PI ERIN uE. 117 



wondrous furor lias exliausted itself. By tlie superstitious natives ttese marvellous 

 movements of white butterflies are attributed to a desire on tlie part of the insects 

 to do homage to the footstep of Buddha on Adam's Peak, moved, as the native him- 

 self is to do so at certain times of the year. But the phenomenon itself, apart from 

 the native idea, is well worthy of study by any one who has time and opportunities 

 to devote to it : — It would be interesting to ascertain ; firstly, whence these butterfly 

 hosts come, and where their feeding-grounds when in their larval state ; secondly, 

 to determine if the immense numbers of these butterflies, which have halted for the 

 night, wake up in the early morning to continue their course, in exactly the same 

 direction as on the previous day, and at what hour the resumed movement com- 

 mences ; and thirdly, to ascertain if during the time their progress is arrested by 

 night, many fall a prey to the attacks of birds, bats, lizards, &c., to an extent to 

 reduce their numbers very considerably; and how their eventual disappearance is to 

 be accounted for. I should remark that amongst the main body of these travelhng 

 white butterflies, small groups of half-a-dozen individuals or more, may be observed, 

 which in strings of sequence, looking as if playing " follow my leader," have a pretty 

 appearance. In some portions of the country in their line of flight, where shallow 

 water may be lying, large numbers of these white butterflies may be seen quenching 

 their thirst on the damp ground, and flying up when disturbed, in quite a startling 

 cloud, I have found the larvee of Pierinse, feeding upon Leguminosce, Gajpparidacece, 

 and Loranthacece." (Dr. Thiuaites, MS. Note.) 



Genus NYCHITONA. 

 Nychitona, Butler, Cistula Ent. i. p. 34—41 (1870). 

 Nina, Horsfield, Catal. Lep. Mus. E. 1. C. p. 140 (1829). 

 Pontia, Boisduval, Spec. Gen. Lep. i. p. 430 {nee Fabricius). 



Forewing subpyriform, apex very convex ; costal vein extending two-thirds the 

 wing ; subcostal branches far apart, first at one-thu-d before end of the cell, second 

 immediately before the end, third and fourth on a foot-stalk one-third beyond the 

 cell ; radial from upper end of the cell ; discocellular deeply concave ; ceU more than 

 half length of the wing; middle median at one-eighth, lower at nearly one-half 

 before end of the cell ; submedian recurved : hindwing triangularly oval ; precostal 

 short ; costal arched at base ; first subcostal much curved, emitted at one-third 

 before end of the cell ; upper discocellular bent outward near subcostal, lower out- 

 wardly obhque, radial from angle of upper near subcostal ; middle median at 

 one-fourth, lower at one-half before end of the cell ; submedian straight, internal 

 recurved. Body very slender, palpi pilose beneath, projecting beyond the head; 

 antennae with a long compressed pointed club. 



{N. Xiphia.) 



