1900.] L. de Niceville— • Butterflies of the Kanara District. 189 



are white, fluffy, onisciform insects commonly found on the young parts of 

 many kinds of plants. They are often called " mealy-bugs " and 

 " plant-lice," though the latter name is more properly applied to the 

 Aphidze. The larvae of many kinds of butterflies will, when they cannot 

 get vegetable food, eat each other or soft newly-formed pupae. Mr. Bell 

 has found that the greatest cannibals in this respect are the larvae of 

 certain Lycsenidee, and the worst amongst these again are the larvae of 

 Zesias chrysomallus, Hiibner, for these will at times, even when plenti- 

 fully supplied with their proper vegetable food, eat any larvae which 

 may be in a fit state to be eaten, i.e., which are either on the point of 

 casting their skins, have just cast them, or are just going to pupate. The 

 lycaenid larvae which are most addicted, after that of Z. chrysomallus, to 

 cannibalism, are those of the Amblypodia and Tajuria groups, those of 

 Arrhopala and Rapala being nearly as bad. He has known one larva of 

 Tajuria cippus, Fabricius, to eat up over a dozen young ones of its own 

 species. In Kashmir Mr. Bell bred a single imago of Hysudra selira, 

 Moore, from a larva which had been reared on the dead leaves and flowers 

 of its food-plant, Indigofera atropurpurea, Hamilt. (Natural Order Legu- 

 minosse), together with several newly-formed pupae of its own species. 

 The imago was a very fine, large specimen, so that the insect diet 

 evidently agreed with the larva. Mr. Bell particularly noted this fact, 

 as in all his previous experience he had been led to the conclusion that 

 a cannibal diet was bad for the stomachs of the larva? practising the 

 habit of eating up its fellows, as they, as a general rule, have not been 

 healthy, and have died before pupating. The tendency to cannibalism 

 is not confined to the Lycdenidse, but exists also amongst the Pierinse ; the 

 larvae of Appias will eat each other and any other species of larva 

 feeding on the same food-plant as themselves if forced to it by hunger. 

 He has seen the larvae of Appias libythea, Fabricius, and Appias taprobana, 

 Moore, eat freshly-formed pupae of their own species, as well as larvae 

 changing their skins, and also the larvae and pupae of Leptosia xiphia, 

 Fabricius. Some of the caterpillars of the Danainee will, when food is 

 not to be had, eat individuals of their own species. Mr. Bell has never 

 known a larva to eat another larva feeding on a food-plant of a species 

 different from its own, so it is probable that all larvae taste strongly of 

 the plant they feed on, and it is also probable that cannibal larvae are 

 hardly conscious that they are eating up each other, being only guided 

 to their proper food by the sense of taste, or possibly to a less extent by 

 the sense of smell. None of the larvae of the Satyrinse, PHymniinse y 

 Amathusiinse, Acrseinse, Nymphalime, Libythdeinse, Nemeobiina?, Papilio- 

 ninte, or Hesperiidse, have been found by Mr. Bell to eat any thin o- but 

 Vegetable food. All rjiopaloceroujj larva?, however, with but very few 



