AND THEIE TRANSFORMATIONS. 21 



PAPILIO SARPEDON, Linn^us.— (Plate XVII., ? ). 



PapUio sarpeJon, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., I., (10th ed.), p. 4G1 (1758) ; Mus. Ulr., p. 196 (17G4) ; Syst. Nat., I. (12th ed.), p. 747 (17C7) ; Cramer, Pap- 

 Exot, II., pi. cxxii., figs. D, E (1779) ; Esper. Ausl. Schmett., pi. viii., fig. 2 (1785); Godart, Enc. Moth., IX., p. 4G (1819). 



I'apilio choredon, Felder, Verh. zool-bot. Ges. Wien., XIV., pp. 30&, 350 (1864); Gray, Cat. Lep. Ins. Brit. Mus., I., p. 28, pi. iv., fig. 1 (1852). 



Many years have passed since the day when, on one of our entomological hunts over the rich brush lauds of Ash Island, we 

 were so fortunate as to find a fine female of Papilio sarpedun laying her eggs upon the tender leaves and shoots of Geijcra salicifolia. 

 The discovery was the more welcome inasmuch as, although the butterfly itself was very familiar to us, the larva had hitherto eluded 

 our search. Since then the cultivation of the Camphor tree (Camphora officinalis) — a tree which has proved excessively congenial as a 

 food plant to Papilio sarpedon, Papilio mackayanua, and Charaxes scmproniiis — has become common, and any amateur entomologist may 

 now easily capture the larvaj. The butterflies may be seen, during most of the line summer days, darting to and fro about the 

 Camphor trees, in the public parks and gardens near Sydney, in some instances so engrossed in the occupation of depositing their eggs 

 that they may be captured with the hand. The eggs that we found at Ash Island were taken on the 14th March, and were hatched 

 on the 19th of the same month ; and evidently formed a part of the early brood of the succeeding summer, as the larvte produced 

 therefrom changed into chrysalids towards the end of April, and the butterflies did not take wing until the following November. 

 The eggs are globular in form, pale yellow in colour, and are deposited singly on the leaves or shoots of the plant. The infant 

 larva is rich black in colour, robust at the shoulders, and armed with numerous spines, similar to those of the larva of the 

 Vanessa3 ; the pair on the shoulders are much larger than the others and are armed with branching setae ; there are also two pure 

 white spines at the tail ; head large, and yellow. As the larva increases in size it loses the whole of the spines with the exception 

 of a black and white pair, short and pointed, on the sides of each of the three thoracic segments (those on the second segment 

 being very minute), and the pair on the tail. The colour of the insect is now dull sap-green above, merging into a bluish ashy 

 hue on the sides ; a broad bright yellow band passes over the back of the third segment and connects the two shoulder spines. 

 This general colouring is retained to full maturity, but the green becomes more subdued, and is finely speckled with white 

 raised points, while the tail is pale lavender, and an undulating band of yellowish-white, fringed with fine hair, passes from it, 

 over the feet, to the third segment ; abdomen, thoracic feet and prolegs, ashy-white ; head and caudal feet greenish ; in length it 

 measures 1^ inches, is cylindrical, and thickest at the shoulders, gradually tapering to the tail; is sluggish in habit, but if irritated 

 will rapidly protrude the retractile tentacula.* 



The pupa, which was produced at the end of April, is attached by the tail and a median band, with the head upright— it 

 measures IJ inch, is throughout light emerald green, finely speckled with darker, and with a row of dots above the spiracles ; the 

 upper part of head projects into a keel shaped process of considerable length, from which emanate four raised yellowish-white 

 lines, proceeding down each side of the body and uniting at the tail ; a similar raised line passes in front of the horn to the centre 

 of head, which the imago, in emerging, splits exactly in half. 



The butterfly measures from 3 J to 4 inches, and may be met with all through the summer. 



The Antenme (figs. 1 and 2) terminate in a hooked rather obtuse club, compressed near the apex, and shghtly 



grooved. 



The Labial palpi (llg. 3) small, scarcely projecting beyond the eye ; above scaly, and beneath with longish hairs ; basal and 

 second joints equal, terminal small and globular. 



The Legs: slender, very thinly covered with scales or hair, but with rows of small seta; on all the joints; tibia) of 



intermediate and posterior pairs (fig. 4) with two small spurs at their apices. 



Wings erect in repose. 



The whole upper surface is silky jet black, with a broad transverse cerulean-blue band across the middle of both wings, 

 tapering at each end ; at the tip of upper wing this band breaks into small patches, and becomes faintly tinged with green. An 

 outer row of cerulean-blue crescentic spots runs parallel to the margin of lower wing, which is produced and semi-caudate near the 

 anal angle, and margined with black and white. Head, thorax, and abdomen, black, densely covered with tine greyish hair ; 



:x;S;°;rS llSretcrLt't ^ti:t^L-^.^ .L., paimg mto ^^JL^^ on tl. sides and taii, with head and feet pale yellowish 

 green. — H.F.] 



