COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS. 99 



125. Pareronia hippia.— (PL I, figs. 63 d" , 63a $ .)— Male, iqyperside : a clear 

 somewhat pale bine ; all the veins defined with black; f orewing : costal broadly 

 apex and terminal margin very broadly black, this black ; on the termeii 

 narrowed towards tornus and traversed by a transverse, subterminal series 

 of bluish-white spots that are variable in number ; the spot in interspace 3 

 shifted inwards ; sometimes the posterior two spots of the series are all but 

 joined on to the streaks of the ground-colour between the veins. Hind- 

 wing : dorsal and costal margins broadly whitish, terminal margin broadly 

 black, especially at the apex the black area covered except at the tornus, 

 with specialized, opaque-looking scales. Undenide : paler blue, the terminal 

 margins of the wings obscurely fuscous, traversed by a subterminal, very 

 indistinct, transverse series of whitish lunulate spots. Forewing : veins 

 more or less broadly bordered with black, this edging dilated towards the 

 termen ; apex broadly, terminal margin decreasingly to the tornus, suftused 

 with a somewhat obscure, pearly-white lustre. Hindwing: the subcostal 

 vein and veins 6, 7 and 8 broadly, the rest of the veins very narrowly edged 

 with black ; a very fine, black line in interspace 1. Cilia of both wings very 

 Tiarrow, white. Antenna) black ; head, thorax and abdomen fuscous, the 

 i;horax clothed with long, bluish hairs ; beneath : the palpi, thorax and 

 abdomen pale, silvery bluish-white. 



Female, 1st Form, upperside : black, the markings bluish white ; forewing : 

 cell with two streaks, the anterior one from extreme base, the posterior one 

 from end of basal third but extending beyond the anterior streak ; below and 

 beyond the cell : a series of streaks in the interspaces ; the streaks very 

 irregular in length, that in interspace 1 the longest, angulated anteriorly and 

 divided longitudinally from near the base, the streak in interspace 8 short 

 •and broad, forming an elongate spot, those in the anterior interspaces more 

 •or less obliquely placed; beyond these streaks follows a subterminal, transverse 

 series of spots of which the spot in interspace 3 is shifted inwards and 

 those opposite the apex curved backwards. Hindwing : costa and dorsum 

 broadly white ; cell and the interspaces beyond with a series of streaks and 

 subterminal spots more or less as in the forewing but more regular, the 

 streak in cell and interspace 1 divided longitudinally, the subterminal 

 series of spots evenly curved. Underside : similar to the upperside, but the 

 ground-colour dull, dusky and diffuse, the markings broader but less clearly 

 defined ; the apical area on the forewing obscured by a powdering of whitish 

 scales. Antennsse, head, thorax and abdomen much as in the male, but 

 darker ; eyes bright green when alive. 



2nd Form. — Very like the first, the markings of both sides similar, but the 

 ground-colour on the upperside of the hindwing at base in interspace la, 

 over the whole of interspace 1, area of cell and at base of interspace 2 

 suffused with bright yellow. On the underside the same areas are dull 

 ochraceous. The extent of the bright yellow colour on the upperside and 

 the dull ochraceous tint on the underside is variable, in some specimens more 

 restricted, in others it spreads further towards the costa. This form does 

 not appear until the end of the rains ; in a brood of, say, fifteen, of which 7 

 .are females, 1 or 2 may occur with these yellow markings. Expanse 

 70-80mm. 



Egg. — In shape a pointed oval, narrowly truncated at apex, a little less so, 

 •perhaps, at base, the apex crowned in a small circle with 8, sometimes 7, 

 pointed, little teeth ; the interior of this circle is flat ; the teeth are the end 

 of longitudinal ridges which start at the base of the eggs ; there are 17 of 

 tehse ridges but about half of them, from 8 to 9 that is, join others and loose 

 themselves in them near the top of egg and, therefore, never reach the 

 ccrown ; these ribs are minutely beaded, a single row of beads, throughout 

 their lengths and the intervals separating them from each other are about 



