64 
INDIA 
about the autumn flowers on the bank. Quite a Palaearctic picture 
surely. 
In addition to the above I found at Naini Terias hecabe; the 
Hairstreak Ilerda sena , and the Blue Zizera maha ; also the Fossor, 
Pompilus analis, Fabr., a female, while Agrotis flammatra, Guen., a 
British rarity, came to light. 
A climb to the top of China Peak (pronounced Cheena), 8568 ft., 
produced two more Palaearctic forms, Argynnis issaea , and Polyom- 
matus baeticus. 
Five days were spent on horseback in an expedition into Kamaon 
as far as Banikhet and Chaubattia, some twenty-four miles north of 
Naini as the crow flies. The road, at first so slippery with ice as to 
compel us to dismount, falls rapidly to Khairna (Khairana, or 
Khyrna, for the spelling seems uncertain). At about 6000 ft. Iler da 
sena was again met with, at about 4000 ft. Neptis astola, Moore, and 
Terias hecabe. When near the bottom our eye was caught by the 
fluttering down of shells from a large pod-bearing tree. On glancing 
up we saw about a dozen charming-looking greenish Monkeys, their 
little black faces set off with most becoming white frills. It did not 
take them long to strip that tree of every pod. 
At Khairna, 3200 ft., a tiny village in a deep and narrow valley, 
I had a little further time for collecting, but it was limited by the 
steady march across the valley of the great chill mountain shadow, 
which sent all butterflies quickly off to bed. Precis orithyia was 
common, but the specimens were very small; P. oenone , P. lemonias, 
and P. iphita were also seen, the latter at flowers, not a usual habit 
of the species. Several Athyma perius were seen, also several 
Gatopsilia pyranthe; of those taken one was of the gnoma , the other 
of the pyranthe form. Of Ganoris canidia and Tarucus telicanus I 
took one each, but Zizera maha was in abundance. In addition to 
these were Utetheisa pulchella , flying for short distances about low 
herbage according to its wont, also a Fly which hovered at flowers 
just like a Sphinx—a Bombylius not in the National Collection. The 
widely-distributed Grasshopper, Thisoicetrus littoralis , Bamb., which 
was very common, had the curious habit after its short flight of 
settling so brusquely upon a shrub as to make its branches shake, 
but then quickly making its way to the ground. I missed a Macro - 
glossa twice at the same flowering bush. Late in the afternoon I took 
a Papilio pammon (a female of Wallace’s Form II., polytes), which 
was flying about and into bushes, apparently seeking for a resting- 
place for the night, but possibly for a plant whereon to lay its eggs. 
Close to the village of Khairna I saw upon the cliffs by the 
