THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE NORTH CANARA DISTRICT. 47 



' Habits. — The larva makes a strong cylindrical cell of a leaf longi- 

 tudinally folded, which it clothes densely with silk, rendering it 

 difficult to tear open ; the cell is thickly covered with white powder 

 inside. It feeds on palms (Caryota, Cocos, Calamus, Sfc.) 

 ■206. Isma submamlata, Staudinger. 



This insect, very like the last to look at in the imago, is only 

 known to exist in the district from the fact that we caught a single 

 specimen a few years ago in the south. The exact locality we do not 

 know, as we took the butterfly to be a S. gremius, Fabricius, until it 

 was examined during the monsoon. The specimen was sent to Mr. 

 de Niceville for identification and pronounced by him to be I. suh- 

 maculata.) a species, he informs us, that has never yet been taken in 

 India, though known to occur in the Phillipine Islands and Sumatra. 

 It is placed here in this group as it is so like the foregoing in general 

 fades. The larva is unknown to us. 



207. JBaoris philotas, de TSficeville. 



We know little about tills small skipper. We have bred two 

 specimens of it from larvae feeding on grass or rice, both of which 

 larvae we took to be Baoris bada, Moore; it is possible that there may 

 have been a larva slightly differing from those of the last-named 

 species among the crowd we had, but we did not notice it if this was the 

 case. One specimen was bred in the monsoon below the ghats, the 

 other in the dry weather above the ghats. One specimen was sent to 

 Mr. de Niceville, who identified it for us. May it not be possible that 

 Baoris philotas is only a starved individual of B. bada ? The question 

 would be worth investigating. B. bada is easily reared from the eo-o- 

 in a cage in which it is only necessary to plant some rice and, after it 

 has sprouted, to introduce a female P. bada ; a few larvae can be put 

 apart and brought up on short allowance after the first three moults. 

 This insect has been placed in this group, as we think it very similar to 

 Baoris hada % 



208. Halpe moorei, Watson. 

 This insect is very common all over the district at all times of the 

 year. It is fond of water and basks in fhe sun on leaves ; it may be 

 easily caught when drinking and basking, but is of extremely rapid 

 flight and difficult to capture on the wing. We have reared many, 

 both in the monsoon and in the dry weather. 



