, and on 28th it 
hatched, the larva being pale green dotted with black, head black. It was 
‘seen feeding among the florets of the flower-clusters. This larva was subse- 
quently lost. On March 24th a small grey larva with black head was found 
on a head of flower-buds of this yellow crucifer, where the young leaves near 
the buds had been eaten. On April 6th a female was netted after laying 
a glistening white eggon a young unopened bud of a mauve-flowered crucifer, 
the next day this egg had changed to dull yellow. 
On 30th March (1926), on the Jebel Hamrin, at Fathah gorge, females of EH. 
belemia were seen ovipositing on Hirschfeldia adpressa, Moench, a charlock-like 
yellow crucifer ; and on white mustard, Sinapis alba, L., a race, the egg being 
Jaid upon the young unopened flower-buds. 
These plants were identified at Kew. The egg has about twenty loagitudi- 
‘nal ridges with fine transverse ridges between and crossing these. 
On March 28th (1919) three full-grown larve were found on seed stems of a 
yellow crucifer. One pupated the same evening head upwards on the thicker 
portion of the stem just below the seeds, the body-girdle being very slender, 
-and the imago emerged on 6th April. The second pupated head downwards 
-during the night on the same stem about four inches below the first pupa. This 
pupa dried up and died. The third larva escaped. Another larva found on 
“March 23rd pupated head downwards on 27th and a butterfly emerged on 
April 5th. 
A full grown larva measured 1% inch in length, tapered gradually toward 
either end, was dark green with lateral line bright purple above, white below. 
The dorsal line was dull purple, and the whole body minutely dotted with black. 
Head purple. The larva on changing on March 29th to the pupal state took, 
from the protrusion of the ‘‘ beak ’’, which emerged bent forwards, to the final 
shaking off of the larval skin, about one minute only. The pupa was green 
with long pointed mauve-coloured beak and at first had lateral purple 
-and white lines, but these soon changed to pale green, uniform with the rest 
-of the abdomen. From this pupa emerged at 7°37 a.m. on 6th April a female but- 
terfly, the black and white markings of the upperside having been clearly 
‘visible in the pupa the previous day. 
This butterfly was common on the banks of old canals and on the crests of 
stony hills at 600 feet and between them and the rivers Dyala and Tigris, flying 
‘hurriedly up and down the canal banks or about flower-covered slopes near the 
rivers, occasionally settling at flowers for a short time only. It is very active, 
though the female settles the more often. It is inquisitive, having passed 
the net it returns and hovers to and fro and so gives a chance of capture without 
a chase, which in the case of this active little butterfly is a consideration on 
‘steep stony ground. Large examples such as females may, when on the wing, 
be mistaken for Pontia daplidice though they are usually less inclined to settle 
than is that species. Both sexes were attracted by the smell of sulphuretted 
‘hydrogen from some oil drums, and, it seems by the scent of honey from some 
moths captured several years before, still retained by the net. 
Localities :—Mesopotamia—Kizil Robat, and Jebel Hamrin and Jebel Kizi 
Robat near the Dyala. Wet. S.form end of January to end of March 1919 
Dry. 8. form end of March to mid April 1919, both broods common. Right bank 
of the Tigris—at and near Fathah, Jebel Hamrin. Wet. S. form latter half of 
March 1920. Common in Mediterranean region. 
