ISMENEIN^. 231 



Larva. — Head large, rounded, slightly higher than broad, vermilion-red, with a 

 broad black band, dilated on vertex into a circle, two black circles on middle of face, 

 one on each cheek, connected by a narrow stem with the central band, and a black 

 band just above the eyes on each side; jaws black. Body high in the middle and 

 rounded at the extremity of last segment ; colour black, with a double, thin, blue dorsal 

 line, a lateral broader yellow line, from which, and at right angles to it, proceed short 

 yellow and blue lines which do not quite reach a broad white double line along the 

 body above the base of the legs ; colour of abdomen bluish- white ; on segment 13 are 

 two vermilion sub-dorsal spots, one on each side of the dorsal line. Length, 51 mm. 



Pupa, very stout and compact ; colour light flesh-pink, powdered with a white 

 powder excreted by the pupa ; five black spots on front margin of thorax, one spot in 

 centre of segment 2, one on the eye, and an indistinct mark above each spiracle, all 

 black ; spiracles surrounded by a black line ; cremaster tipped with black ; a dorsal 

 black spot on the last two segments. Length, 26 mm. 



Habits. — The egg is laid on the underside of a leaf near the point ; the young 

 larva makes a cell by turning over a small portion on one side of the midrib at the 

 point on the top of the part on the other side of midrib, eating through the greater 

 part of the midrib, so that the cell part withers and dries ; it coats the inside densely 

 with silk ; this form of cell is adhered to throughout its life. The larva pupates as a 

 general rule in the cell. 



This, the largest but one of our skippers, is found all over the district, preferring 

 the damp evergreens and cool valleys of nallas, where the food plant of its larva is 

 plentiful about the rocks of waterfalls and by the sides of streams. It flies much like 

 the Sphingidse moths, making a distinctly audible fluttering with its wings. The 

 butterfly is not commonly met with anywhere, but may be caught on the tops of the 

 hills round Karwar on misty afternoons during the rains, and about evergreens towards 

 the evenings. Nearly all our specimens, and they are many, have been bred from 

 larvae found on a large creeper, Combretum extensum, Roxb. The insect is a dusk 

 flyer. (Davidson, Bell and Aitken.) 



Habitat. — South India. 



Distribution. — Appears to be confined to Southern India, has only been recorded 

 from Travancore, the Nilgiri Hills and the Kanara district, from which we have received 

 many examples of both sexes. 



GECANA JAINA. 

 Plate 747, figs. 2, <J , 2a, ? , 2b, $ . 



Ismene jaina, Moore, Cat. Lep. Mus. E.I.C. i. p. 247 (1857) ; id. Proc. Zool. See. 1865, p. 782. 

 Druce, id. 1873, p. 358. Wood-Mason and de Niceville, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, 1886, p. 378. 

 Elwes, Trans. Ent. Soc. 1888, p. 440. Manders, id. 1890, p. 537. Watson, Hesp. Ind. p. 10 



