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536 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI. 



Hahits. — The eggs are laid always singly on the top of a leaf and 

 generally on a leaf of a certain age. The imago chooses a shady 

 place in the jungles or in a garden, and the leaf chosen is never far 

 from the ground, that is to say, within about ten feet high and al- 

 ways on a plant bearing young leaves. The little larva eats the 

 egg-shell and shortly afterwards makes a seat of web near the edge 

 of its leaf upon which it comes to rest. Later on, when larger, it 

 rests in the middle along the midrib moving, of course, as occa- 

 sion requires, to a new leaf. When in the last two stages, as 

 soon as it dons the green coat, it sits on stalks, twigs and bran- 

 ches, resting with the body stretched, contracting the first four 

 segments, the face bent down along the leaf-surface. When touch- 

 ed it emits the flesh-coloured osmateria which smell strongly and 

 pungently of the leaves of the food-plant. The pupation takes place 

 suspended from the underside of a leaf-stalk and leaf or from a 

 thin twig, the loop being moderately long. The caterpillar walks 

 in a halting fashion, slowly, spinning web from side to side as it 

 progresses ; it travels all over the plant to eat and, at the end, 

 changes its resting place pretty frequently. It does not appear to 

 be much parasitised, though the eggs often sujffer in this way. The 

 imago appears after twenty-one days in the most favourable case, 

 the time spent in the pupa varying according to the dryness or 

 otherwise of the weather ; in captivity a pupa will often lie over 

 for months. The butterfly is very similar to P. helenus in its 

 habits of flight and choice of localities. It, also, does not, usually, 

 fly at any height from the ground though it will occasionally rise 

 to the tops of trees, especially when in search of food ; both males 

 and females are commonly found at flowers. The males may often 

 be seen drinking on the moist mud on roads or the wet sand in 

 nallas and rivers at the commencement of the monsoons and in the 

 hot close days that precede them. The species is one of the most 

 plentiful in individuals in the regions where it exists and may be 

 found about at any time of the year. It is however much com- 

 moner in the hills at low elevations and in jungle country than in 

 the Plains and is not found in regions of very scanty rainfall. 

 The flight is powerful and quick and generally straight ahead 

 though, when alarmed, the insect dodges with great alacrity and is 



