1899.] L. de Niceville — iisi of the Butterflies of Ceylon. 185 



upperside. The underside of both sexes is very variable, the upper 

 ocellus of the hindwing is the one usually wanting. In one specimen 

 there are four ocelli on one wing and five on the other. The species 

 is widely distributed, and is not uncommon on grassy slopes in the 

 middle hill districts. Dr. Moore restricts it to Ceylon, but it certainly 

 occurs in many parts of India also. It is strongly seasonally dimorphic. 

 Its transformations are unknown. 



24. Ypthima ceylonica, Hewitson. 



The pure white patch on the upperside of tlie hindwing of this 

 insect renders it one of the most conspicuous and easily distinguish- 

 able species in the genus. It is very common in the low country, parti- 

 cularly so in the Cinnamon Gardens at Colombo, fluttering about 

 amongst the grass on the roadsides nearly all the year round. It is 

 found in South India, and on the east coast as far north as Orissa. It 

 has never been bred. 



25. Melanitis ismene, Cramer. 



Moore as M. ismene, and M. leda, Linnaeus. The wet-season form 

 of this species is M. determinata, Butler; the dry- season form is true 

 M. ismene. The true M. leda, Linnaeus, usually understood to be the 

 wet-season form of If. ismene, is now said by Drs. Butler and Moore 

 to be a distinct species from Amboina. M. ismene is very common 

 in Ceylon and is widely distributed. Its range in Africa, Asia, Malaya, 

 Australasia and the South Seas is very great. It has been frequently 

 bred on rice and grasses. 



26. Melanitis tambra, Moore. 



Dr. Moore in Lep. Indica describes and figures dry and wet-season 

 forms of this species, and restricts it to Ceylon. He also describes the 

 larva and pupa but does not give its food-plant, though that is almost 

 certain to be the same as for M. ismene, Cramer. It is very close indeed 

 to M. bela, Moore, restricted by the describer to the Himalayas, Assam, 

 the Naga and Khasi Hills and Burma. If really distinct, which we 

 doubt, size alone would appear to distinguish between them, M. tambra 

 being the smaller. M. tambra probably occurs all the year round, and has 

 been recorded from the Western and Central Provinces, in the plains 

 and up to 3,000 feet elevation ; from Punduloya, Ramboda and Kandy 

 (Moore), Manders records it from the Hambantota district. Dr. Moore 

 gives M. varaha, Moore, from South India, which is also doubtfully 

 distinct from M. bela. If. suyadana, Moore, the describer restricts 

 to the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Nias and Java ; M. abdallse, 



