188(3.] W. Doherty — A List of Butterflies talien in Kumaon. 113 



nest at the foot of the tree. This sight is rather an amusing one, the 

 caterpillar often showing the greatest reluctance to leave its pasture- 

 ground, and manifesting strong doubts as to the intentions of its escort. 

 I was struck with the forbearance and patience of the ants, which 

 carefully abstained from any violent use of their formidable jaws, though 

 the journey was thereby sometimes prolonged to six or seven hours. 

 Having arrived at the foot of the tree, the ants deposited the caterpillar 

 in an open space just within the mouth of the nest, whereupon the latter 

 immediately attached itself to the bark, and commenced its transforma- 

 tions. I have counted as many as thirteen chrysalids of Azanus uhaldus 

 so attached in one nest at the foot of a kind of babul tree (Acacia 

 leucoploea). All were uninjured and all produced perJect butterflies. The 

 instinct which induces the ants to preserve these caterpillars in their 

 nests, thus sacrificing a large present supply of food to the possibility of 

 a future supply of the sweet juice they are bo fond of, strikes me as one 

 of the most remarkable things in nature. 



A kind of hermaphroditism seems to occur sometimes in the Hesperi- 

 adce. From the body of (apparent) males of Suastus eltola and of Coladenia 

 dan, both having perfect prehensores of the form characteristic of their 

 respective species, I obtained one or two well- developed eggs exactly 

 similar to those taken from the females of the sa-me species. Also, from 

 a male of Suastus toona (the egg of that species being, except for this, 

 unknown to me) I obtained a single immature blood-red egg. I have 

 not observed this in any of the higher groups of butterflies. 



My thanks are due to the Superintendent of the Indian Museum, 

 Calcutta, who has given me the freest access to the fine collections under 

 his charge ; and to Mr. de Mceville, who has given me the benefit of 

 his advice and assistance on several difficult points. 



Suborder RHOPALOCBRA TETRAPODA, Constant Bar. 

 Family DAI^AID^, Felder. 



1. Danais AGLAiA, Cram. (ar/Zea.) = meIano'ides,MooYe. Common in 

 the Tarai and in the Sarju and Kali valleys up to 4,000 feet, 



2. Danais limniace, Cram. Ranibagh at the foot of the hills. 



3. Danais septentrionis, Butler. Sarju and Kali valleys, 2 — 4,000 

 feet. 



4. Danais tttia. Gray. Pindari, Gori, Sarju, and Kali valleys, 3 



6,000 feet. Mimicked by Hestina uama. 



5. Danais chrtsippus, Linn. Ranibagh, Kali valley to Dharchula 

 (3,000 feet), not common. 



