THE LARVA AND PUPA OF SPALGIS EPIUS, WESTWOOD. 487 
expression are worked out, and I am afraid that the plate will be re- 
garded as overdone. To this I can only reply that it is underdone. 
Drawing an object under a strong lens is difficult and the artist has 
failed to bring out the peculiarly expressive moulding of the lips and 
the malignant gleam of the eyes. In order to make it easier to 
understand the figure, the pupa has been shown nearly life-size in two 
positions. It is attached by the anal end to a leaf, usually, I think, on 
the upperside, so rigidly that it remains in a position parallel to the 
surface of the leaf. There is no band. 
This almost perfect and yet wholly unaccountable representation of 
animal physiognomy in the pupee of two allied butterflies should make 
us cautious of explaining every fancied resemblance by “ protective 
mimicry.” The likeness of the “* Leaf Butterfly” to a withered leaf and 
of certain Phasmide to green leaves or sticks does undoubtedly often 
save their lives, but in none of them does the likeness approach this 
one, for which it seems impossible to suggest cause or reason. For 
what advantage can it be to an object the size of a grain of wheat 
that it looks just like a baboon? Verily we are not better than our 
fathers. It is a lusus nature. 
EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 
Plate A, 
Fig. 1. Imago of Spalgis epius, Westwood, male, from South 
India, natural size. 
Fig. 2. Ditto, female. 
3. Dorsal view of the pupa of the same, highly magnified. 
» 4. Side view of ditto, slightly enlarged. 
5. Dorsal view of ditto, slightly enlarged. 
Plate B. 
This plate, with some slight alterations only—z.e., a front or dorsal 
view of the pupa of the natural size has been added, and the sides of the 
imago have been reversed, the left-hand side now showing the upper- 
side, the right-hand the underside—has been copied from the original 
Plate IV of “ Psyche,” vol. VI (1892), p. 201, drawn by the 
Rev. W. J. Holland, Ph.D. 
Fig. 1. Imago of Spalgs s-signata, Holland, from West Africa. 
2. Larva of ditto, dorsal view. 
» 9. Dorsal view of the pupa of the same, highly magnified, 
4, Side view of ditto, probably natural size. 
» 9 Dorsal view of ditto, also probably natural size, 
