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



but is fairly constant throughout its range ; the female generally with 

 two forms, in Southern India and Ceylon with three, strikingly different 

 in appearance. 



Male and female upperdde black. Forewing : cell and rest of wing with 

 not very prominent, irrorated adnervular bands of pale, yellowish scales 

 and admarginal white specks along the term en. Hindwing : a transverse 

 discal series of elongate white spots in the interspaces 1-7, these spots 

 divided by the black veins and succeeded by diffuse, ill-defined, sparse 

 blue scaling (sometimes obsolescent or wanting in most interspaces) on 

 the postdiscal area ; an obscure spot of a deeper black than the ground- 

 colour at the tornal angle surmounted by a lunule of blue scales. Under- 

 side similar ; ground-colour of a duller, more opaque black. Forewing 

 with the cellular and internervular irrorated streaks more prominent. 

 Hindwing : the discal series of white spots and blue scaling succeeded by 

 a subterminal, more or less incomplete series of dingy white lunules and a 

 row of small admarginal spots in the interspaces along the termen ; the 

 tornal spot divided from the blue scaling by an ochraceous line (sometimes 

 very indistinct). Antennee, head, thorax and abdomen black ; head and 

 thorax anteriorly on the upperside and head, thorax and abdomen beneath 

 spotted with white ; the last with lateral, white lines. 



Cyrus form differs : — male upperside : the white markings larger, more 

 neatly defined, the tornal spot with an ochraceous short band above it. 

 Underside : the subterminal series of lunules are complete, well defined, 

 and vary from white to deep ochraceous-red. Certain specimens have a 

 subterminal band of white lunules on the upperside also (from the Nico- 

 bars) ; others, from the Western Ghats, Kanara, have it of deep ochra- 

 ceous-red lunules. Female : similar to the male, the subterminal series of 

 lunules on the underside ochraceous. This is merely a form and every 

 phase between it and typical poli/tes is found in Bombay Presidency and 

 in one and the same locality. 



Female, polt/tes form. — Upperside: fuliginous black on fore, somewhat 

 darker and velvety on the hindwing. Forewing with broad adnervular pale 

 lines on disc, narrower in cell, leaving the base of wing from 5 of costal 

 length to § of dorsal margin, and internervular lines and the terminal 

 margins fuliginous black. Hindwing : apex of cell and elongate marks 

 from base of interspaces 2-5 white ; lower half of interspace 1 dark-red 

 with blue scales and with a superposed terminal black spot at tornus ; 

 the red extends into interspace 2 below the elongate white mark (others 

 have it extending all round the white mark) ; finally a complete sub- 

 terminal, transverse curved series of red lunules and admarginal paler 

 red spots often with a narrow terminal yellowish white line beyond them 

 in the posterior interspaces. Underside similar ; a complete series of admar- 

 ginal spots along the termen of the hindwing, the anterior spots white. 



