AGRA—FATHIPUR SIKEI 
91 
T. laeta was quite abundant. Two specimens of Rujphina neris-sa 
were taken, one worn, the other a dwarf. The male of Belenois mesen- 
tina was common; in two specimens I detected a sweet scent like 
that of P. mpae, but more or less faint. A Polyommatus baeticus 
completes the list. 
Agra, lat. 27° N., alt. 550 ft. 
January 25th and 26th, 1904. 
The sight-seeing centre of India afforded neither time nor place 
for entomological research, and the few butterflies noted were of the 
most familiar Indian forms. While at Agra one lived in imagination 
with Akbar and Shah Jehan, and tried to imagine the charms of the 
fair lady who, one of many, the “ Chosen of the Palace,” inspired her 
husband to erect over her mortal remains by far the most beautiful 
tomb that has ever been built. Surely the Taj Mahal is an enduring 
proof that true love is compatible with polygamy. In discussing 
the beauty of the Taj two things are needful. In the first place the 
monument must be considered as a whole, with its walls and mighty 
gateway, its garden, its pavilions and mosques, as well as the tomb 
itself. 
Secondly, to an Englishman who from his youth up has associated 
white marble with vulgar mantelpieces, and still more vulgar 
tombstones, it takes time, repeated visits in the morning, at sunset, 
and by moonlight, before he grasps what a lovely material white 
marble really is, and what a glorious result it may produce when, 
as at Agra, Italian beauty of detail is grafted upon Moghal grandeur 
of conception. In short, disappointing at first, the beauty of the Taj 
grows upon the visitor till it becomes almost overpowering. 
Parts of the great fort are as beautiful as the Taj, “ but,” as the 
guide said to the writer, “ your honour is experienced old man, you 
know everything.” 
FathiptJr Sikri. 
January 28th and 29th, 1904. 
The reign of Akbar the Great practically coincided with that of 
our Elizabeth. During his long reign he conceived and carried out 
the idea of this wonderful city, but almost as soon as it was built 
he abandoned it, as the water supply was defective. Consequently it 
remains to this day, as it were, a vast red-sandstone fossil city, the 
Pompeii of India. Akbar was the most tolerant of sovereigns, his 
