COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 281 



Habits. — The imago lays single eggs on the young shoots of the 

 foodplairL The larva, after emerging from the egg, makes a hid- 

 ing place amongst the young leaves by drawing them together 

 with silks ; when larger, from the third moult onwards, it makes a 

 cell at the point of a leaf with a lot of untidy web, eating the 

 same leaf the cell is on. It lies with its head turned round on its 

 side when at rest and shams death when disturbed, falling to the 

 ground when possible. The pupa is fixed to a horizontal or verti- 

 cal surface, hanging perpendicularly down, the suspension free but 

 firm. The insect is our English " Painted Ladjr " and is found all 

 over India, most plentifully in the hills, though it exists in great 

 numbers in certain years also in the plains. It is a quick, strong- 

 flier and at times goes long distances. Generally, however, it 

 takes short flights, rising from the ground to rest again a short 

 distance off. It nearly always sits with its wings closed and often 

 draws the front wings into the hinder ones, leaving just the costa 

 and apical part visible. The underside is so designed as to har- 

 monise perfectly with gravelly, sparsely grass or herb-covered soil 

 which it nearly always affects and, once settled, it is difficult to 

 see. It frequents flowers, generally preferring those of creeping, 

 low plants and, when feeding thus, it holds the wings half open ; 

 also when basking in the sun. The distribution of the insect is 

 all but woi'ldwide ; it has been found in all parts of India, Ceylon, 

 Assam, Burma and Tenasserim. The foodplants of the caterpillar 

 in England are thistles, upon one species of which it has been bred 

 in Kashmir also ; Mallow, Burdock, Viper's Bugioss, and Nettles 

 even, belonging to the botanical families Composites (Garduus, 

 Thistle and Arctium Lappa, Burdock), Malvacece (Malva, Mallow), 

 Boraginece (Uchium, Viper's Bugioss), Urticacece (Urtica, Nettle) are 

 eaten at home in England ; in Kanara, here in Bombay, the larva 

 has been found on Zornia cliphylla of the Leguminosece and the com- 

 positaceous Blumea. By which it will be seen that there is no limit 

 to the distribution arising from the want of things to feed on. The 

 butterfly has been found in great numbers in the Sind deserts as 

 well as in the dense forests of Kanara, though in the latter it is 

 really plentiful only in certain years. 

 59. Vanessa indica, Herbst.— Male and female resemble V. cardui but the 



