1894.] 147 



Gladioli, and trees with blossoms vivid as those of the flame tree of 

 Ceylon. Kingfishers like living sapphires, and bright red and black 

 honey eaters, flashed across one's path, but with few exceptions the 

 butterflies showed less colour than some of our own Vanessae. 



Perhaps the most generally distributed species was Hypolimnas 

 Bolina, var. otaJieitce, black with round white spots shot with blue ; 

 the female with spots of white or blue or more rarely yellow, the 

 markings showing immense variety. In gardens and sunny open 

 spots, where flowers were in profusion, this insect w^as sure to be 

 found flying quickly from blossom to blossom, often three or four 

 on one cluster with extended wings, basking in the sunshine, until 

 perhaps disturbed by our cosmopolitan friend, Danais PJexippus, who 

 seemed to take pleasure in chasing them off his own particular haunts. 

 One of the first to appear in the morning, when the sun was well up, 

 a. Bolina seemed to find the day all too short, and used to continue 

 flying after the sun had set, and in the warm still evenings, as long a» 

 there was sufiicient light to see, a few might be observed on the wing. 

 Sometimes, when we were sitting indoors reading or writing by lamp- 

 light, heavy rain clouds would drift up from the Pacific, and on those 

 occasions it was no unusual thing for several of these butterflies to 

 flit in by the open door, and, after circling round the room two or 

 three times, finally settle on the rafters for the night. More than 

 once, when out of doors late at night, and when there was neither 

 wind nor rain to disturb them, I have caught it flying. It may be 

 that the sound of footsteps scared it from its resting place, but I am 

 almost inclined to believe that it has the habit of flying by night as 

 well as by day. 



In clearings in the lower lying Forest the pretty velvety-brown 

 Deragena Schmelzii, with the curious scaleless stripe on its vping, flitted 

 gently in the sunshine, disappearing, if hunted or alarmed, into the 

 dense undergrowth of the Forest, where it might be found hanging 

 with drooping wings from leaf or twig, looking very like a withered 

 leaf itself. In the same open spaces of the lower forest a butterfly 

 that looked like a miniature edition of the large Queensland species, 

 Tirumala Jiamata, often alighted on the yellow flowers of a most 

 abundant weed, the flower contrasting beautifully with the delicate 

 pale blue and black of the insect's wings. The very remarkable 

 pocket on the wing appears to be the source whence comes the evil 

 odour which undoubtedly pervades this butterfly, and which lasts 

 for quite a week after it is dead 



The most handsome and striking butterfly which appeared during 



