112 
CEYLON 
about 5J inches across the wings and is rendered most conspicuous 
by its colouring—French grey and black. It rarely settled and was 
very hard to catch; Mr. Freedley and I were constantly striking at 
it, but it almost always eluded us. After many fruitless attempts I 
succeeded in netting two, one so battered that its powers of flight 
were seriously impaired; Mr. Freedley was even less fortunate, 
probably because he had a very small net. 
There was yet another Papilio which eluded me altogether. It 
was black-and-green, and 1 feel pretty sure P. agamemnon , a butterfly 
that I missed at Kallar in the Nilgiris. It had the extraordinary and 
most aggravating habit of flying up and down, or rather backwards 
and forwards, just like a sentry, over some small trees below the 
road. Its path, if one may so call it, was about a dozen yards in 
length, and it always turned round at the same place, moving by a 
succession of jerks. I once actually watched it for twenty minutes 
so occupied, it then settled for a moment on a Lantana flower; I 
struck at it and missed, and the performance began again. Another 
day it was at its post as before. Of all the Papilios that I saw 
this species was by far the wariest. 
In striking contrast to the Papilios in every way are the Satyrines. 
A solitary Mycalesis perseus was a very unattractive shade-lover. 
The bright little Yphthima ceylonica was abundant; so far as observed 
it sits upright. Nissanga patnia, Moore, a very distinct species, 
with leaden metallic lines on the under-surface, was fairly common at 
the edges of woods, but I did not meet with it on the “ patnas ” or 
grassy plains of the highlands of Ceylon. 
The Nymphalines met with included several interesting species, 
notably Cynthia asela , Moore, of which I saw a very fine example, 
but caught only a very tattered fellow. It seems to like sailing 
about over the trees. With Cethosia nietneri ) Feld., I had similar 
ill-luck. Of Cupha placida, Moore, again I have but a very worn 
specimen annotated thus : “ Has the swift flight and to some extent 
the habits of Precis , but is fond of resting on the leaves of trees/’ 
These remarks are probably intended for, or at least include, the 
allied Cirrhochroa cognata , Moore, which was certainly common, 
though very local; one of my five specimens, otherwise in good 
condition, has two snips taken out of each hind-wing, symmetrically, 
but it appears to be an insect readily chipped. Both these species 
have fulvous wings with black tips/so they are readily confounded in 
the field. 
of polymnestor, Cram.; the late Col. Bingham suggested that parinda might be looked 
upon as a dimorphic female of polymnestor peculiar to Ceylon. 
