516 
PRECIS. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
may like Pyraneis dejeani, Acraea vestoides, Danaida albata , Prioneris autotliisbe, Papilio arjuna, Stibochiona 
nicea, and Amnosia decora, be called a living barometer, indicating to the observer that he has left the Fauna 
of the hot low-lands and has reached or passed the Alpine zone at an elevation of ca 3800 ft. Both in Ton¬ 
kin and Java I could observe that hyperbias, resp. javanica were most abundant right after a heavy rain-fall, 
sagada. which may be explained by the influence of the moisture upon the pupa. — sagada subsp. nov. displays, 
compared with hyperbius from Formosa, Ishigaki and Okinawa, the melanotic character of an insular form, 
closely approaching taprobana Moore in the deep red colouring both in cT and ? above. Inferior in size to 
hyperbias from China, the $ shows a narrow, white, transverse band and, following this, a dark blue, 
proximally contracted border. Beneath it resembles taprobana in the fulvous band. From north-western Luzon, 
where according to Semper it is found at elevations of from 3500—5200 ft, between June and September. 
Reported also from Sagada on the Cagayan River. The specimens contained in my collection were taken by 
inconstans. Whitehead in the north-western part of the island. — inconstans Btlr., a small form with darker black subapical 
spots on f. w., having the black terminal border on the h. w. not lined with blue. The ground-colour above 
somewhat darker than in ?? from Java, beneath identical with javanica. The ? I do not know. Found in 
Australia, from the Hunter River as far as Rockhampton. The ?? from northern Australia are said to lack 
the white band; they are exceedingly rare in Continental collections. 
Group b) Dryas. 
laodice. A. laodice has spread from China southward to Upper Burmah and Assam, where it forms the beautiful 
rudra. subspecies rudra Moore (Vol. 1, p. 239, pi. 70 e). It is easily recognized by the lovely verdigris-colour of the 
basal area on the under surface of the h. w., which is traversed by an exceedingly narrow median band, partly 
of pure white, partly of blue colour, and by a broad, brown stripe. Found in Upper Burmah as early as 
March, in Assam from May until August. 
kamala. A. kamala Moore (Vol. 1, p. 240, pi. 70 c) resembles in either sex above A. maja Cr., but is inferior 
in size. In cT also the h. w. are of dark ochre-colour, in ? of a glossy moss-green, distally laved with light 
yellow. Confined to the western Himalayas, whence I received a great number from Mardan in the North-West 
Province; also quite common between Cashmere and Kumaon. It prefers open clearings near the border of the 
woods where it visits the flowers of thyme, thistle and Scabiosa. Found between July and October at elevations 
of from 6000—10 000 ft. In Cashmere it lias occasionally been taken in wet places near the banks of rivers. 
maja. A. maja Cr.; of this species one stray specimen, presumably belonging to the eastern form pasargades 
Fruhst. (Vol. 1, p. 242), was found near Gilgit, in north-eastern Cashmere. 
A. childreni has its chief home in India, although according to Leech it is found also in western China, 
childreni. though in sparse numbers. Three local forms must be distinguished: childreni Gray., originally described from 
Nepal, (Vol. 1, p. 240, pi. 70 cT¥) ranging from Nepal to the Khasia-Hills; it is quite common in Assam, but 
less so in Sikkim, where it is found during the summer from Juni until October at elevations of from 
3000 — 13 000 ft. It is found ot visiting flowers. Moore reports it from Manipur, Doherty from the Naga-Hills, 
where he encountered it at altitudes of between 5—8000 ft. during July and August, and Dr. Manders observed 
sakontala. it at Bernardmyo in Upper Burmah. — sakontala Roll. (Vol. 1, p. 240, pi. 70 b) is the form from the western 
Himalaya, flying from May until September on the grassy slopes, near the edge of the woods, at elevations of 
from 6 —10 000 ft. Distributed from Cashmere to Kumaon, frequently in company with A. Kamala Moore which 
it greatly surpasses in the rapidity of its flight, exceeding that of any other Argynnis found in India; still they 
caesarea. are easily trapped while visiting the blossoms of the thistle. — caesarea subsp. nov. is closely allied to sakontala, 
in size about midway between that and childreni. In c/V the blue anal border of the h. w. is somewhat 
broader than in sakontala. Beneath it is distinguished by the narrower, silvery, longitudinal stripe on the 
hindwing. According to Leech it ranges throughout western and central China from the Himalaya as far as 
Ningpo. Walker reports having seen caesarea at Kau-lun near Hong Kong as well as in the Chusan Archi¬ 
pelago. Nothing is known of the earlier stages. The sexual organs deviate considerably from those of paphia 
and maja. Uncus without dorsal ornamentation, very long, stout, hook-shaped, rather dentate above. Valve 
complicated, uncommonly broad and high, abruptly constricted distally, drawn out in the shape of a thumb, 
chitinous at the distal extremity, thickly covered with long bristles. Dorsal ledge provided at the base with 
a pointed clinopus, distally with a sharp, long, antler-shaped crest the lower edge of which is dorsally 
dentate. In front of this ornament is found a transverse dentate ledge. 
Tribus Vanessidi. 
18. Genus: Precis Hbn. 
The genera Junonia-Precis and their close allies Salamis , Napeocles and Rhinopalpa are in certain respects 
widely different from the Vanessids proper, forming a group by themselves. They may be distinguished 
by their eyes being naked, the forefeet being but scanlily clothed with hair or scales, and above all by 
the fact that the lower discocellular vein of the forewing, when at all present, does not terminate on the arch 
of the third median nervule, as in the genus Vanessa, but immediately at the origin of the third median 
