1888.] G. F. B.£im^son— Butterflies of the Nilgiri District. 347 



elevation o£ 1000 ft. on the southern side and 3000 ft. on the northern, 

 and a fauna similar to that of the plains of India. 



(4.) The tract of low-country forest within the north-western 

 boundary, with a fauna like that of the jungles of the Wynad and Mysore, 

 which lie just beyond. 



Compared with most parts of Peninsular India, the district is very 

 rich in butterflies, especially the slopes of the hills from two to five 

 thousand feet in elevation. The following list will be found to be 

 nearly complete, and I do not expect that more than about twenty 

 species will be added to it. 



The only regular flights of butterflies are those before the two mon- 

 soons, one from west to east at the end of May and beginning of June 

 before the south-west monsoon, and one from east to west at the end 

 of September and beginning of October before the north-east monsoon. 



Most of the species have four broods, two in the dry-season and two 

 in the wet-season ; but some species have only the two wet-season 

 broods, as Mr. Doherty has observed in other parts of India. Seasonal 

 dimorphism is rather difficult to study on the Nilgiris, owing to the 

 fact that the western and north-western slopes get heavy rain during 

 the south-west monsoon and hardly any during the north-east; while 

 the eastern and south-eastern slopes have their wet season during the 

 north-east monsoon and get little of the south-west ; and, consequently, 

 the wet- and dry-season broods are some three months later in appearing 

 on the southern and eastern slopes than on the western and northern, 

 and the two forms get much mingled in the intermediate districts, wliich 

 partially get both monsoons. 



Family NYMPH ALID^. 



Subfamily Euplcein^, Moore. 

 Group Limnaina, Moore. 



1. Hestia malabarica, Moore. 



3000 — 4000 ft. Found only on the western slopes, the species being 

 confined to the region of heavy rainfall. 



2. TiRUMALA LiMNiACE, Cramer. 



3. TiRDMALA SEPTENTRIONIS, Butler. 



4. LiMNAS CHRTSIPPUS, Linn86US. 



I have no specimen intermediate between L. chrijsippus and L,alcip- 

 poideSy Moore. 



5. Salatura genutia, Cramer. 



6. Parantica aglea, Cramer. 



7. Caduga nilgiriensis, Moore. 

 Common throughout the district. 



