COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 1119 



with larvae of various colours, slightly spined when full grown, very heavily 

 so in the first stage; pupee narrow with thoracic process. Food-plants 

 Anonacees and Lauraceos (sarpedon) . 



The Papilionidce are a very fairly homogeneous group of butter- 

 flies. They are found in all parts of the world being most numer- 

 ous in South America. They are distinguished from other butter- 

 flies by '• legs well developed ; claws large and simple ; no 

 empodium ; front tibise with a pad ; metanotum free, exposed 

 between mesanotum and abdomen." In the Indian region 

 Bingham enumerates some 89 species of which 75 are belonging 

 to the genus Papilio, the 14 others are divided into five genera : 

 Armandia, Leptocircus, Teinopalpus, Pamassius and Jlypermnestra. 

 These five are confined to mountainous regions at high elevations. 

 The Papilionidce are known at home as Swallowtails because the 

 two only species of the genus Papilio (the only one represented in 

 England) ever found in the British Isles are provided with long- 

 narrow tails, one to each hindwing ; the commoner being Papilio 

 machaon or The Swallowtail ; in early days of the eighteenth 

 century it was called the Royal William. This home representa- 

 tive of the family is really scarce nowadays, though it is said to 

 have formerly been fairly abundant in places. The other is not 

 really a butterfly of the British Isles but it is believed has once or 

 twice been blown over from across the Channel and caught there ; 

 even this is not quite certain. Its name is Papilio podalirius. 

 Both are plentiful enough in places in France and Germany. 



The family contains some of the largest and most brilliant of 

 the butterflies. Papilio (Ornitlioptera) minos female has been 

 known to reach nine inches in expanse of wing, the male always 

 averaging somewhat less. It is a butterfly of the Plains but is sure 

 to be found in some of the Hill Stations. One of the commonest is 

 P. aristolochice which may be seen sailing along near the ground at 

 any time of the year anywhere in India, its tailed hindwings with 

 their large white patch and red spots being very conspicuous. 

 Little scarcer is the more brilliant, nearly allied P. hector, larger 

 than the last, with thinner tails, white on the forewing in streaks 

 forming a band and with much brighter red, especially on the 

 underside, on the hindwing. The prevailing colours are black or 



