72 LEPIDOPTEBA INDICA. 



two or three days, the black ants disappeared, and their places were taken by a far 

 greater number of smaller species of red ant, found commonly about every building 

 and living in the crevices of window and door frames. 1 now removed a larva from its 

 habitation in order to watch the operations of the ants more closely. On the example 

 taken there were fiv^e ants, three of which seemed to wander about the anterior 

 segments, and two paid close attention to the scutate anal segment. I noticed that 

 those on the anterior segments did not seem to be doing anything in particular, only 

 occasionally touching the back of the larva with their antennse, and sometimes combing 

 the same through their mandibles. These may have been taking up some of the 

 fermented juice of the fruit from the larva's back and eating it, but there could be no 

 certainty on the point, and the antennae of those observed were only cleansed in this 

 way at long intervals. The other two ants seemed in a far more excited state, and 

 often ran to the upper part of the scutate segment, and continued for some time to 

 keep up a sharp vibration of their antennae, the tip of each of which alternately struck 

 the larva. I noticed at that time that there was a depression in the segment between 

 the points where the antennse of the ant struck the skin, but I did not observe any 

 moisture exuding from it, nor did the ant, on any occasion of my observation, place its 

 mouth in contact with the depression. These two ants seemed to be constantly 

 attracted to the same place, and went through the same performance many times. I 

 also noticed that on each side of the scutate segment there was an obliquely placed oval 

 orifice which seemed to be of the same formation as the breathing apertures on the 

 other segments, but that, instead of being dark coloured with a shiny dark margin, it 

 was pale buff with a margin of the same colour. I am nearly certain that these are 

 merely breathing apertures or spiracles, and have no relation to those tentacle-bearing 

 apertures which are found on the penultimate segments of other lycsenidte. My 

 chief reason for holding this view is because, when the larva has buried itself wholly in 

 the fruit, its breathing powers by the lateral spii-acles would be extremely hampered, if 

 not altogether stopped, but the presence of these two spiracles on the scutate exposed 

 segment enables it to breathe with facility. There are no other similar apertures in 

 the segment. It is possible that these may be the apertures mistaken by j\rr. F. E. 

 Pargiter in the case of the very closely allied Virachola isocrates, Faltricius [vide Butt, 

 of India, iii. p. 481) for tentacle-bearing ones. This larva was then allowed access to 

 the broken fruit from which it had been taken, but it preferred to begin on a fresh 

 fruit. (Dudgeon. ) 

 Habitat.- — India. 



Distribution. — Taken by Graham-Young at JMandi in the Western Himalayas, by 

 Hocking in the Kangra Valley, by ^Mackinnon in Mussuri and the Dhera Dhun, de Niceville 

 records it from Sikkim and Orissa, Davidson and Aitken from Karwar, we have taken it 

 in many localities in and about Bombaj^, and have received it from the Khasia Hills. 



