12 I- de NTiceville- -Butterflies of Hongkong in Southern China. [No. 1, 



menu, Butler, Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Ilist., vol. xvi, p. 398, n. 3 (1865) ; Parhestina 

 mena, Moore, Lep. Ind., vol. iii, p. 36, pi. ccii, figs. 1, la, female (1896) ; Hestina 

 nigrivena, Leech, The Ent., vol. xxiii, p. 31 (1890) ; Grose-Smith and Kirby, Rhop. 

 Ex., pi. Hestina i, figs. 1, 2, male (1891) ; Hestina viridis, Leech, The Ent., vol. xxiii. 

 p. 32 (1890). 



Mr. Leech has himself sunk H. viridis to the rank of a variety of 

 JT. mena. From his figure of it (I.e., fig. 3) the underside of the hind- 

 wing has " the costa above the costal nervure and the abdominal fold 

 yellow." Mr. Leech notes, however, that male specimens of var. viridis 

 received subsequent to the description of the species have none of this 

 yellow coloration. I am a little doubtful if this character is not 

 sufficient to separate H. viridis, Leech, and H. nicevillei, Moore, from 

 P. assimilis, Linnagus, and P. mena, Moore. H. mena was originally 

 described from " North India," in 1895 Mr. Walker recorded it from 

 Hongkong, but Dr. Moore in 1896 said the habitat is unknown. I have 

 seen but a single pair from Hongkong, the female of which agrees very 

 closely with Dr. Moore's figure of that sex (not a male as stated). I 

 would draw especial attention to a series of four or five submarginal 

 pink spots on both surfaces of the hind wing which are visible in my 

 specimens, in Messrs. Grose-Smith and Kirby 's figures and in Mr. 

 Leech's figure No. 4 of var. nigrivena. These spots occupy the same 

 position exactly as the crimson spots in P. assimilis, which has led me 

 to suspect that P. mena is not improbably a dimorphic form of that 

 species. The genus Parhestina is evidently in a very plastic state, and 

 it appears to me that the process of mimicry to species of Danais is 

 now actively going on. Typical P. assimilis with its brilliant crimson 

 spots is a conspicuous species, and it is evident that it would be advan- 

 tageous to it to become less gaudily coloured and to be able to pass 

 itself off as a nauseous Danais. Mr. James J. Walker records the 

 breeding of a specimen in Hougkong, but does not mention the food- 

 plant of the larva, which still remains unknown. 



26. Euthalia phemius, Doubleday and Hewitson. 



Adolias phemius, Doubleday and Hewitson, Gen. Diurn. Lep., vol. ii, p. 291, n. 13 

 (1850); Itanus phemius, pi. xl, fig. 4, male (1850); id., Moore, Trans. Ent. Soc. 

 Lond., new series, vol. v, p. 65, n. 4, pi. iii, fig. 3, male (nee female) (1859; ; Euthalia 

 phemius Standinger, Ex. Schmett., p. 153, pi. liv. male {nee female) (1886) ; Walker, 

 Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1895, p. 457, n. 47 ; Moore, Lep. Ind., vol. iii, p. 123, pi. 

 ccxxxviii, figs. 1, la, male; lb, lc, female (1896) ; Adolias sancara, Moore, Horsfield 

 and Moore, Cat. Lep. Mus. E.I.C., vol. i, p. 195, n. 394 (1857); Trans. Ent. Soc. 

 Lond., new series, vol. v, p. 78, n. 34, pi. ix, fig. 1, female (1859). 



Mr. James J. Walker having taken a pair coupled of this butterfly 

 in Hongkong finally settles the question as to the opposite sexes of the 



