COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 307 



When green there are two black spots on segment 2, mother-of-pearl spot 

 margined with rose-crimson posteriorly on each eye ; all spines and tuber- 

 cles surrounded at base with mother-of-pearl, inside which the cones are 

 generally crimson ; the spines are yellow tipped with black, the extreme 

 point being white ; the tubercles of segments 4, 5, 8, 10 may be green like 

 the body ; on segment 12 are two minute tubercles ; anal segment has a 

 circle of six black spots round base of cremaster ; wings are slightly 

 striated ; a mother-of-pearl blotch at shoulder with two black spots ; a long- 

 mother-of-pearl mark bordered by crimson along each inner wing margin 

 from near the shoulder to segment 6 ; another similar one, oval in shape, 

 starts a little posteriorly to this and runs along inside costal margin of 

 wing but does not reach the ventral line of pupa ; the pair of spines of 

 segment 7 as also others may have the mother-of-pearl spots surrounding 

 their bases coalescing over dorsum of pupa and there is black subdorsal spot 

 in front of the coalescing marks on segment 7. L : 17 mm. ; B : 6 mm. 

 H : 6 mm. ; L. of spine of segment 7 : 6 mm. 



Habits. — The egg is laid on young shoots. The larva is very- 

 active and lives on the underside of a leaf, falling to the ground 

 by a silk when disturbed, or rather towards the ground, for it stays 

 suspended in the air ; it is of the same excessively quick growth as 

 the larva of Atella phalantha taking only 21 days from the depositing 

 of the egg to the appearance of the butterfly. The insect is much 

 "more a jungle species than Atella pTialantka and is found mostly in 

 regions of heavy rainfall, though it is occsionally met with on the 

 borders of the Plains. In flight it is somewhat weaker than the 

 species just mentioned, is fond of the shade rather than the sun, 

 basks occasionally with the wings half opened and is not parti- 

 cularly pugnacious. It keeps near the ground as a rule but is found 

 flying about the tops of the trees its larva feeds on in the jungles, 

 that is at a height of some 50 feet and more, though trees of this 

 size are not of common occurrence. The best place to look for the 

 butterfly is always the food-plant of its larva. This is also true of the 

 last species. The plants are the same for both : Flacourtia montana 

 being that most affected by Gupha while F. TLamontclii is the 

 favourite of Atella. Gupha placida is much more plentiful in the 

 heavy monsoon regions in the months of September, February and 

 March than at any other time, whereas Atella is hardly ever seen 

 in September as already remarked. 



67. Argynnis hyperbius, Johanssen (PI. A, figs. 1 $ , la $ ).— Male upperside : 

 forewing rich orange-yellow, hindwing paler yellow with the following 



