504 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIII. 
With the Nymphalids are included two minor groups, which are closely allied 
wiz., the Libythacine and the Nemeobiide. 
6. As no doubt everyone knows, a butterfly has passed through the stages 
of egg, caterpillar and chrysalis. The study of the early stages of the butterflies 
of India has with two brilliant exceptions been most woefully neglected. ‘The 
first of these is Mr. T. R. Bell, the author of the papers now appearing in the 
Journal entitled ‘‘ Common Butterflies of the Plains ” ; he has discovered the 
life history of practically every butterfly that inhabits the North Kanara District 
of the Bombay Presidency ; as a matter of interest I may mention that in at 
least one case Mr. Bell has reared a butterfly that has never yet been found 
flying. The second is the late Mr. P. W. Mackinnon, who in Vol. XI of the Journal 
described the life history of most of the butterflies of Mussoorie. Every fully 
developed living organism is said to climb up its genealogical tree before it attains 
maturity, so that the importance of studying the early stages can hardly be over 
estimated ; our classification still presents many imperfections, which will not 
be removed until a great deal more has been discovered regarding the early 
stages. Breeding butterflies is a rather troublesome business and necessitates 
continued residence in one place ; the opportunities afforded the ordinary official 
are somewhat limited and it is chiefly to the planter or the retired individual 
that we must look for assistance. The great desiderata are observers in the 
Darjiling district and in Assam and Burma, more especially the rubber planters 
or tin miners of Mergui and Tavoy. Many years ago a distinguished American 
naturalist, who spent some time collecting butterflies in India, evolved a classifi- 
cation for the skippers based on the eggs, but lack of material rendered it 
unreliable. Under a microscope of moderate power the eggs are wonderful 
things. The caterpillars are ofmany different forms and colours, while the 
chrysales are often most curious and are concealed in a marvellous manner. 
I will not enlarge on this subject, but will refer those interested to Mr. Bell’s 
articles, than which nothing better has ever been published. A study of the 
food plants in various localities with notes as to how they differ would be most 
valuable information towards affording an explanation of the geographical 
variation of butterflies. 
7. The investigation of the structure of the perfect-insect can safely be left 
to the cabinet naturalist. but it is only the field naturalist who can supply infor- 
mation regarding the habits of butterflies. There are numerous points to be noted. 
Males are often to be found playing about in the sun or sucking moisture in damp 
spots. The female attends more strictly to her business of egg laying and re- 
quires watching as to where she lays her eggs, whether singly or in clutches, on 
what particular food plant and whereabouts on it. Caterpillars can sometimes 
be seen feeding openly, but for most of them a very close examination is needed ; 
many are night feeders ; a good plan is to beat bushes and with luck the cater- 
pillars will fall into a net held below. The caterpillar passes through various 
moults and requires examination at every stage. The act of turning into a 
chrysalis demands close observation and the manner in which the chrysalis 
reposes ; some hang free from a twig, others are secured by a girdle, while some 
remain like a grub inside a fruit. The actual emergence of the butterfly is a sight 
rarely seen but very well worth watching. The habits of the actual butterfly 
require much observation ; the season of emergence, number of broods in the 
year, duration of life, mode of flight, nature of habitat and so on all require re- 
cording. There is no end to what can be done and all of it is interesting. There 
seems to be a very general impression that the life of a butterfly is limited to one 
day ; if an enemy secures it on the day it emerges, then all is over, but many 
survive tor very long periods ; for instance in the Himalayas nearly all the butter- 
fiies one sees in the spring emerged in the Autumn and have lived through the 
winter, coming out very often for a flight on a warm day ; in Japan there is 
a species that emerges in July and flies till the following May.. 
