1886.] certain Calcutta Species of Satyrinas. 237 



ocellated form, the former occurring for about two-thirds of the year, but 

 the latter for the remaining third only. 



4. Melanitis leda, Linnaeus. PL XIT, Fig. 4. 



The synonymy of this species also will be vast when written in full, 

 as not only must all the numerous forms of M. ismene, Cramer, be added 

 to it, but also the numerous intergrade forms that have been described, 

 including that latest bantling of Mr. Butler's, M. determinata,* which, even 

 if the " lurid " M. leda should prove constant, must sink under the far 

 older name M. ismene. Its range is enormous : it occurs in Eastern, 

 Western, and Southern Africa both as true leda (as universally accepted) 

 and as hanlcsia, throughout Southern Asia, in the Pacific Islands, and in 

 Australia. Whether it presents dimorphic forms throughout its range, I 

 cannot say. The specific extent of the genus Melanitis must long remain 

 in doubt, until, in fact, breeding experiments have been carried out exten- 

 sively ; but I believe that there are several good species in India alone, 

 though how many I am not prepared to say : in Ceylon, for instance, 

 M. tamhra is probably distinct from M. leda, in Sikkim M. zitenius and 

 M. tristis may be good species, and so on. 



I did not keep a very exact record of dates in breeding this species, 

 as the transformations, as stated above, had been previously recorded, 

 but, from eggs laid by M. leda (= determinata, Butler) in August, I 

 bred, on September 6th, a female M. leda, on the 7th, another female ; on 

 the 8th, two female M. ismene, one with distinct ocelli, and therefore an 

 intergrade between M. leda and M". ^sme?^e, though nearer the latter; on 

 September 9th, one male and two females of M. ismene ; on September 10th, 

 three males and four females of M. isfnene, several of which are intergrades, 

 and one male M. leda ; on September 11th, two males and one female 

 (the latter a highly ocellated specimen) of M. ismene ; and on September 

 12th, one male of M. ismene : the total result being that from nineteen 

 pupae bred from eggs laid by true M. leda, I obtained three specimens 

 (1^,2? ?) like the mother, and sixteen specimens (7d'd',9??)of 

 M. ismene, several of which, though transitional forms, were yet all 

 nearer to M. ismene than to M. leda. 



My efforts to breed a second generation failed, all the specimens 

 dying without coupling or laying eggs. 



Captain Sage first observed a specimen of M. ismene on September 

 23rd, the only Melayiitis seen by him for several months previously being 

 leda. 



To conclude, I would earnestly ask entomologists living in the tro- 

 pics to devote as much time and attention as they can to breeding but- 

 * Ent. Month. Mag. vol. xxi, p. 246 (1885). 



