THE LEPIDOPTEEA OE CEYLON. 



Section RHOPALOCERA. 



Family NYMPHALID^. 



Front legs imperfect in both sexes ; in the female wanting the tarsal claws ; in 

 the male the fore tarsi quite rudimentary, consisting of one or two spineless joints. 

 Pupa suspended freely by the tail. 



Subfamily EUPLCEIN^.* 



Banaiiice, auctorum. 



Forewing with the submedian vein double at its origin. 

 Larva smooth, with fleshy processes. 



" The number of Oeylonese species in this Subfamily is not very considerable, 

 though some of them, especially of the genus Euploea, are extremely numerous 

 in individuals. These are, moreover, strikingly interesting on account of their mode 

 of flight and gregarious habit. On a fine sunny day, when calm or nearly so, 

 amazing numbers of one or more species of Eioploea may often be observed wending 

 their way in one direction, as if floating upon the air a few feet from the ground, 

 with an apparently sluggish movement of their wings, though really making rapid 

 progress. Resembling an army in scattered open column, they move on instinctively, 

 regularly and simultaneously, as if animated by a true migratory impulse. They 

 naturally suggest a most interesting inquiry as to whence these immense numbers 

 come and whither they are tending, whether their course is a straight-ahead one, or 

 is following a horizontal circular direction of greater or less diameter. These insects 

 when thus moving in company show an unwillingness to be diverted from their 

 course, and when attracted by a favourite plant in flower, it is only for a few minutes 

 that they remain upon it, and after regaling themselves, soon start off to resume their 

 journey with their fellow-travellers, moving again amongst them as before and bound 



* Linnaeus' name of Danaus hiaving been adopted in a generic sense by Esper in 1777 {Die Schmett. 



i. p. 53), and also by Panzer in 1801 (Faun. Ins. Germ. Hefte 73-84, p. 11), for species of Pierinae, its 



use — as applied by Latreille in 1S09, cannot be retained in this group of butterflies. The subfamily 



name " Danainae " consequently becomes obsolete, and, as no other is available, Euploeinae is here proposed. 



VOL. I. B 



