MATAPIN^. 197 



Female similar to tlie male. 



Expanse of wings, $ ? -^^ inch. 



Larva very like that of ^.4. maro, Faliricius (= Ainpittia dioscorides, Fabricius) ; 

 head half-elliptic, higher than broad, finely hairy about the mouth ; colour green ; 

 jaws yellow ; colour whitish-green, with dark green showing through in small spots; a 

 dark dorsal line ; a white lateral distinct line, and a sub-marginal, white, indistinct line. 

 Length 19 mm. 



Pupa. — Head square ; eyes prominent, with a conical parrot beak of moderate 

 length ; thorax ending square behind ; shoulders rounded ; segment 5 has a small 

 dorsal point u)ider which the suspension-band passes, this point being directed forwards ; 

 proboscis free to the end of segment 10 ; cremaster nearly parallel-sided, minutely 

 hairy round the margin, surface of pupa extremely minutely hairy under a lens ; 

 colour a dark watery-looking green, with a fine sub-dorsal and lateral white line 

 and an obsolescent white spiracular line. Length 14 mm. 



Habits. — Egg laid anywhere on dead or green leaves, but nearly always on the 

 underside ; larva makes a lax cell ; when full grown the larva makes an open cell, 

 lying on the underside of the leaf, where it changes into pupa, fastening itself by the 

 tail and a body-l)and ; the egg is very large for the size of the insect ; hemispherical in 

 shape, somewhat depressed; 18 thin low ridges from top to base; white in colour; 

 the larva feeds on grasses, and generally on short grasses. -This little skipper is 

 extremely local in this district, but occurs in quantities where found ; such is our 

 experience ; in the months of November and December we found it in the valley of the 

 Kalinaddi, far away from the coast, in uuml)ers ; in January there was hardly a 

 specimen to be seen. The spot where we found it was a piece of marshy ground sur- 

 rounded by dense jungle. It is a greedy flower-feeder ; flies low down near the ground 

 among the grass and settles often ; it is extremely diflicult to see, being so small. We 

 have noticed odd individuals now and again at different times of the year ; always in 

 nullah beds and in thick jungle country. We have bred two specimens; we possessed 

 very few specimens until we came across the lot mentioned above, when we obtained 

 as many as we wished. (Davidson, Bell and Aitken.) 



Habitat. — South India, Ceylon, Burma, Java, Sumatra. 



Distribution. — The type came from Sal ween, Maulmein ; Moore records it also 

 from Mergui, Elwes from Bernardmyo, Tavoy in Burma, and from Java ; de Niceville 

 and Martin from Sumatra, Adamson from Toungoo, Hampson from the Nilgiris, de 

 Niceville from the Palni Hills; Davidson, Bell and Aitken bred it at Karwar, but 

 unfortunately did not figure the larva and pupa ; we have it in our collection from tli 

 Ataran Valley in Burma and from Sumatra. 



