COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 321 



a/riadne ; also the habits of the larva and pupa and the imago or 

 perfect insect. This last inhabits the hills and jungles in regions 

 of heavy rainfall generally, although it encroaches on the Plains 

 along the borders where the climate is comparatively fairly dry. 

 It is confined to Southern India and Ceylon. The plant it has 

 been reared on in the caterpillar stage is Tragia involucrata, L., 

 mentioned already as one of the species upon which the caterpillar 

 of E. ariadne feeds. 



JErgolis contains only the above three species in British India 

 but there are others in the Ethiopian and Malayan Regions. 



SUB-FAMILY ACR&INJE. 



Only one genus . . . . . . . . Telchinia. 



GENUS TELCHINIA. 



Only one species. Exp. 2 - l" — 2 - 53" . . . . violoe.. 



The species will be found figured on coloured Plate E, figures 31, male, 



31a, female. The figures are good ; in the female, however, the spots left in 



the coalescing basal black markings on the hindwing are not light enough. 



The sub-family is chiefly African, very few species existing in South 



America and only two in British India. There are, however, a few in the 



Malayan Subregion nearly related to our Indian ones. Pareba vesta occurs 



in the Himalayas and extends in the hills eastwards to China and south into 



Burma. Telchinia violce is confined to Peninsular India but is found every 



where in the area, even in the dry region of Sind where it is not uncommon. 



There are 200 species in the group and they are all protected insects, 



exuding a yellow oily, disagreeably smelling liquid from the joints of the 



legs in self-defence, shamming death when handled, and as regards 



Telchinia and Pareba resembling Danaince in shape and colour as well. The 



colour of the two Indian species is yellow, or tawny suffused with reddish, 



marked with black spots ; the hindwing with a black, yellow spotted border ; 



the whole somewhat oily looking. The flight is weak, slow, fluttering, the 



' wings never being moved far from horizontal ; the insects keep near the 



: ground and go straight ahead ; they do not bask and rest with their 



. wings closed over the back. They frequent flowers. The larvae and pupse 



; are very similar. 



DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES OF ACILEIN^E. 



Telchinis violae, Fab. (PI. E., figs. 31 J, 31a $ ).— Male upperdde tawny, 

 with a roseate tinge. Forewing : a transverse spot in centre of cell, another 

 larger along discocellulars, a discal series in interspaces 1, 3 — 6, 10, the apex 

 and termen, the latter narrowing posteriorly with projections inwards along 



